West Bengal

Facing opposition flak over party MP Mahua Moitra's controversial remarks on Goddess Kali, the Trinamool Congress leadership on Wednesday said it in no way supports the comments

The fact-finding team was on a three-day tour of West Bengal to assess alleged human rights violations in the state during Ram Navami processions in Howrah and Hooghly districts

The CBI has formed a special task force (STF) to speed up the ongoing investigation of the alleged teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal, a senior official of the probe body said on Monday. The team will reach the city soon and begin the probe into the alleged scam, he said. The STF will comprise seven senior officers - an SP, three DSPs, two inspectors and one SI drawn from New Delhi, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar. "With there being developments in the teachers' recruitment scam in Bengal almost daily we need more officers to deal with that. We had written to the Delhi headquarters recently and these officers will be joining the probe," said a senior CBI official. Former state minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested in July last year by Enforcement Directorate probing the money trail in the SSC recruitment scam for his alleged involvement in it, is currently in jail custody at the Presidency correctional home. Several officers of the education ...

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan visited Air Force Station and forward areas in North Bengal along with General Officer Commanding, Trishakti Corps on April 8-9.He reviewed the progress of infrastructure development and operational and logistics preparedness in the area. The CDS also interacted with the troops deployed in the remote areas and appreciated their high morale and professionalism, said the Ministry of DefenceGeneral Anil Chauhan also visited the Headquarters of Trishakti Corps at Sukna where he was briefed on the operational situation along the Northern borders in Sikkim.He commended the formation for ensuring force preservation while also reaching out to assist the civil administration and local population in times of natural disasters like the recent avalanche in East Sikkim.The CDS asked the formation to focus on training hard and remaining vigilant at all times. He also emphasised that soldiers must keep abreast with latest information technology ...

Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal of not giving democratic space to political opponents Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha Saturday claimed that BJP will come to power in the state in the coming days to usher in a peaceful, transparent and development-oriented regime. Saha speaking at a felicitation programme organised by the BJP having the theme 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat' at the National Library here said a double-engine government can propel the growth of a state in a federal structure, more if the governments at the Centre and state are helmed by the same party. He urged the people of Bengal to go for this model. Saha said while coming from the airport he could see flags and flexes of only the TMC. This shows that the TMC does not want to give any democratic space to the other opposition parties. You may not allow BJP flags but the saffron party has captured the imagination of common people who believe in the development and growth mantra of BJP, the 'Ek Bha

The report has maintained that such use of such offensive language and pelting of stones instigated the locals who retaliated by resorting to counter stone-pelting

A fresh round of tussle between the state secretariat and Raj Bhavan has started snowballing in Bengal over a fresh set of guidelines imposed on the vice-chancellors of universities by the Governor

The Trinamool Congress on Friday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of adopting "double standards" while addressing incidents of violence during Ram Navami in various states. Ram Navami was celebrated across the country last week with grand processions and special pujas, but the festivities were marred by the deaths of 14 people in separate incidents in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and clashes and arson in some parts of the country. Prohibitory orders were imposed in West Bengal's Hooghly and Howrah districts, where clashes broke out between two groups when processions were taken out to celebrate Ram Navami. HM@AmitShah shows DOUBLE STANDARD in addressing Ram Navami violence: Goes all ballistic on Opposition-ruled states: West Bengal & Bihar. Takes no actions against @BJP4India& Allies-ruled states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, & UP. Rules for thee but not for me, much? TMC posted on its official Twitter handle. Shah had said that if the BJP comes to power in Bihar,

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea of the West Bengal government challenging a Calcutta High Court order which protected Soumendu Adhikari, brother of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, from arrest in a corruption case, saying the petition did not warrant interference now as the charge sheet has been filed. Soumendu, also a BJP leader, was protected by the Calcutta High Court against any probable coercive action by the West Bengal police on January 31, 2023 in a case of alleged misappropriation of funds while allotting 14 shops at the Rangamati Cremation Ground at Contai in Purba Medinipur. The case relates to the period when he was the chairperson of Contai municipal body. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chanrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala took note of the fact that now the charge sheet has been filed and a local court has taken cognisance of it. The court said, hence, there was no need to adjudicate the plea of the state government challenging the high court order. In pursuan

Eighty-five trains were cancelled, and hundreds of vehicles remained stranded as different organisations of the Kudmi community continued their rail and road blockade in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district on Thursday, demanding ST status, officials said. The protest started at 6 am on Tuesday with the blockade of the old National Highway 6, which connects Kolkata to Mumbai, at Khemasuli in Kharagpur Local police station area by Kudmi Samaj West Bengal, they said. Another organisation of the community, Adivasi Kudmi Samaj, joined the protest on Wednesday, blocking the railway tracks at Khemasuli station in Kharagpur-Tatanagar section, and Kustaur station in Adra-Chandil section in Purulia district, they added. Among the trains cancelled on Thursday were Howrah-Pune Duranto Express, Howrah-Jagdalpur Express, Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express, Howrah-Ahmedabad Express, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Howrah-Ranchi Express, Shalimar-LTT Express, Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail and ...

The Supreme Court Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari challenging an order of the Calcutta High Court declining to interfere with the West Bengal panchayat poll process. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala asked how can it stop elections midway when it is already scheduled. "Interdicting an election is a serious matter and we cannot do that. We will not interfere. Sorry, Dismissed," the bench said. Senior advocate P S Patwalia appeared for BJP MLA Adhikari who is the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly. The Calcutta High Court on March 28 had refused to interfere with the West Bengal panchayat election process at this stage while holding that there is the substance in petitioner Adhikari's contention over the seat reservation criteria used for the polls. The high court had held that any interference at this stage in connection with the PIL filed by Adhikari may lead to the postponement of the panchay

The state government should take some decision to resolve the complications arising of the dearness allowance payments, court said

An organisation of fireworks manufacturers in West Bengal on Wednesday said around 100 member-units will soon commence producing 'green fireworks' conforming to safety guidelines prescribed by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) at special clusters coming up in South 24 Parganas district. Prabesh Atasbaji Byabasayee Samity (PABS) Secretary Sukhdeb Naskar told PTI, the association had discussions with officials of the environment department, fire services department, West Bengal Pollution Control Board and police in this regard. The guidelines prescribe ensuring a below-90 decibel sound and lower emission of harmful chemicals and have been formulating after several court judgements. While 20 fireworks makers have already received approval from NEERI as well as license from the environment ministry for manufacturing green fireworks conforming to the norms, at least 80 others have been given training in technology needed to produce green fireworks. "These 80

At least 46 express and passenger trains were cancelled and eight others short terminated on Wednesday by the South Eastern Railway (SER) owing to an agitation and blockade at two railway stations in West Bengal by an organisation of the Kurmi community, an official said. In view of the agitation by members of the Kurmi community at Khemasuli station in West Medinipur district in Kharagpur-Tatanagar section of Kharagpur Division and Kustaur station in Purulia district in Adra-Chandil section of Adra Division from 5 am the 12814 Tatanagar-Howrah Steel Express, 12021 Howrah Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express, 12871 Howrah-Titlagarh Express were cancelled, a SER release said. The Kurmi community is demanding Scheduled Tribe status, an official said. The other trains cancelled were 08649 Adra-Purulia MEMU Special, 03595 Bokaro Steel City-Asansol MEMU Special, 03598 Asansol- Ranchi MEMU Special, 08650 Purulia-Adra MEMU Special, 18085 Kharagpur-Ranchi MEMU Express, 18116 Chakradharpur-Gomoh ...

This is the second day of the agitation by the representatives of the Kurmi community in demand of their recognition as a Scheduled Tribe

Several vehicles were stuck on the old National Highway 6, which connects Kolkata to Mumbai, after an organisation of the Kudmi community started a blockade in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district on Tuesday, demanding that they be given ST status. West Bengal Kudmi Samaj started the blockade around 6 am at Khemashuli in the Kharagpur local police station area, officials said. "The blockade will continue until our demands are met," said Tapas Mahato, a leader of the organisation. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the road because of the blockade, triggering massive traffic snarls even on the other adjoining roads in Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts. Till the last report was received around 11 pm, the blockade was continuing. Drivers of the stranded vehicles said they were facing scarcity of food and water. Some of the vehicles were being diverted through Balibhasha in Jhargram to bypass the blockade, officials said. Kudmis are at present classified as OBCs.

The BJP on Monday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of engineering the recent violence in West Bengal and demanded her resignation. Addressing a joint press conference with two other party MPs, the BJP's Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee also called for the Centre's intervention and demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the violence. The incidents of violence that have taken place in West Bengal since Rama Navami are the result of a "pre-planned conspiracy" hatched by Banerjee, she charged. Debasree Chaudhuri and Khagen Murmu, two other BJP MPs from West Bengal, accompanied Chatterjee during her press conference at the party headquarters. "This is the result of a pre-planned conspiracy by Mamata Banerjee to consolidate Muslim votes and to make the Muslims happy," she said. The Hooghly MP also accused the TMC supremo of playing "appeasement politics" and claimed that "Hindus are under threat in West Bengal". Banerjee had claimed on Friday that the B

While criticising the role of the police on this count, the bench also alerted the administration to be careful so that such incidents are not repeated

Biman Ghosh, along with a number of police personnel including the officer-in-charge of Rishra police station, Piyali Biswas, were injured in the clashes

Hours after arson and communal tensions triggered in West Bengal's Hooghly on Sunday evening, the state government ordered for immediate suspension of internet services across the district.Prohibitory orders were issued by the state government after the clashes reported during Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shobha yatra on Sunday evening.According to the state government's order, internet services will remain suspended in Hooghly district till 10.00 pm Monday."No restriction is being imposed on voice calls and SMS and on newspapers hence communication and dissemination of knowledge and information is not stopped in any way," the state government's order added.It further said, "In order to prevent obstruction, annoyance or injury to any person lawfully employed, or danger to human life, health or safety or a disturbance of the public tranquillity, or a riot or an affray, through an order under section 5 (2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 read with the Temporary Suspension of Telecom ..