Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Official figures show that flooding in Assam has claimed the lives of 78 people
- More monsoon rain has been predicted over the next three days leading to fears of renewed flooding in vulnerable areas
- India’s opposition MPs protested in the parliament premises over the reported firing of pellet guns during the youth-led Cockroach protest movement and the donation embezzlement controversy surrounding the Ram Temple
Here are the latest developments from India on Thursday, July 30:
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Skip next section WATCH — Saving girls from traffickers on the India-Nepal border 07/30/2026July 30, 2026
WATCH — Saving girls from traffickers on the India-Nepal border
Syamantak Ghosh | Ab Rauoof Ganie
Police and NGOs in India and Nepal work together to tackle the human trafficking of women and girls across the open border between the two countries. DW spoke to one young girl who managed to escape her kidnappers by seizing their phone and returning to her home in Nepal.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5Hzb6Skip next section Opposition protest demands answers on alleged police brutality during ‘Cockroach’ demonstration07/30/2026July 30, 2026
Opposition protest demands answers on alleged police brutality during ‘Cockroach’ demonstration
Parties from the INDIA bloc, the country’s opposition coalition, on Thursday protested in the Parliament complex over the police action taken against the Cockroach movement youth protesters on July 20.
Opposition lawmakers were seen holding a banner with the text “Who gave the order?” as they demanded that Union Home Minister Shah answer questions in Parliament over the reported use of pellet guns on the protesters.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi railed against Shah for not addressing the alleged police excesses, which occurred on the first day of Parliament’s second session of the year.
“Why is Amit Shah so scared of coming to Parliament and explaining the brutal violence against students?” Gandhi wrote on X.
“It reeks of guilt,” the Congress leader said.
Gandhi called for the constitution of a Supreme Court-monitored high-powered committee to probe the allegations of police brutality against demonstrators.
“Students deserve justice,” he said as he called for an independent committee and shared a video purportedly showing police baton-charging protesters and a man, not in uniform, throwing a protester carrying the Indian flag to the ground.
On Wednesday, Gandhi held a press conference calling for Shah’s sacking as he accused the minister of ordering the police action on the youth protesters.
He alleged that Shah was either “culpable” if he gave the order or “incompetent” if he did not know what was happening as police clamped down on the protesters demanding the education minister’s resignation over a major medical college entrance exam paper leak.
What has the government said on Gandhi’s allegations against Amit Shah?
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday dismissed Gandhi’s claim that Shah ordered the police action.
Speaking in Parliament’s lower house, the Lok Sabha, Singh questioned Gandhi’s understanding of the administration, saying that orders to open fire “could only be given by a magistrate and not any minister.”
Singh also said that no shots were fired at the protesters and only tear gas was used.
On Thursday, the opposition MPs also held demonstrations over an alleged donation theft linked to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a shrine key to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-first politics, officials said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HzSOSkip next section Flood-related deaths in Assam reach 7807/30/2026July 30, 2026
Flood-related deaths in Assam reach 78
The number of deaths related to Assam’s monsoon floods has increased to 78, the latest official tally showed Thursday.
The flooding has affected about 300,000 people across seven districts of the northeastern state. Charaideo remains the worst-hit district with 137,561 people affected by the deluge, followed by Sivasagar with 84,600 people and Jorhat with 49,911.
Heavy monsoon rains caused the 2,900-kilometer Brahmaputra River, one of Asia’s largest, to burst its banks in Assam, forcing thousands into government relief camps.
The floodwaters have submerged 21,523 hectares of cropland, damaging agricultural areas across the affected districts. Nearly 17,000 livestock have been affected, while more than 11,000 animals have been washed away.
“People cannot return to their homes as their houses have either been damaged or filled with mud and silt,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the media on Wednesday, adding that floodwaters have receded in many areas.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the situation on Wednesday and assured the state of federal assistance for relief and restoration efforts, media reports said.
Meanwhile, as rescue operations continue, the India Meteorological Department has issued an alert forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms from Thursday through Saturday in isolated parts of Assam and the neighboring states of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
The warning has raised concerns that vulnerable districts could face renewed flooding in the coming days.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Hz9NSkip next section Welcome to our coverage07/30/2026July 30, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Dharvi Vaid Dhulia | Louis Oelofse Editor
Deaths in the devastating floods in northeastern India’s Assam state have climbed to 78, as more than 300,000 people in seven districts remain affected.
Meanwhile, India’s weather agency has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms over the next two days in isolated areas across Assam.
The monsoon session of the Indian Parliament has seen another stormy day, with opposition lawmakers protesting police action during this month’s ‘Cockroach’ youth-led demonstrations and an embezzlement controversy surrounding the Ram Temple, a flagship project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Stay tuned as we bring you all this and more.
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