Two individuals were killed by police gunfire in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, on Tuesday amid an ongoing night curfew imposed due to protests against non-tribal candidates’ participation in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections set for April 10, according to police. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Kongkal Sangma on Saturday. (@SangmaConrad) The two deaths led authorities to enforce a 24-hour curfew, request an Army flag march, and send in more forces as tensions kept spreading across the plains belt. “I respectfully request the Army’s assistance to conduct a flag march in the plain belt areas of West Garo Hills district, given the current tense law and order situation,” wrote West Garo Hills district magistrate Vibhor Aggarwal to the Commanding Officer of 101 Area, Eastern Command. Aggarwal stated that deploying armed forces would significantly reassure the public, prevent additional incidents, and rebuild residents’ confidence. He added that a flag march would act as “a clear show of readiness and dedication to upholding peace and stability.” The unrest started last week with the opening of nominations for GHADC elections, when the council required Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates for candidates, sparking both support and opposition throughout the region. Tensions escalated after protesters outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Tura reportedly blocked and assaulted former Phulbari MLA Esmatur Mominin as he tried to file his nomination, leading to demonstrations in the plains belt area. Police rescued the former MLA, who was observed limping and missing his left shoe as he entered a police vehicle. On Monday, tensions had escalated following vandalism of shops in Chibinang, prompting police to use blank firing to break up the crowds. The shooting took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning as security forces tried to break up a crowd amid curfew enforcement. Authorities report that security measures have been ramped up in high-risk zones, with police and district officials keeping a close watch on developments. The GHADC poll controversy has escalated into a full-blown law-and-order crisis in parts of West Garo Hills, marked by two deaths, curfew restrictions, vandalism, and demands for Army deployment, fueling worries over how the volatile situation could impact the lead-up to next month’s council elections. 

 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to immediately stay the trial court proceedings initiated by All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra against her former partner, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, over the custody of their pet Rottweiler dog Henry.. TMC MP Mahua Moitra is in a legal battle with her former partner over custody of their pet dog, a Rottweiler named Henry. (PTI). A bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri passed the order while hearing Dehadrai’s petition against the trial court’s November 10, 2025, order dismissing his application for rejection of Mahua’s suit.. The trial court had concluded that Dehadrai’s pleas for rejection of the suit on the ground of limitation, absence of ownership or Mahua’s alleged suppression of facts were matters that required evidence to be led by both sides and could not be adjudicated without a full-fledged trial.. This came after Dehadrai, appearing as the petitioner in person, requested the court to list his petition before April 29, the date on which the high court is scheduled to hear Moitra’s plea seeking interim custody of the dog for 10 days every month or alternatively to stay the proceedings since the next date of hearing before the trial court on Wednesday.. The high court, however, declined both requests, refusing to grant an earlier hearing or to stay the trial court proceedings in Moitra’s absence, but issued notice in the petition and his application to stay the further trial court proceedings. The matter is next listed for hearing on May 14.. “Not in their absence, please. I’ll issue notice,” the court remarked.. In his petition, Dehadrai said that the trial court in its order failed to apply the principles governing the rejection of complaints to the admitted pleadings and statutory framework. “The order reflects a clear non-application of mind and permits a suit to proceed despite the absence of any legally cognizable cause of action and the existence of express statutory bars,” it stated.. Henry’s custody between Jai and Moitra became a key point of contention between them amid a broader dispute that began with Jai’s complaint to CBI in October 2023.. In his complaint, Dehadrai accused Moitra of parliamentary impropriety, corruption, and accepting money and favours in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. Following this, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Moitra had granted businessman Darshan Hiranandani direct access to her official MP login credentials to post questions on her behalf. That same month, Dubey had also filed a complaint with the Lokpal, alleging “cash-for-query” misconduct against Moitra.. Dehadrai, in October 2023, also wrote to the then Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora, accusing Moitra of kidnapping the three-year-old dog to “harass and blackmail” him. He said he purchased Henry in January 2021 for ₹75,000 and called their relationship “that of a parent and a child”.. 

 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to immediately stay the trial court proceedings initiated by All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra against her former partner, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, over the custody of their pet Rottweiler dog Henry.. TMC MP Mahua Moitra is in a legal battle with her former partner over custody of their pet dog, a Rottweiler named Henry. (PTI). A bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri passed the order while hearing Dehadrai’s petition against the trial court’s November 10, 2025, order dismissing his application for rejection of Mahua’s suit.. The trial court had concluded that Dehadrai’s pleas for rejection of the suit on the ground of limitation, absence of ownership or Mahua’s alleged suppression of facts were matters that required evidence to be led by both sides and could not be adjudicated without a full-fledged trial.. This came after Dehadrai, appearing as the petitioner in person, requested the court to list his petition before April 29, the date on which the high court is scheduled to hear Moitra’s plea seeking interim custody of the dog for 10 days every month or alternatively to stay the proceedings since the next date of hearing before the trial court on Wednesday.. The high court, however, declined both requests, refusing to grant an earlier hearing or to stay the trial court proceedings in Moitra’s absence, but issued notice in the petition and his application to stay the further trial court proceedings. The matter is next listed for hearing on May 14.. “Not in their absence, please. I’ll issue notice,” the court remarked.. In his petition, Dehadrai said that the trial court in its order failed to apply the principles governing the rejection of complaints to the admitted pleadings and statutory framework. “The order reflects a clear non-application of mind and permits a suit to proceed despite the absence of any legally cognizable cause of action and the existence of express statutory bars,” it stated.. Henry’s custody between Jai and Moitra became a key point of contention between them amid a broader dispute that began with Jai’s complaint to CBI in October 2023.. In his complaint, Dehadrai accused Moitra of parliamentary impropriety, corruption, and accepting money and favours in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. Following this, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Moitra had granted businessman Darshan Hiranandani direct access to her official MP login credentials to post questions on her behalf. That same month, Dubey had also filed a complaint with the Lokpal, alleging “cash-for-query” misconduct against Moitra.. Dehadrai, in October 2023, also wrote to the then Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora, accusing Moitra of kidnapping the three-year-old dog to “harass and blackmail” him. He said he purchased Henry in January 2021 for ₹75,000 and called their relationship “that of a parent and a child”.. 

 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to immediately stay the trial court proceedings initiated by All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra against her former partner, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, over the custody of their pet Rottweiler dog Henry.. TMC MP Mahua Moitra is in a legal battle with her former partner over custody of their pet dog, a Rottweiler named Henry. (PTI). A bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri passed the order while hearing Dehadrai’s petition against the trial court’s November 10, 2025, order dismissing his application for rejection of Mahua’s suit.. The trial court had concluded that Dehadrai’s pleas for rejection of the suit on the ground of limitation, absence of ownership or Mahua’s alleged suppression of facts were matters that required evidence to be led by both sides and could not be adjudicated without a full-fledged trial.. This came after Dehadrai, appearing as the petitioner in person, requested the court to list his petition before April 29, the date on which the high court is scheduled to hear Moitra’s plea seeking interim custody of the dog for 10 days every month or alternatively to stay the proceedings since the next date of hearing before the trial court on Wednesday.. The high court, however, declined both requests, refusing to grant an earlier hearing or to stay the trial court proceedings in Moitra’s absence, but issued notice in the petition and his application to stay the further trial court proceedings. The matter is next listed for hearing on May 14.. “Not in their absence, please. I’ll issue notice,” the court remarked.. In his petition, Dehadrai said that the trial court in its order failed to apply the principles governing the rejection of complaints to the admitted pleadings and statutory framework. “The order reflects a clear non-application of mind and permits a suit to proceed despite the absence of any legally cognizable cause of action and the existence of express statutory bars,” it stated.. Henry’s custody between Jai and Moitra became a key point of contention between them amid a broader dispute that began with Jai’s complaint to CBI in October 2023.. In his complaint, Dehadrai accused Moitra of parliamentary impropriety, corruption, and accepting money and favours in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. Following this, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Moitra had granted businessman Darshan Hiranandani direct access to her official MP login credentials to post questions on her behalf. That same month, Dubey had also filed a complaint with the Lokpal, alleging “cash-for-query” misconduct against Moitra.. Dehadrai, in October 2023, also wrote to the then Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora, accusing Moitra of kidnapping the three-year-old dog to “harass and blackmail” him. He said he purchased Henry in January 2021 for ₹75,000 and called their relationship “that of a parent and a child”.. 

 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to immediately stay the trial court proceedings initiated by All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra against her former partner, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, over the custody of their pet Rottweiler dog Henry.. TMC MP Mahua Moitra is in a legal battle with her former partner over custody of their pet dog, a Rottweiler named Henry. (PTI). A bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri passed the order while hearing Dehadrai’s petition against the trial court’s November 10, 2025, order dismissing his application for rejection of Mahua’s suit.. The trial court had concluded that Dehadrai’s pleas for rejection of the suit on the ground of limitation, absence of ownership or Mahua’s alleged suppression of facts were matters that required evidence to be led by both sides and could not be adjudicated without a full-fledged trial.. This came after Dehadrai, appearing as the petitioner in person, requested the court to list his petition before April 29, the date on which the high court is scheduled to hear Moitra’s plea seeking interim custody of the dog for 10 days every month or alternatively to stay the proceedings since the next date of hearing before the trial court on Wednesday.. The high court, however, declined both requests, refusing to grant an earlier hearing or to stay the trial court proceedings in Moitra’s absence, but issued notice in the petition and his application to stay the further trial court proceedings. The matter is next listed for hearing on May 14.. “Not in their absence, please. I’ll issue notice,” the court remarked.. In his petition, Dehadrai said that the trial court in its order failed to apply the principles governing the rejection of complaints to the admitted pleadings and statutory framework. “The order reflects a clear non-application of mind and permits a suit to proceed despite the absence of any legally cognizable cause of action and the existence of express statutory bars,” it stated.. Henry’s custody between Jai and Moitra became a key point of contention between them amid a broader dispute that began with Jai’s complaint to CBI in October 2023.. In his complaint, Dehadrai accused Moitra of parliamentary impropriety, corruption, and accepting money and favours in exchange for raising questions in Parliament. Following this, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Moitra had granted businessman Darshan Hiranandani direct access to her official MP login credentials to post questions on her behalf. That same month, Dubey had also filed a complaint with the Lokpal, alleging “cash-for-query” misconduct against Moitra.. Dehadrai, in October 2023, also wrote to the then Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora, accusing Moitra of kidnapping the three-year-old dog to “harass and blackmail” him. He said he purchased Henry in January 2021 for ₹75,000 and called their relationship “that of a parent and a child”..