2026 in India

Events

January

• 2 January – At least 14 people die and several people are hospitalised after drinking contaminated water in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
• 5 January – A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits Assam, injuring three people.
• 9 January –
• *Fourteen people are killed and over 30 others are injured when a bus falls into a gorge near Nahan, Himachal Pradesh.
• *At least 20 people are reported killed after being attacked by a single wild elephant roaming the forests of West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand since 1 January..
• 19 January –
• *Nitin Nabin is elected as the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party..
• *At least nine people are killed and 80 others are injured when a bus overturns in Latehar, Jharkhand..
• 20 January – At least two people are killed in clashes after a youth's murder in Kokrajhar, Assam.
• 21 January –
• *An outbreak of Nipah virus is reported in West Bengal, with at least two cases recorded in Barasat.
• *A Pipistrel Virus of the Indian Air Force crashes into a pond after an engine failure in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. No injuries are reported.
• 22 January – A Casspir of the Indian Army falls into a gorge in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 10 soldiers and injuring 10 others.
• 24 January – A fire at a four-story building in Hyderabad, Telangana, kills six people.
• 26 January – Protests break out across the country over the UGC Bill 2026.
• 27 January – India and the European Union reach a free trade agreement.
• 28 January – 2026 Baramati [Learjet 45 crash]: Five people, including Maharashtra deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, are killed after a Learjet 45 crashes and explodes at Baramati Airport in Maharashtra..
• 29 January – The Supreme Court of India stays the implementation of the UGC Equity Regulations, 2026 citing misuse by specific groups..
• 30 January – At least 25 people are killed in a fire at a Wow! Momo restaurant in Kolkata.

February

• 2 February – US president Donald Trump announces a trade agreement with India that sees the reduction of US tariffs on Indian exports to 18% in exchange for India stopping purchases of Russian oil.

Scheduled Events

• February 7 – March 8 – 2026 Men's T20 World Cup.
• April – June – November – 2026 Rajya Sabha elections.
• March – April 2026 – 2026 [Assam Legislative Assembly election].
• April – May 2026 – 2026 [West Bengal Legislative Assembly election].
• April – May 2026 – 2026 [Puducherry Legislative Assembly election].
• April – May 2026 – 2026 [Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election].
• April – May 2026 – 2026 [Kerala Legislative Assembly election].

Deaths

January

• 2 January –
• *Shyam Bihari Lal, 60, politician, MLA, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
• *Ashok Gajanan Modak, 85, politician, Maharashtra MLC and academic.
• 4 January –
• *L. Ganesan, 91, politician, MP.
• *Jitamitra Prasad Singh Deo, 79, historian and archaeologist.
• 6 January –
• *Suresh Kalmadi, 81, politician, MP and president of the IOA and sports administrator.
• *V. K. Ebrahimkunju, 73, politician, Kerala MLA.
• 7 January –
• *Madhav Gadgil, 83, ecologist.
• *Kabindra Purkayastha, 94, politician, MP.
• 8 January –
• *Vijay Singh Gond, 68, politician, Uttar Pradesh MLA.
• *Meinam Bhorot Singh, 75, politician, Manipur MLA.
• *Khawlhring Lalremruata, 38, cricketer.
• 10 January – Davinder Singh, 73, field hockey player, Olympic champion.
• 11 January –
• *Prashant Tamang, 43, singer and actor.
• *Samir Putatundu, 73, politician.
• 12 January – Jayashree Kabir, 73, actress.
• 13 January –
• *Indira Devi Dhanrajgir, 95, poet and socialite.
• *Bir Bhadra Hagjer, 75, politician, Assam MLA.
• 16 January – Bheemanna Khandre, 100, Karnataka MLA..
• 18 January – Raj K. Purohit, 70, politician, Maharashtra MLA.
• 25 January –
• * Sir Mark Tully, 90, journalist.
• * Dominic Kokkat, 93, Syro-Malabar Catholic prelate, bishop of Gorakhpur.
• 28 January – Ajit Pawar, 66, politician, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.