The Islamic State has released its first video directed at India, in which five Indians known to have joined its forces swear revenge for the killing of Muslims in events that include the riots following the fall of the Babri Masjid.

In the video, Thane engineering student Fahad Tanvir Sheikh who had gone to Syria with three other Thane men in 2014, said: "We will return but with a sword in hand, to avenge the Babri Masjid, and the killings of Muslims in Kashmir, in Gujarat, and in Muzaffarnagar."

The 22-minute-long video was released on Friday, according to The Indian Express.

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court ruled on Friday that Lashar-e-Toiba operations commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and six others accused in the 2008 Mumbai attack case will be individually charged for the abetment to murder of each of 166 victims of the attack.

A senior court official said: "The seven suspects will be charged individually for the abetment to murder of each victim of Mumbai attack case."

More than 300 people were injured during the attack, aside from the 166 who were killed, when terrorists from the LeT in Pakistan entered Mumbai on 26 November, 2008, according to the Hindustan Times.

The National Investigation Agency arrested a key operative of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen from Indira Gandhi International airport, Delhi, on Friday after his flight arrived from Dubai.

Abdul Wahid Siddibapa, a resident of Bhatkal, Karnataka, had been previously detained in January 2014 based on red corner notice from India, but evaded the authorities, says The Economic Times.

According to the NIA, Abdul is allegedly recruiting operatives for the IM to carry out terror activities in India. He has been in Dubai since 2001, and has allegedly funded IM's activities from there.

Rural Development and Pachayati Raj minister Chaudhary Birender Singh has announced that a law will soon be introduced to reserve 50 per cent of all seats in rural and urban local bodies for women.

According to Singh, the initial plan was to reserve these seats only in rural local bodies, but after consultations with the states, urban local bodies were included.

"Since local bodies come under two ministries, Urban Development and Rural Development, it was decided that we will move a legislation for both together," said Singh. The ministry of urban development is now making its own consultations, according to The Indian Express.

Religious census data released on Friday show that Indian families are getting smaller, with the steepest decline amongst Muslims. The census was carried out in 2011 and showed that in that year, India's average family size was 4.45 members, down from 4.67 10 years earlier.

Amongst Muslims, the average family size fell from 5.61 to 5.15, contradicting right wing Hindu groups who accuse the Muslim community of having large families and a higher population growth rate than Hindus, according to the Hindustan Times.

Chhattisgarh has set up a high level committee to look into arbitrary arrests of journalists by the police in the state. The committee will look into reports of atrocities against journalists, and also review charges framed against them before the police file FIRs and arrest them.

"The committee will act as a deterrent for the police who act as per their whims and fancies. It will fix accountability on the police and the rights of the scribes will be protected," said Rajesh Toppo, member-secretary of the committee.

Four journalists in Chhatisgarh's Bastar region have been arbitrarily arrested by the police, according to the Hindustan Times.