Indian authorities scrambled to shore up supplies of medical oxygen to hospitals in the capital, Delhi, yesterday as a fast-spreading second wave of coronavirus stretched medical infrastructure to breaking point, officials and doctors said.

Maulana Bhashani, president of the National Awami Party (NAP-Bhashani), said in a press statement that the examples of Chiang-ki-shek in China and Czar in Russia and British oppression in undivided India or zulum of Jalem Yazid at Karbala pale into insignificance before the latest example of atrocity perpetrated by Yahya’s army.

India, the country currently being hit hardest by the pandemic, yesterday reported its worst daily death toll, with large parts of the country now under lockdown amid a fast-rising second wave of infections.

Even as India battles an alarming increase in daily Covid-19 cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight cautioned states against imposing of lockdowns, contending that both health and economy should be taken care of.

India’s capital New Delhi recorded 25,500 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, with about one in three people tested returning a positive result, its chief minister said, urging the federal government to provide more hospital beds to tackle the crisis.

Faced with a shortage of oxygen supply to treat an unprecedented rise in critical Covid-19 patients across India, its government last night decided to ban the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes from April 22 till further order.

With major historical monuments run by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) across the country shut down due to a spike in Covid-19 cases, the time will be used to carry out conservation work at the iconic Taj Mahal and other Mughal-era sites Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri at a cost of Rs one crore.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appealed to devotees to keep a key Hindu festival symbolic as the country reported more than 200,000 new Covid-19 infections for the third straight day.

India’s daily Covid-19 vaccinations have slowed from their peak early this month while new infections have set a record, government data showed yesterday, as its main producer of shots urged the United States to end a ban on raw material exports.

The Indian Coast Guard apprehended a suspected Pakistani boat containing 30 kilogrammes of heroin and arrested eight Pakistani nationals from the vessel off the coast of Gujarat.

India reported more than two lakh fresh Covid-19 cases in a single day, the highest so far, and 1,038 new deaths in the same time span amidst an increasingly grim picture of the disease.

Maharashtra’s ruling party Shiv Sena alleged that the Election Commission of India was “biased” against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the polls body had barred her from campaigning for 24 hours over her controversial remarks during polls campaign.

India yesterday said it will fast-track emergency approvals for Covid-19 vaccines that have been authorised by Western countries and Japan, paving the way for possible imports of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna shots.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today began a sit-in on Kolkata’s Indira Gandhi Sarani, also known as Red Road, in protest against the Election Commission of India's 24-hour ban on her campaign in the ongoing state assembly polls.

India’s Election Commission yesterday banned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in the state assembly election for 24 hours for violating the code of conduct.

India reported a record 168,912 Covid-19 infections overnight, overtaking Brazil to become the second-most affected country globally by the coronavirus.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi yesterday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi government of mismanaging the Covid19 situation in India and said India must focus on its own vaccination drive first before exporting them.

India’s daily coronavirus cases yesterday rose by a record for the fifth time this week and deaths surged to the highest in more than five months, with hospitals and crematoriums overflowing in parts of the country.

Five people were killed in fresh election bloodshed in the Indian state of West Bengal yesterday, during the fourth phase of polling when an estimated 76.16 percent of voters exercised their franchise.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of mismanaging the Covid-19 situation and said India must focus on its own vaccination drive first before exporting.