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CJP's West Bengal unit on Saturday demanded an impartial probe into the Chorabagan stampede that claimed 19 lives and called for accountability for any negligence established during the investigation. The party organised a condolence programme and a press conference to pay tribute to the victims and express solidarity with the affected families. Addressing the press conference, a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) member called for safety audits, trained personnel, emergency evacuation plans and better coordination among emergency services. In a statement, CJP coordinator Prakriti Sahu outlined the party's demands, including timely financial assistance and medical support for the affected families and injured, stronger safety guidelines for major public gatherings and festival pandals across the state, and regular public updates on the investigation and relief measures. The party said it would submit its demands in writing to the relevant authorities and seek details of the action taken.
The treasurer of the Chorbagan Durga Puja was arrested for allegedly misleading revellers by announcing that a section of the pandal was collapsing, which appeared to have triggered panic among them and led to the stampede that claimed the lives of 19 people last week, police said on Friday. Sanjib Raha, alias Sentu, was initially detained from a hideout in Nadia district on Thursday and later arrested, a senior officer said. "There were two persons who were making announcements at the Chorbagan Durga Puja. He was one of them. He had been absconding since the incident occurred in the evening of October 17. We initially detained him in Nadia and then arrested him after hours of questioning," he said. At least 19 people died, and 25 others were injured in the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata following a crowd surge amid rain. The two persons, who had been making announcements at the puja pandal on the Maha Saptami day, were identified via CCTV footage, the
West Bengal's Durga Puja commercial landscape was marked by uneven gains this year, with large puja organisers, malls, organised retailers and e-commerce platforms reporting brisk business, while smaller puja committees, traditional markets and hawkers struggled to keep pace. While government data showed 13,000 more pujas being organised this year than last, the divide between big-budget celebrations and smaller community pujas remained stark. Large and traditionally popular puja organisers reported fully booked outdoor advertising slots, with rates rising by at least 20 per cent amid the growing use of LED displays. Smaller committees, however, faced weaker advertising demand, with some outdoor advertising slots remaining vacant. Kajol Sarkar, an office-bearer of the Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella body representing over 550 community Durga Puja committees in Kolkata, Howrah and their suburbs, said advertisers were concentrating on specific routes rather than spreading their ...
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said his government had granted permission for 12,400 new Durga Pujas this year and all of them had received financial assistance from the state. Speaking at a special programme marking the beginning of 'Debipaksha' at the Eden Gardens here, Adhikari said around 45,000 Durga Pujas were held in the state last year. "Earlier, (during the previous government) to hold Durga Pujas, one had to approach the Calcutta High Court to get requisite permission. It was sad. I do not think there is a single such case this time. Compared to the number of Durga Pujas held in 2025, this year we have 12,400 new pujas," he said. "In our Cabinet meeting, we decided that Durga Pujas will not commence during Pitripakkha, which is why we inaugurated it today during Debipokkho. We had decided that this year, besides the cultural aspects of the puja, we will also follow the customary rituals as per the traditional Hindu astrological almanac," Adhikari .
The West Bengal government will launch a fresh inquiry into Mamata Banerjee's "false claims" of leg injury during the 2021 assembly poll campaign, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference at state secretariat Nabanna, Adhikari claimed Banerjee had faked her injury during the elections. "Mamata Banerjee faked her leg injury during campaigning in Nandigram in 2021. We have the medical report which stated that there was no evidence of fracture or dislocation. We will initiate an investigation into the matter," Adhikari said, while displaying Banerjee's medical report issued by the Bangur Institute of Neuroscience. "Her false allegation insulted the people of Nandigram. I will come out with more details after the MCC (model code of conduct) is lifted after October 9... Today, I am saying this in support of my claims made yesterday," he said. By-election will be held in Nandigram on October 6 and the results will be announced on October 9. Adhikar
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has assured the Indian Oil Corporation of facilitating land for its long-pending plans to develop a petrochemical complex alongside its refinery in Haldia. Noting that the expansion would require 175 acres of land, the chief minister on Monday said the Haldia Development Authority has already arranged 85 acres and the remaining could be facilitated through the Haldia Dock Complex of Syama Prasad Mookherjee Port. Adhikari said he has taken up the matter with the port authorities to ensure that the land is made available to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for its proposed expansion. An official said, "If this happens, then the IOC will send the project to the board for consideration." The state-owned oil major said it was considering an expansion at Haldia, which could include a chemical downstream project. The OC has for years sought the 175-acre parcel adjoining its Haldia refinery to expand its operations and develop downstream petrochemica
The Supreme Court on Monday said it has every reason to believe that the West Bengal Assembly speaker is "fully cognisant" of the apex court's order fixing a three-month time frame to decide the disqualification petition against 10 rebel TMC MLAs. The observations came from a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana during the hearing of a plea filed by Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction MLA Sohandeb Chattopadhyay. In his petition, Chattopadhyay sought direction to the speaker to expeditiously decide the disqualification petition filed against the rebel MLAs. "We have every reason to believe that the speaker is fully cognisant of the decision of this court and he will make an endeavour to take an appropriate decision within the time-frame fixed," the bench said while disposing of the plea. The top court noted that in this case, the three-month period would expire on October 10. Chattopadhyay had earlier approached Speaker Rathin Bose
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday mounted a strong defence of the Election Commission amid an escalating political row over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, blaming former CM Mamata Banerjee for the deletion of 27 lakh names and asserting that neither the BJP nor the poll panel could be held responsible for the exclusions. Addressing a press conference here, Adhikari also seized on Saturday's meeting of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, saying the meeting and the subsequent statement issued by the poll panel made it clear that decisions relating to the SIR were not taken unilaterally by the CEC. Showing a photograph of the CEC and the two election commissioners sitting together, as released by the poll panel a day ago, the BJP leader said the meeting of the three proved that the decisions were taken collectively. The Election Commission said on Saturday that the June 24 ord
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Thursday announced that the conglomerate would invest more than Rs 1 lakh crore in West Bengal by 2035. Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation for a 2,000-bed hospital in the New Town area near Kolkata along with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Adani said the group would spend Rs 4,000 crore on the multi-speciality 'Adani Arogya Mandir', and the project would create 10,000 jobs. Adani Group investments in West Bengal will be in ports, logistics, power, roads and data centre, the industrialist added.