Thu Oct 23 10:00:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing and rewriting the provided text:
Bank Holiday Today in Several Cities; Sarfaraz Khan’s Non-Selection Sparks Controversy
New Delhi, October 22nd – Banks in several major cities across India will be closed today, October 22nd, due to Diwali (Bali Pratipada), Vikram Samvant New Year Day, Govardhan Puja, Balipradmi, and Lakshmi Puja (Deepawali) celebrations. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the holiday, but the exact observance varies by region.
Specifically, banks will be closed today in Ahmedabad, Bellagram, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Gangtok, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Nagpur.
Customers are reminded that while physical branches are closed, online banking services, including NEFT, RTGS, UPI, and net banking, will remain operational.
In other news, the non-selection of cricketer Sarfaraz Khan for the India A team has ignited a controversy, with some alleging potential bias due to his surname. Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed questioned whether his name was the reason for the omission. The BJP has responded by urging that cricket be kept free from communal agendas. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi has also raised questions about the selection process. Khan has been a strong performer in domestic cricket and recently improved his fitness, making his exclusion a point of contention.
First Piper 