Jabalpur gains India's first ISET earthquake research chapter as city hosts inaugural chess solving contest
Jabalpur marked a milestone in earthquake science with the Indian Society of Earthquake Technology establishing its first Madhya Pradesh chapter in the city, fulfilling decades of demand from a region that experienced a devastating quake in 1997. The same week, ChessBase India and Chess Community Jabalpur teamed up for the city's inaugural chess solving contest, while Madhya Pradesh Police's Special Task Force revealed connections to Jabalpur in an ongoing investigation into a fake passport racket involving monastery addresses across multiple districts.
ISET Roorkee Establishes First Madhya Pradesh Chapter in Jabalpur to Advance Earthquake Research
The Indian Society of Earthquake Technology, headquartered in Roorkee, has established its first chapter in Madhya Pradesh in Jabalpur, making it the 15th local chapter in the country. The announcement was made during the society's 224th National Executive Committee meeting by ISET National President Dr B K Maheshwari, National Secretary Dr P C Ashwin Kumar and other executive committee members. Dr R Grover has been appointed Chairperson of the new Jabalpur chapter, with Dr Sanjay Verma serving as Secretary. Dr Manish Dubey, Professor Vedant Srivastava and Dr Niranjan Damle have been named Managing Committee members, while Engineers Sagar Srivastava, Sanjay Sen, Pankaj Sen, Mohan Chaudhary and Vinay Chaurasia were nominated to the Executive Committee. The establishment fulfils a long-standing demand for a dedicated earthquake research institution in Jabalpur, particularly following the earthquake of May 22, 1997. The chapter will facilitate seminars, workshops and research on seismic events, with a focus on studying the causes of the 1997 earthquake and the possibility of future similar events. Dr Sanjay Verma noted that seismic microzonation work in Jabalpur was undertaken between 2001 and 2004 but only completed through Phase II; the chapter aims to finish the remaining phases. ISET also plans to form student chapters at Jabalpur's technical institutions to draw young researchers into earthquake science and disaster preparedness. [1]
🎉 Jabalpur Hosts Its First Chess Solving Contest in ChessBase India Collaboration
Chess lovers in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, had something special to look forward to with the city's first-ever chess solving contest, organised through a collaboration between ChessBase India and Chess Community Jabalpur. The event, held on October 9, introduced Jabalpur participants to a format that differs meaningfully from a standard chess tournament. Rather than facing an opponent across the board, participants are given a set of carefully composed chess problems and studies and have a fixed amount of time to find the solutions. ChessBase India described the format as a test of calculation, imagination, pattern recognition and perseverance. The event ran alongside a concurrent solving gala in Delhi NCR, organised by Chess Coffee Connect and the Shivika Rohilla Chess Academy, which is becoming a growing hub for the discipline. For those new to the concept, chess solving is an internationally recognised competitive sport with its own ratings system, official titles and an annual World Championship, the most recent of which was held in Magdeburg, Germany, in 2026. The Jabalpur contest marked a step towards making this specialised form of competitive chess accessible to enthusiasts in Madhya Pradesh. The ChessBase India article covering the event was updated on October 14, 2026, reflecting the sustained interest generated by the initiative and the broader momentum behind growing the chess solving community beyond major cities. [8]
🗳️ MP Fake Passport Probe Surfaces Links to Jabalpur Monastery Addresses
Madhya Pradesh Police's Special Task Force has uncovered a fake passport racket with connections to Jabalpur among several other locations across the state, according to a report by The New Indian Express. At least 76 passport applications have been linked to monastery addresses in six locations: Bhopal, Dabra in Gwalior district, Amla in Betul, Chhindwara, Pandhurna and Jabalpur. The probe raises concerns that forged local documents may have been used by foreign nationals to obtain genuine Indian passports, potentially enabling international travel under Indian identities. This would have complicated immigration and identity-verification processes, as holders of fraudulently obtained documents could present themselves as Indian passport holders to authorities. The investigation, described by the newspaper as raising broader questions about the system, points to potential vulnerabilities in how local document verification is conducted at multiple stages of the passport issuance process. The spread of linked addresses across six districts of Madhya Pradesh indicates an operation that reached beyond any single locality. Jabalpur's presence among the locations named by the Special Task Force has drawn local attention to the case and to how residents' addresses may have been used without their knowledge. Authorities are working to establish the full extent of the racket and to determine how foreign nationals gained access to monastery addresses across the state to support fraudulent passport applications. [2]
Sources: [1] The Hitavada · [8] ChessBase India · [2] The New Indian Express