Page 6 - Kolkata

Kolkata hotel fire: Owner, manager arrested after blaze kills 14 people

The owner and the manager of the central Kolkata hotel, where a devastating fire killed 14 people, were arrested on Thursday, police said. Akash Chawla, the owner of Rituraj Hotel, and manager Gaurav Kapoor were taken into custody in the morning, they said. A suo motu case was registered at the Jorasanko police station under various sections of the BNS, including 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and the West Bengal Fire Services Act against them, they added. Police said 12 of the 14 bodies recovered from the hotel were identified and their post-mortem examinations completed. These bodies have been handed over to their families, they said, adding that efforts were underway to ascertain the identities of the remaining two bodies. There were 88 guests in 42 rooms of the six-storey budget hotel, located in Mechhua in the congested Burrabazar area, when the fire broke out at 8.10 pm on Tuesday.

15, including 2 children, killed in Kolkata hotel fire; rescue underway

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, though a short circuit is suspected, according to media report

I have lost faith in India's legal system, says RG Kar victim's father

Father of the RG Kar rape and murder victim claims that the CBI is aware of the perpetrators behind his daughter's rape and murder but is withholding details, eroding his trust in the agency

Murshidabad violence: 5 more held for rioting, total arrests now at 307

West Bengal Police arrested five more persons for their alleged involvement in the Murshidabad riots, taking the total number of arrests to 307, a senior officer said on Thursday. The arrested persons, nabbed from different places in the district on Wednesday, had direct links to the riots in which three people were killed and several injured, he said. "These five persons were involved in rioting. We arrested them on Wednesday," a senior officer of the Special Investigative Team (SIT) formed to probe the incidents of violence said. Efforts are on to bring back the younger son of arrested prime accused Ziaul Sheikh, who is currently in the custody of Odisha Police, the officer said. Communal clashes broke out in Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian and Jangipur in Murshidabad district on April 11 and 12, during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The violence had resulted in three deaths.

West Bengal Guv Ananda Bose hospitalised with chest ailment: Raj Bhavan

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose was admitted to the Eastern Command Hospital here on Monday after he complained of chest pain, a senior Raj Bhavan official said. He was taken there around 10 am. Doctors are currently monitoring his condition and will take a call on the next course of treatment after carrying out necessary tests. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a visit to Bose at the hospital before leaving for Salboni in Paschim Medinipur to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony of the 1,600 MW power plant of JSW. "I visited the Governor at the Command Hospital since he is ill. I have directed my chief secretary to take necessary steps in this regard," Banerjee told reporters before boarding her helicopter at Dumurjola helipad in Howrah. The senior Raj Bhavan official said Bose had complained of chest congestion after returning from riot-hit Murshidabad on Saturday.

Daily life in Murshidabad resumes after violent protests, schools reopen

West Bengal Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday claimed that Hindus are under threat in the state

'They want sense of security': WB Guv meets Murshidabad violence victims

Governor Bose further said that he would discuss the demands of the victims with both the central and State governments

West Bengal Guv, NCW team to visit violence-hit Murshidabad today

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said that what happened in Murshidabad was an 'eye opener'

NHRC team arrives in Malda to meet refugees from Murshidabad violence

A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday arrived in West Bengal's Malda district to meet people who have taken shelter in refugee camps after fleeing violence-hit areas of Murshidabad district. The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of the recent violence in Murshidabad that broke out during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The Commission on Tuesday said it has decided to send a team to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry into the incidents, considering the seriousness of the situation. The NHRC action comes following the receipt of a formal complaint about the violence and the alleged human rights violations in the affected areas. According to officials, three people were killed during the violent clashes that erupted in the Muslim-majority areas of Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur in Murshidabad district. Many residents, fearing for their lives, fled their homes and took shelter in camps set up in neighbouring Malda district. The violence occurred am

Mamata Banerjee says Waqf Amendment Act will not be implemented in Bengal

Speaking at a programme organised by the Jain community in Kolkata, CM Mamata Banerjee said she would always stand by the minority communities and protect their rights

Waqf Amendment Bill sparks mass protests in Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad

Thousands staged protests in Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with Mamata Banerjee and Vijay opposing the law and calling it anti-democratic

Chinese envoy hails Tagore's efforts, bats for stronger ties with India

Recalling Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's initiatives to bring India and China culturally closer, Chinese envoy Xu Wei on Tuesday stressed further improving bilateral ties between the two nations. Wei, the Consul General of China in Kolkata, was speaking at a programme in Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan to mark the end of the centenary celebration of Tagore's 1924 visit to China. "Tagore had advocated improving cultural ties between the two countries, and had visited China 100 years ago. Relations between our two countries are very good," he said on the inaugural day of the two-day programme titled 'Marking the end of the centenary celebration of Rabindranath Tagore's visit to China in 1924'. Hailing 75 years of India-China diplomatic relations, Wei said, "There is every possibility, potential and great scope in further improving our bilateral ties and we are proceeding along that path." He was speaking at the function organised by 'Cheena Bhavan', the Department of Chinese Stud

Eastern Railway crosses record 100 mn tonne-mark in freight loading

Eastern Railway achieved its highest-ever freight loading in the 2024-25 fiscal, crossing the 100-million-tonne mark, an official said on Monday. The Kolkata-headquartered railway division recorded 100.28 million tonnes of originating freight loading, an all-time record for the zonal railway, he said. ER's freight loading in 2024-25 is 15.4 per cent higher than its previous highest loading of 86.89 million tonnes in the 2023-24 fiscal, the official said in a statement.

Eid preparations in full swing as markets bustle in Kolkata, Hyderabad

In Kolkata, the markets near Zakaria Street, adjacent to the Nakhoda Mosque, are packed with shoppers

RG Kar case: Calcutta HC directs CBI to submit case diary of Kolkata Police

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit the case diary initially prepared by the Kolkata Police in connection with the rape-murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. A single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh also instructed the CBI to present a list of individuals interviewed in the case at the next hearing scheduled for April 23. The CBI submitted a sealed status report on its ongoing probe into the incident, where the doctor's body was discovered in the seminar room of the hospital on August 9, 2024. The court had transferred the case from Kolkata Police to the CBI on August 13. The CBI counsel said he also brought the case diary as directed by the court during the previous hearing. During the hearing, the court inquired whether the crime involved gang rape and if the CBI had identified additional suspects. Deputy solicitor general Rajdeep Majumdar, appearing for the CBI, said the case did n

Kolkata-based Luxmi Group bags two awards at Global Tea Championship 2025

The Luxmi Group produces about 30 million kg across 25 estates in Assam, Darjeeling and Rwanda. The iconic Makaibari estate in Darjeeling is part of the group

Kolkata-based Mihup eyes IPO, in advanced talks with leading automaker

Kolkata-based conversational intelligence firm Mihup on Wednesday said it is in advanced talks with one of India's top passenger automobile makers to integrate its in-car virtual assistant, following its partnership with Tata Motors. The company, which has raised Rs 100 crore in venture funding, including Rs 50 crore in October last year, is also preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) within the next two years, Mihup Co-founder & CEO Tapan Barman told PTI. Mihup's voice assistant, which replaced a global competitor's solution in Tata Motors' vehicles in 2021, is now deployed in over one million cars, and the company expects rapid growth with new OEMs, the official claimed. The upcoming deal with another top passenger car maker is expected to further strengthen its foothold in the automotive sector. "I cannot divulge the OEM now due to confidentiality, but it is one of the largest car makers in India," Barman said. The company aims to scale its proprietary AI-driven voice .

Human Coronavirus HKU1 detected in India What it is and why it matters

In Kolkata, West Bengal, a 49-year-old lady contracted the human coronavirus HKU1. The hospital reports that the patient was admitted after a 15-day period of a persistent fever

Truck rentals stay lacklustre in Feb due to lower infra sector demand

The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) raised concerns over the government's draft notification, which proposes increased renewal charges for registration and fitness certificates

Demand strict punishment for those behind RG Kar incident: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday referred to the murdered woman doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital as her "sister" and extended deepest condolences to the victim's parents. She also demanded strict punishment for those responsible for the crime. Speaking at a special gathering of senior and junior doctors and medical students at Dhono Dhanyo auditorium here, Banerjee highlighted her government's efforts to ensure justice and emphasised the introduction of the Aparajita Bill, which seeks capital punishment for rape convicts. "I extend my condolences to the family of the sister who was killed in RG Kar hospital. We demand proper punishment in this case," Banerjee said. She added, "I had also taken to the streets in protest against the incident. Our government had passed the Aparajita Bill, but it is still pending (with the President)." A 31-year-old junior doctor was raped and killed at the state-run hospital in Kolkata on August 9 last year, triggerin