New Year celebrations in Mumbai suburb Mira Road turned deadly when two groups clashed over whether to play Marathi or Bhojpuri songs, and one man was killed.

According to police sources, the incident took place around 3 am on January 1 at a housing complex. As people were celebrating the New Year, people were dancing to Marathi songs, but another group insisted on playing Bhojpuri songs.

The argument over different choices of music angered some of the people who were drinking heavily, leading to a verbal dispute. Soon, the fight turned violent with people using bamboo and iron rods to attack each other.

Among them was 23-year-old Raja Periyar, who died after being struck with an iron rod, according to the police Another man, Vipul Rai, was seriously injured. Both were taken to Mumbai’s KEM Hospital, where Periyar died of his injuries.

A resident of the complex, Ashish Jadhav, and his relatives Amit Jadhav, Prakash Jadhav and Pramod Yadav, were arrested for allegedly assaulting Periyar.

On New Year’s Eve in Mumbai, traffic fines worth a whopping Rs 89 lakh were issued as cops kept a close watch on revellers breaking rules on the road. Online fines were issued for 17,800 traffic offences as Mumbai rang in 2025 with grand parties.

A Delhi man was beaten to death after he complained about loud music at a party on New Year’s Eve. Dharmender, 40, had a fight with his neighbours about the loud music continuing after the party. Dharmendra was thrashed until he collapsed.

Police said an investigation is underway.

Blinkit’s co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa on Tuesday revealed what was ordered most on the quick commerce company’s mobile application on New Year’s Eve, drawing a sharp response from comedian Kunal Kamra, who questioned how much average wages he paid to his delivery partners in 2024.

In a post on X, he said Zomato-backed Blinkit, which claims it delivers items within 10 minutes, received the highest-ever orders in a day, the highest OPM (orders per minute), the highest OPH (orders per hour) and the highest total tips given to delivery partners in a day.

‘1,22,356 packs of condoms, 45,531 bottles of mineral water, 22,322 Partysmart, 2,434 Eno are enroute right now! Prep for after party?,” he posted.

1,22,356 packs of condoms
45,531 bottles of mineral water
22,322 Partysmart
2,434 Eno

..are enroute right now! Prep for after party?

— Albinder Dhindsa (@albinder) December 31, 2024

Kunal Kamra, however, attacked Mr Dhindsa and said the quick commerce platform owners “exploit gig workers” and they “aren’t job creators”.

They are landlords without owning any land, Mr Kamra, who was last year engaged in a fight with Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal over the after-sales and service quality of the company’s electric scooters, charged.

While we enjoy the convenience of quick commerce I’d like my first tweet of 2025 to be about the dark side.

Platform owners exploit gig workers & they aren’t job creators.

They are landlords without owning any land.

They don’t have a bone of creativity or innovation all…

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 31, 2024

“While we enjoy the convenience of quick commerce I’d like my first tweet of 2025 to be about the dark side. They (platform owners) don’t have a bone of creativity or innovation all they do is exploit people by offering them freedom that they can’t afford while giving them wages that can’t meet their aspirations,” he said.

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He alleged they are “thugs that are using data as oil without paying for the oil fields”.

“Someday there will be regulation that humbles them,” he added.

Mr Kamra also asked the Blinkit CEO to “enlighten” the public with data on the average wages he paid his delivery partners in 2024.

Can you also enlighten us with data on the average wages you paid your “Delivery Partners” in 2024… https://t.co/v0yBlvobCQ

— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) December 31, 2024

Mr Dhindsa was yet to respond.

What Blinkit Delivery Boys Are Paid

Blinkit delivery partners earn up to Rs 50,000 per month with incentives and other benefits, according to the company’s website.

Their payments are made every 7 days and they can be their “own boss” by choosing their work hours (4, 8 or 10 hours), the website says.

The delivery partners, who should be 18 years of age or older, also get up to Rs 10 lac accidental and medical insurance.

They also get a joining bonus of up to Rs 4,000.

Blinkit, a Unicorn based in Gurugram, currently serves in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, and other major cities.

Sydney’s iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks display could be cancelled this year owing to the ongoing industrial action by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) seeking pay rises and improvements to working conditions. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she had “grave concerns” about the safety of revellers who would gather in large numbers to witness the yearly spectacle. If the fireworks are cancelled, it could cost the economy $98 million, according to a report in the Guardian.

“Leaving the city is based on access to transport, including trains, and, if trains aren’t available, and people can’t leave the city, I have very large concerns of the risk that will create to the public, because families won’t be able to get home and they’ll be trapped in the city [with] no way out,” Ms Webb told reporters.

She added that NSW police secured the event every year on the basis that 250,000 people who come into the city are able to leave it safely.

“So I haven’t ruled out that I will recommend to government that we cancel the fireworks. It’s that serious,” said Ms Webb.

RTBU state secretary Toby Warnes did not agree with Ms Webb’s alleged threat to cancel the fireworks and called it a ‘tactic’.

“Instead of attempting to resolve the dispute the government is resorting to hysteria and scaring the public of NSW,” he said.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen called on the rail workers to call off the action as it would not be “tolerable” over New Year’s Eve as millions plan to visit the Sydney foreshore for the fireworks.

“It’s been a tough year for businesses and for families, and they deserve the opportunity to come together and to celebrate,” she said.

“That’s why I’m saying to the unions right now, withdraw your industrial action, because no level of disturbance, of disruption on our rail network is tolerable.”

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‘Ample notice periods’

In a fresh statement released on Saturday (Dec 21), RTBU said the government had been “provided with ample notice periods for all industrial action to allow for them to make alternative arrangements”. However, it was clear by the “delays and cancellations that those arrangements have not been made”.

The union said 25 partial work bans are now in place, as well as a walkout on part of the signalling system, and a limit has been imposed on the number of kilometres the remaining workers will travel.

The rail workers are seeking a 32 per cent pay rise over a four-year period and a 35-hour working week.