On a weekend when the Bay of Bengal began to gather its strength, India was living through several storms at once: a cyclone bearing down on the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and human disputes that seem to multiply in the same season. Schools shut their doors, a presidential visit slid toward November, and in Delhi, Hyderabad, Pasighat and along the Himalayan frontier, citizens and officials pressed against one another over campus rights, voter rolls, a hydropower dream and an uneasy border. It is the familiar shape of a large nation under weather and tension, where the natural and pol
Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Brace for Very Severe Cyclone Expected to Make Landfall October 28
Five people were killed in a roadwork blast in Andhra Pradesh, five in a Bihar firecracker workshop explosion, and police in Arunachal Pradesh were attacked during hydropower protests.
A depression over the Bay of Bengal is expected to become a very severe storm
Mark
The cyclone is the headline, but what exactly has been forecast?
Mimi
A depression that should become a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday, crossing the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam around October 28, with gusts up to 140 km/h.
Luke
Worth noting that's a forecast, not an event. Landfall location and strength could shift.
Mark
What has actually changed on the ground?
Mimi
Schools and colleges in five southern Odisha districts close October 28 and 29, and the President's Odisha visit moved to early November.
Luke
Those closures come via the Indian Express, not an official statement quoted directly in this reporting.
Mark
Several tragedies are bundled in here too.
Mimi
Yes. Five dead in a roadwork blast in Andhra Pradesh, five in a Bihar firecracker workshop, three of them children.
Luke
And in Bihar, fears of more victims under the rubble are residents' fears, relayed by police. Nothing is confirmed.
Mark
The Arunachal violence?
Mimi
A police station and seven vehicles reportedly burned in Pasighat over the Siang hydropower project.
Luke
Reportedly is doing work there. It comes from local media, and the sequence of events is not independently established.
Der Puls
- A very severe cyclonic storm with gusts near 140 km/h is forecast to hit the Andhra Pradesh coast around October 28, and schools in five Odisha districts are closed.
- Jamia Millia Islamia has moved all classes online after clashes between student protesters and security guards, with posters demanding the release of an activist.
- Students refuse to sign a Rs 10,000 police peace bond, while opposition groups demand the Chief Election Commissioner resign over a voter-roll revision.
- In Arunachal Pradesh, protesters burned a police station and vehicles over the 11,000 MW Siang project, and extra security personnel have been sent in.
- Explosions killed five in Andhra Pradesh and five more, including three children, in a Bihar firecracker workshop, while India's foreign ministry admits Chinese patrols disrupt border routines.
On a weekend when the Bay of Bengal began to gather its strength, India was living through several storms at once: a cyclone bearing down on the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and human disputes that seem to multiply in the same season. Schools shut their doors, a presidential visit slid toward November, and in Delhi, Hyderabad, Pasighat and along the Himalayan frontier, citizens and officials pressed against one another over campus rights, voter rolls, a hydropower dream and an uneasy border. It is the familiar shape of a large nation under weather and tension, where the natural and political calendars arrive together and each asks for attention.
On Sunday, parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were on alert as the India Meteorological Department tracked a depression over the Bay of Bengal, expected to strengthen into a very severe cyclonic storm and cross the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam around October 28. Winds could gust to 140 km/h and heavy rain is forecast across southern Andhra. Odisha's schools and colleges in five southern districts will stay shut, and the President's visit to the state has been postponed to early November.
The storm arrived in a crowded week of news. In Andhra's Alluri Sitharama Raju district, an explosive misfire during road-widening blasting killed five people on Saturday, and the home minister promised treatment for the injured and help for the affected families.
In Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia moved classes online after students clashed with guards who had tried to remove their tents. The protest, which began on October 12, seeks the return of a student union disbanded in 2006 and carries posters calling for the release of an activist jailed over the 2020 Delhi riots. Separately, AISA leader Neha Bora refuses to sign a police peace bond, insisting the evidence is wrong, even after the High Court dismissed the group's challenge. Together with the Cockroach Janta Party, AISA is demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner over a voter-roll revision that a newspaper says removed more than 130 million names. Hundreds formed a human chain in Hyderabad in protest.
In Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, demonstrators against the proposed 11,000-megawatt Siang Upper project reportedly set fire to a police station and seven vehicles after tear gas was fired, and an NHPC office was also burned. Protesters want detained activists freed, security forces withdrawn and surveys halted, and reinforcements have arrived.
In Bihar's Siwan district, an explosion in a home-based firecracker workshop killed five, three of them children, and residents fear more victims are buried. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry said Chinese forces' departures from established patrol patterns cause disruptions along the border, a day after a border chief reported continuing face-offs in Arunachal. All eyes now turn to the weather department's landfall updates.
On Sunday, parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were on alert as India's weather department tracked a depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department said it is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.
The forecast puts landfall on October 28, with maximum sustained winds of 115 to 125 km/h, gusting to 140 km/h, expected by forenoon. Very heavy rainfall is forecast in several districts of southern Andhra Pradesh.
Preparations had already begun. The Indian Express reported that schools and colleges in five southern Odisha districts bordering Andhra Pradesh will stay closed on October 28 and 29 while authorities take stock. The paper also reported that President Droupadi Murmu's two-day visit to Odisha, scheduled for those same dates, has been pushed to early November because of the storm.
The cyclone was one item in a crowded weekend of news from India, as DW's New Delhi studio tracked it. In Andhra Pradesh itself, five people were killed on Saturday when explosive material misfired during rock blasting for road widening in Pinakota village, Alluri Sitharama Raju district, the Hindustan Times reported, citing police. Two vehicles were destroyed. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha offered condolences and directed officials to ensure treatment for the injured and help for those affected.
In Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia University moved all classes online with immediate effect after student protesters clashed with security guards on Saturday. The protests began October 12, with students demanding the return of the student union, disbanded in 2006 after campus violence and academic disruptions. Tensions rose when guards reportedly tried to remove protesters' tents, and videos online appeared to show scuffles. Posters and slogans calling for the release of jailed activist Sharjeel Imam, who faces charges tied to the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, have added controversy.
Separately, student leader Neha Bora of the All India Students' Association said they will not sign a police peace bond, a Rs 10,000 personal bond with surety, a day after the Delhi High Court dismissed their plea against the police notice. Bora says the evidence police cited is factually wrong and that AISA did not call the Central Park protest named in the notice. AISA and the Cockroach Janta Party are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after a newspaper investigation alleged impropriety in a voter-roll revision that removed more than 130 million names from draft rolls. In Hyderabad, hundreds formed a human chain on Saturday against the revision.
In Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, protesters opposing the proposed 11,000-megawatt Siang Upper Multipurpose Project reportedly burned a police station and seven police vehicles on Friday after police fired tear gas, according to the Arunachal Times. An NHPC office was also reportedly set alight and a journalist was injured. Protesters want detained activists released, security forces withdrawn from the Siang region and survey work halted. Extra personnel have been deployed.
In Bihar's Siwan district, five people, three of them children, died Friday when explosions tore through a firecracker workshop in a private home; police said residents fear others are buried in the rubble. On the border, the Foreign Ministry's Randhir Jaiswal said disruptions occur when Chinese forces deviate from established patrolling patterns, a day after a border police chief said face-offs continue at multiple points in Arunachal Pradesh. Landfall updates from the weather department are the next thing to watch.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues along the LAC.— Randhir Jaiswal, Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Peaceful protests and democratic demonstrations on the streets must not be declared a breach of peace.— Neha Bora, AISA leader (paraphrased)
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