The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Tuesday officially flagged off India’s contingent for the Commonwealth Games 2026 and unveiled the team’s ceremonial and competition kit ahead of the Games in Glasgow, scheduled from July 23 to August 2. The send-off ceremony in New Delhi brought together athletes, coaches, support staff, senior government officials and corporate partners as Team India prepared to depart for Scotland aiming for another strong Commonwealth Games campaign. Among those present were Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya, IOA President P.T. Usha, British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron, Union Minister for Textiles Giriraj…
Author: Pratyusha Mukherjee
Pratyusha Mukherjee
Ms Pratyusha Mukherjee, an Independent Sr. Broadcast Journalist working for British media with 25 years of experience in covering the east and northeast, with specialisation in Defence, Sports & Current Affairs. In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism.
The Indian Army has played a pivotal role in India’s sporting success by nurturing elite athletes and promoting excellence through institutions such as the Army Sports Institute and Mission Olympics. Army sportspersons have brought laurels to the nation at the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, reflecting the Armed Forces’ enduring commitment to discipline, resilience and sporting excellence. The Durand Cup Trophy Unveiling Ceremony of the 135th Durand Cup was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, reaffirming the Armed Forces’ enduring commitment to promoting football, national integration and sporting excellence. Senior military leadership described the tournament as a symbol…
Imphal: Recently Assam Rifles, in co-ordination with the Indian Army and Manipur Police, conducted a series of intelligence-based joint operations across Manipur , leading to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition and the apprehension of three insurgent cadres. According to officials, the operations were launched based on specific intelligence inputs and resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of weapons, including an M16 assault rifle, a Type-81 assault rifle, four pistols, four improvised Pompi mortars, five Pompi mortar bombs, four hand grenades, 22 single-bore rifles, three shotguns, eight communication sets, eight magazines and assorted ammunition.…
The Indian Army’s Corps of Signals motorcycle expedition, ‘Wheels of Valour: Sanchar Shakti,’ reached the Kargil War Memorial at Dras on Tuesday, marking a key milestone in its 11-day journey to honour the soldiers who laid down their lives during the 1999 Kargil War. The 20-member expedition, comprising officers, Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), Other Ranks (ORs) and women personnel of the Corps of Signals, has traversed challenging terrain from the plains of northern India to the high-altitude regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, showcasing the endurance, discipline and operational spirit of the Indian Army. At the Kargil War Memorial,…
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully rescued 10 fishermen stranded off the coast of Puri, Odisha, in a swift Search and Rescue (SAR) operation carried out under challenging weather conditions, reaffirming its commitment to maritime safety. The rescue operation was launched after the Coast Guard received information from the Odisha Police Coastal Security Headquarters that the fishing boat IND-AP-V5-MM-872, carrying 10 crew members, had become stranded due to rough seas. Acting promptly, the Coast Guard directed a nearby fishing vessel, IFB Simhadri Apna (IND-AP-V5-MM-378), to rescue the stranded fishermen. After safely taking all 10 fishermen onboard, the vessel was carrying…
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu officially unveiled and flagged off the trophies for the 2026 Durand Cup at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre today, marking the formal launch of preparations for the 135th edition of Asia’s oldest football tournament. The ceremonial event brought together senior officials from the Indian Armed Forces and football administrators, reflecting the long-standing association between the military and the prestigious competition. Addressing the gathering, President Murmu highlighted the transformative role of sports in society, saying that the values learned on the field extend well beyond the game. She noted that football fosters equality, teamwork, cooperation, and…
Kolkata: The NCC Directorate West Bengal & Sikkim has significantly expanded its technology-driven training ecosystem by introducing drone training across all groups and units of the Directorate in accordance with the guidelines of the Directorate General NCC. The initiative is aimed at equipping cadets with emerging technological skills while strengthening their preparedness for future defence, disaster response, and nation-building roles. Recognising the growing role of unmanned aerial systems in defence, surveillance, disaster management, and civil applications, the Directorate has established a structured drone training framework that combines practical flying with technical education. The programme is designed to provide cadets with…
Two personnel of the Assam Rifles were martyred in an ambush by suspected militants along National Highway-202 near Noungshong Kong village under Ukhrul Police Station in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on Monday. According to security sources, the troops came under heavy fire while moving through the area, triggering an immediate response. Reinforcements were rushed to the site, and an exchange of fire ensued between the security forces and the suspected militants. A search and area domination operation has since been launched to track down and neutralise the attackers. Security has been intensified in the region, and further details are awaited as…
Introduction: The 5th Battalion of the Assam Rifles has a distinguished place in India’s military history for its pivotal role in facilitating the safe passage of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama into India in 1959. Deployed in the Kameng Frontier Division of the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), now Arunachal Pradesh, since 1958, the battalion manned strategically important border posts at Chuthangmu, Bumla and Chuna in Kameng Frontier, as well as Longju and Taksing in Subansiri Frontier. Its operational deployment coincided with one of the most significant geopolitical events in modern Asian history—the Tibetan Uprising against Chinese rule. As…
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that more than 300 children have been killed or injured in Sudan over the past six months, with most casualties linked to drone strikes as the country’s civil war intensifies. Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence is now concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile states, where drone attacks account for about 60 per cent of reported casualties. The United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries have…