The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast rain and thundershowers at many places in western Uttar Pradesh and a few places in eastern parts over the next 24 hours, with heavy rain likely at isolated locations in the west. This forecast comes as floods have affected around 3.53 lakh people across 26 districts, with over 17,500 people evacuated to safer locations.

Flood Situation in Uttar Pradesh

The Ganga has crossed the warning level in Varanasi and is flowing above the danger level in Ballia, along with the Ghaghra river.

Fire Incident at Asian Hospital

A fire broke out at Asian Hospital near Akashwani Chowk in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar around 2:45 am on Friday, triggering an urgent rescue operation. All 58 patients, including nine newborns in the NICU, were safely evacuated, with the infants shifted to three nearby hospitals. The blaze was brought under control, and no casualties were reported. A short circuit in an air-conditioning unit is suspected to have caused the fire.

Political Developments

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has planned a visit to Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi at 10 am on Friday to seek action against Swatantra Bhardwaj, a self-proclaimed Hindutva influencer who claimed to have assaulted Sanjay Kumar — father of student protester Nishu — during a protest at Jantar Mantar in June. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das stated that he and other party members would reach the police station, with CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka urging people to join the demonstration in support of Sanjay.

An exclusive report by Indian Express reveals that Delhi Police’s facial recognition technology flagged murder and rape accused at the Jantar Mantar protest — but at least 25 of the people identified by the system were in jail at the time of the demonstration, raising serious questions about the accuracy and reliability of facial recognition as a policing tool.

International Relations

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is visiting Ukraine, even as Prime Minister Modi is set to meet President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO leaders’ summit in Bishkek on August 31, and again at the BRICS summit on September 12-13. Jaishankar made clear India’s position on Russian oil: "Not buying Russian oil will not stop the war."

Allegations Against Delhi Police

A group of women journalists has alleged they were beaten by Delhi Police and specifically targeted because of their surnames — allegations the police have denied, adding a new and serious dimension to the debate over policing conduct during and after the protest period.

Former civil servant Ashish Joshi, who was questioned by Delhi Police for nine hours over his social media posts, revealed that 60-70% of the questions were specifically about a post he wrote on the Home Minister and Home Secretary.