AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has offered to join hands with Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly election, saying his party is willing to work with those seeking to prevent the BJP from returning to power in the state.

Speaking at a public rally in Kanpur, Owaisi said the AIMIM would wait until October 2 for a response from Opposition parties before announcing any possible political alliance.

At the rally held at the Babupurwa Idgah ground in Kanpur’s cantonment area, Owaisi said the AIMIM did not want the BJP to form the government in Uttar Pradesh for a third time.

He invited parties seeking to prevent the BJP from returning to power to join hands with the AIMIM.

Owaisi targets Samajwadi Party

While making the alliance offer, Owaisi also criticised the Samajwadi Party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Referring to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, Owaisi questioned the record of the Samajwadi Party government during that period. He said around 50,000 people were displaced from their homes and villages during the riots.

Owaisi also alleged that political parties, including the Samajwadi Party, had failed to adequately address the social, economic and educational concerns of Muslims and had not provided sufficient political representation.

He said Muslims in Uttar Pradesh needed a political voice and urged voters to strengthen the AIMIM’s presence in the state Assembly.

AIMIM’s earlier alliance offer in Bihar

Owaisi also referred to the AIMIM’s earlier alliance proposal in Bihar ahead of the Assembly polls.

According to Owaisi, his party had offered to contest six seats as part of an alliance, but the proposal was not accepted. He alleged that “false allegations” were subsequently made against the AIMIM.

Opposition parties have previously accused Owaisi and the AIMIM of benefiting the BJP by dividing Muslim votes. Owaisi has rejected those allegations and has accused Opposition parties of fielding candidates who are unacceptable to minorities.

The latest alliance proposal comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, with Owaisi setting October 2 as the date by which he expects a response from Opposition parties.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged donation theft at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has identified 105 instances through CCTV footage, the Supreme Court was informed on Monday.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, while referring to the SIT’s status report, presented details of the investigation before the top court. The probe is nearing completion and the chargesheet is expected to be filed by September 25.

The Supreme Court reviewed the SIT’s status report during the hearing of the case and took the information presented before it on record.

What the SIT report found

According to the status report, investigators examined CCTV footage along with witness statements and other evidence to identify those allegedly involved in the donation theft.

The report specifically identified 105 incidents of donation theft through CCTV footage.

The court was also informed about the arrests made in the case and the evidence collected during the investigation.

The report further stated that receipts for valuables received as donations are generated through software, while the valuables are kept in a State Bank of India locker.

Supreme Court declines plea for SIT report copy

During the hearing, the petitioners sought a copy of the SIT report. The Supreme Court declined the request, with the bench headed by the Chief Justice saying it did not want to take the matter out of the Sessions Judge’s hands.

The court said it would pass an order if it considered further investigation necessary.

Eight accused arrested

The FIR in the case names eight people — Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra, Subhash Srivastava and Ram Shankar Yadav alias Tinnu — along with other unidentified individuals.

According to the report, all eight named accused have been arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

SIT probe and changes at Ram Mandir Trust

The three-member SIT, headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant, was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on June 13 at the request of the Ram Mandir Trust.

The panel submitted its preliminary report to the state government on June 23 and made several recommendations.

Following the donation theft controversy, top Ram Mandir Trust officials Champat Rai and Anil Mishra were removed from their posts. A CEO-led administrative structure has since been introduced, with former military officer Jitendra Mishra appointed as CEO.

The SIT investigation is now nearing completion, with the chargesheet scheduled to be filed by September 25.

India enjoyed a strong outing on Day 2 of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, adding four medals to its overall tally.

The biggest haul came from shooting, where India secured three medals in the men’s 10m air rifle events. Himanshu Dhillon won silver and Rudrankksh Patil claimed bronze in the individual final, while the duo had earlier combined with Parth Mane to secure silver in the team event.

India’s medal tally subsequently rose to six at the Asian Games 2026. Alongside the three shooting medals, Suchika Tariyal secured bronze in the women’s traditional 60kg MMA category.

Double podium finish for India in shooting

Himanshu Dhillon produced a strong performance in the men’s 10m air rifle individual final to claim the silver medal, while Rudrankksh Patil finished with bronze.

The individual medals followed India’s silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event earlier in the day. Dhillon, Patil and Parth Mane combined to finish second in the team competition.

Patil and Dhillon had also made it through to the individual final after their qualification performances. Patil finished third in qualification with 631.8, while Mane ended 11th with 628.3 and missed out on the individual final.

Suchika Tariyal wins MMA bronze

India also added a bronze medal in mixed martial arts through Suchika Tariyal in the women’s traditional 60kg category.

Tariyal lost her semifinal against Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon after a closely contested bout. The Indian contingent subsequently challenged the decision.

According to Suchika’s coach, the bout was level before going into overtime, with Singapore awarded the victory after the extra period. The challenge was made in the arbitration zone.

Tariyal had reached the semifinals after defeating her Mongolian opponent 2-0, guaranteeing herself a medal.

India beat Pakistan in women’s table tennis

India’s women’s table tennis team also advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating Pakistan 3-0 in their Group F match.

Sreeja Akula completed India’s victory with an 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 win over Fatima Khan.

More Indian results on Day 2

In swimming, Srihari Nataraj qualified for the men’s 50m backstroke final after finishing third in his heat in 25.37 seconds. Rishabh Das finished fourth in the same heat and was listed as a reserve. Dhanush Suresh, meanwhile, missed the men’s 100m breaststroke final after finishing 22nd overall in 1:03.46.

In boxing, Sumit Kundu advanced to the Round of 16 in the 70kg division after defeating Thailand’s Bunjong Sinsiri by unanimous decision.

India’s Aadhya Tiwari and Jay Meena also advanced to the Round of 16 in mixed doubles soft tennis despite losing their final group match against South Korea.

The Indian men’s sepaktakraw team, however, lost 2-1 to Japan in its Group B match.

India also had action scheduled in women’s hockey, with the team taking on Indonesia in its second group-stage match after a 19-0 win over Uzbekistan in its opening game.