Prabash Mondol was shot when he snatched a policeman's weapon and opened fire, police saidThe man accused in the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Bengal’s Baruipur — a case that has shaken the state since the child’s body was found in a pond — has been shot dead in a police encounter. The killing will now itself face scrutiny: encounter deaths in cases of high public outrage have a complicated legal and ethical history in India, and Bengal’s opposition has already been demanding accountability over the initial police response that the victim’s mother said had cost her daughter her life.If you are just joining us, this is The Indian Express Realtime breaking news blog – where we bring you the latest news updates of the day in real time. Scan the top headlines of the day here, or keep scrolling to see the latest updates stream in.Near-miss at Mumbai airport: Two Air India flights come face-to-face on runwayMumbai narrowly avoided a serious runway incident on Tuesday night after an Air India flight and an Air India Express aircraft came face-to-face on the same runway before Air Traffic Control intervened. The Delhi-bound Air India flight stopped its departure and returned to the bay; no injuries or damage were reported, but the circumstances that placed two aircraft on the same strip simultaneously have not yet been explained by authorities.Story continues below this adUS hits 80 Iranian targets after Hormuz attacksThe United States has struck approximately 80 Iranian targets in a sharp escalation after fresh attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, putting the already fragile ceasefire under its most severe stress yet and raising urgent questions about whether the peace deal signed just weeks ago can survive contact with events on the water.Ram Temple probe: 70 ‘thefts’ in 45 days, CCTV gaps, flawed countingAn Indian Express investigation into the Ram Temple donation case has identified 70 alleged thefts across 45 days, along with CCTV gaps and a counting system so flawed it may have made fraud structurally inevitable. The Trust is now moving to appoint a CEO — a governance overhaul whose significance goes well beyond the immediate scandal.Mumbai rains: Record rainfall in an El Niño year raises questionsMumbai is experiencing rainfall that defies what an El Niño year would normally produce, even as waterlogging and traffic snarls continued to hit Kurla and other parts of the city. In Gurgaon, a school bus sank into a road that caved in under the rain, bringing large parts of the city to a standstill.BJP names surprise candidate against Prashant Kishor in Bihar bypollThe BJP has made a surprise pick to contest the Bankipur bypoll against Prashant Kishor, turning a seat that was already being watched closely into one of the more intriguing electoral contests of the year — pitting the country’s best-known election strategist against a party that knows his methods from the inside.Messi missed, scored, wept — and dragged Argentina back from the deadArgentina’s round-of-16 match against Egypt was a full Messi film compressed into 90 minutes — a missed chance, a decisive goal, tears, and a comeback that left even the Egypt coach crying foul, alleging FIFA bias in favour of the Argentine side.Live UpdatesJul 8, 2026 10:42 AM ISTMan accused in 11-year-old’s rape-murder in Bengal shot dead in encounterPrabhash Mondol, an accused in the gang-rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in West Bengal's Baruipur, was shot dead in a police encounter after midnight during a crime scene reconstruction. According to police, Mondol snatched an officer's firearm, fired at the team, and was fatally injured in the retaliatory firing, an outcome his mother later reacted to by stating he received the punishment he deserved. The incident follows intense local tension after the victim's body was discovered on Sunday, leading to a POCSO and murder investigation by a Special Investigation Team that has arrested three people in total.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:breaking newsIndia news