Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s bid to position himself as the BJP’s PM candidate boomeranged yet again on Thursday, with severe criticism from within. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani strongly objected to his criticising Dr Manmohan Singh on Independence Day.

On a day when Indian troops were preparing to celebrate Independence Day, the Pakistan Army allegedly targeted their forward posts along the Line of Control in Poonch again, injuring three Army jawans and a civilian. Officials said this was the 11th violation of the 2003 ceasefire in the past five days.

Divers from the Indian Navy are yet to reach the 18 sailors, including three officers, trapped on board INS Sindhurakshak till late Thursday evening. A Navy statement said heavy flooding inside the submarine and poor visibility due to muddy waters in Mumbai harbour was impeding rescue work.

Mohammed Iqbal Memon, better known as Iqbal Mirchi, died of a heart attack Wednesday night. No funeral details were disclosed by his lawyers or aides.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit unfurled the national flag on Thursday and used the dais to garner votes for upcoming Assembly elections. She termed the BJP’s promise of slashing electricity rates by 30 per cent as politically motivated and said that people will not digest such claims.

Neither tight security nor the heavily overcast sky could dampen the patriotic spirits of Delhiites who turned up in large numbers at the majestic Red Fort to celebrate the country’s 67th Independence Day.

Six Delhi policemen were injured along with 13 others when two groups clashed in Tilak Nagar area of west Delhi on Thursday. The police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. According to police sources, three locals, including one Raghunath and Sunny, were among the three persons who sustained bullet injuries.

A seven-year-old Class 1 student was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man in Krishna Nagar area of east Delhi.

Delhiites woke up to a pleasant morning on Thursday as the city was enveloped by a thick cloud cover after overnight rains.

A 31-year-old businessman reportedly went missing under mysterious circumstances from Dr Hedgewar Hospital in east Delhi on Wednesday.