Society & Culture

📍 India

India's temples receive huge offerings every year. In 2025-26, Tirumala's hundi collected about ₹1,420 crore, devotees gave Shirdi Sai Sansthan about ₹660 crore, the Vaishno Devi shrine got ₹217 crore in cash, and Ayodhya's Ram Mandir trust ₹98 crore in donations. That is about ₹2,395 crore at just four temples in one year. Mumbai's Siddhivinayak earned ₹133 crore in 2024-25, and Padmanabhaswamy's vaults are estimated at over ₹1 lakh crore. Many big temples already run free kitchens, hospitals and schools. But many people now ask: should temples give money back to the needy who come to them, instead of only taking? Others say daan belongs to God, should protect dharma and culture, or that temples must first be freed from government control. Where do you stand? Opinions only, shared with respect for every faith. Not linked to any temple, trust or government.

📍 United States

The US Department of Justice has filed 40 denaturalization cases since late August 2026, which Attorney General Todd Blanche called the largest effort in modern history. The government cites fraud and security concerns, while rights groups warn about statelessness and political targeting (Al Jazeera, 6 Oct 2026).

📍 Virginia, United States

Advocates say Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh, who sought asylum in 2020, was detained by ICE on 24 September 2026 at Washington Dulles airport. Reports note ICE arrests hit record levels in summer 2026, and ICE and DHS had made no statement at the time of the report (Al Jazeera, 7 Oct 2026).

📍 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Mumbai Police have banned bursting firecrackers on public roads, lanes and thoroughfares, and the use of high-intensity lasers and searchlights in public spaces, from 6 October to 4 December 2026. The order follows a Bombay High Court directive of 22 September and cites environment, explosives and noise-pollution laws (Free Press Journal, 7 Oct 2026).

📍 Maharashtra, India

The Maharashtra Special Public Security Act, 2024, targets unlawful and extremist activities, particularly Left-wing extremist organisations. The Congress, the CPI and activists are challenging its validity in the Bombay High Court, while the state says it needs the law and points to safeguards such as an Advisory Board headed by a High Court judge (Free Press Journal, 7 Oct 2026).

📍 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

The BMC plans to move about 10,000 stray dogs out of restricted areas, while animal welfare activists question whether shelter capacity exists and argue for sustained sterilisation and vaccination. The report cites an estimated 90,757 stray dogs in Mumbai (2024) and 1,54,017 dog-bite cases in 2025 (Free Press Journal, 7 Oct 2026).

📍 Pune, Maharashtra, India

Students have protested in Pune since 1 October over MPSC exam conduct and leak allegations. Police say permission covered only the first day and issued notices to 51 students and 29 coaching operators. On 7 October the Bombay High Court said the state must hold fair exams and urged students to end the protest; the state accepted three of four demands but not the chairman's resignation (Free Press Journal, 7 Oct 2026).

📍 New Delhi, Delhi, India

On 6 October 2026 about 250 INDIA bloc protesters, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained in Delhi while demanding a meeting with the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The opposition alleges wrongful deletions; the Commission says it received no meeting request (Free Press Journal, 6 Oct 2026).

📍 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Tribal students who began a long march from Nashik on 28 September demanded better ashram school and hostel facilities and an independent inquiry into alleged student deaths. Mumbai Police denied permission to gather at Azad Maidan and sent them back to Nashik; the Congress said they were forcibly removed from its office, and police denied formal arrests. The students plan to return on 25 October (Free Press Journal, 7 Oct 2026).

📍 Maharashtra, India

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who chairs the OBC Cabinet Sub-Committee, directed officials on 7 October 2026 to speed up OBC education and employment schemes. A Rs 1,300 crore proposal for 2026-27 has gone to the Finance Department, and a committee on Vimukta Jatis and Nomadic Tribes has been proposed (Free Press Journal, 7 Oct 2026).