A morning abuzz with religious fervour turned into one of sheer mourning and mayhem in Bihar on Monday when nearly 37 Hindu devotees were killed under the wheels of a speeding train and three dozen others were badly injured. An angry mob then set afire ten coaches of two trains, killed one train driver and left another battling for life.

Railways continue to kill people on tracks for lack of crowd management at stations, while unmanned level crossing remaining a cause of concern. The Monday mishap in Khagaria district in Bihar where about 37 pilgrims were crushed after they unsuccessfully tried to stop a speeding express trains is another addition into growing list of such accidents in which a large number of people have lost their lives.

In the wake of ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army, defence minister A.K. Antony said on Monday that the Indian “Army has mobilised its resources to effectively and strongly retaliate to every ceasefire violation on the Line of Control (LoC)” and that “our restraint should not be taken for granted; nor should the capacity of our armed forces and resolve of the government to uphold the sanctity of the LoC ever be doubted.”

An amended legislation which makes it mandatory for the competent authority to decide on granting prosecution sanction within three months of a complaint was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The Opposition on Monday vociferously raised in the Rajya Sabha the issue of crucial files related to coal block allocations going missing, alleging it was a conspiracy to save the Prime Minister in the multi-crore coal block allocation scam being probed by the CBI.

Leaders of various parties on Monday assured Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari that they will allow legislative business during the remaining part of the Monsoon Session. Dr Ansari had called an all-party meeting in view of frequent disruptions in the Upper House.

The Supreme Court on Monday once again expressed its displeasure over the “misuse” of the red beacon and sirens, questioning why these facilities are given to ministers, bureaucrats and politicians when only Constitutional authorities should be entitled to them.

In a major blow to the Orissa government plan to mine bauxite from Niyamgiri hill in Kalahandi district, the 12th and final Gram Sabha held on Monday at Jarapa village rejected the proposal.

Women in the capital will be entitled to get a free ride on the DTC buses on the occasion of Rakhi. Delhi transport minister Ramakant Goswami on Sunday said that the city government will continue to provide free ride to women on Rakhi like every year.

Upcoming Assembly elections are proving to doing some good to Delhiites at least. Despite onion prices soaring in the capital and elsewhere, citizens of the national capital are getting to buy the edible bulb cheap, and cheaper by the day.