In a tragic start to the new year, at least seven people died and hundreds were hospitalized due to contaminated water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura. Madhya Pradesh Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, while visiting the affected area, announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased. “The source of the contaminated water has been identified and is being repaired,” he said. The minister assured that the government will bear all the treatment expenses and he will monitor the situation until every patient recovers. Meanwhile, the administration has suspended a zonal officer and an assistant engineer for negligence.

On this broadcast, India Today Special Correspondent Amit Bhardwaj gives details of the DGCA show cause notices issued to four Air India pilots – Nishant Tholia, Rishi Kumar Badole, Arun Mehra and Priyank Bainsla. The regulator flagged ‘serious safety concerns’ in relation to flights AI-358 and AI-357, citing ‘smell of smoke’ near the R2 door and non-compliance with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL). The notice highlights that ‘Repeated outages related to the same system were recorded in the previous five regions, indicating a known history of system degradation.’ The pilots have been given 14 days to respond.

In this breaking news update, India Today Global Editor Prannoy Upadhyay reports on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s condolence letter to BNP acting president Tariq Rahman following the death of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar personally handed over the letter to Rahman in Dhaka. Recalling his June 2015 meeting with the late leader, the Prime Minister described him as a person of ‘extraordinary determination and commitment’. The section also highlights the return of Tariq Rahman to Bangladesh after 17 years of exile and the diplomatic significance of this gesture.

In this special report, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat delivers a strong message on social harmony and ‘Swadeshi’ during his three-day visit to Chhattisgarh. Addressing a ‘Hindu Conference’ in Raipur district, Bhagwat stressed that ‘the first step towards harmony is to remove feelings of separation and discrimination from one’s mind and to treat everyone as one’s own.’ The RSS Sarsanghchalak advocates using one’s mother tongue at home, respecting Indian dress and being ‘vocal for the local’ to promote self-reliance. India Today Principal Correspondent Sumi Rajappan reported on the speech, highlighting Bhagwat’s call to end caste- and wealth-based judgments and his focus on family values.