Page 12 - West Bengal

SC urges self-regulation, stresses value of free speech on social media

The Supreme Court on Monday said citizens must know the value of freedom of speech and expression and observe self regulation as it mulled guidelines to regulate offensive posts on social media. A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and K V Viswanathan was hearing a plea of one Wazahat Khan booked in FIRs in several states, including West Bengal, for his objectionable posts on X against a Hindu deity. On June 23, the top court granted him interim protection from coercive action till July 14. Khan had filed a complaint against another social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli for allegedly making communal remarks in a video. Offensive comments should not be made in response to similar posts, his lawyer said in court. The citizens must know the value of the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression. The State can step in case of violations Nobody wants the State to step in (sic), Justice Nagarathna said. The judge continued, All this divisive tendency on social med

Back to the future? Investment has remained a hurdle for West Bengal

Mr Chandrasekaran and Ms Banerjee reportedly discussed private-public partnerships in the context of economic growth in the state

Security cordon around Bengal secretariat as eligible teachers plan protest

Tight security arrangements have been made around West Bengal state secretariat 'Nabanna' in Howrah on Monday as "eligible teachers", whose jobs were annulled following a Supreme Court order, planned a protest march demanding their reinstatement, a senior police officer said. Although the route march of the 'Joggya Sikkhak Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha' (Deserving Teachers' Rights Forum) has not been finalised yet, Howrah City Police deployed senior officers at crucial junctions to maintain law and order, with a specific focus on major entry points to Nabanna. "We are focused on preventing any major disruption to daily life and keeping the situation under control. To stop any such attempt, iron barricades have been placed at four strategic locations in Howrah to halt the protesters from advancing toward the state secretariat," the officer said. Towering metal barriers have been erected at Bangabashi Crossing on GT Road, Ramkrishnapur Ghat Gate on Foreshore Road, Kazipara Crossing, and ...

7-year-old among 3 dead as heavy rain floods parts of Ghatal in West Bengal

Six Gram Panchayats of Ghatal block and 13 wards of Ghatal municipality have been inundated, affecting the lives of several people in the region

After Singur, a new chapter unfolds in Tata Group-West Bengal saga

A meeting between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran has rekindled hopes of fresh investments by the group in the state that goes to polls next year

NGT seeks response to Ganga Action Plan execution gaps in West Bengal

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed that deficiencies in the implementation of the Ganga Action Plan in West Bengal be specified by the state, NMCG and CPCB by way of affidavit. The NGT, while reviewing the status of Ganga pollution control measures in West Bengal, noted that partial action has been taken in the state to control the flow of polluting materials into the river, but untreated sewage continues to flow into it from several drains. Noting that several sewage treatment plants are either non-functional or not meeting the standards, the principal bench of the NGT, headed by chairman Justice Prakash Shrivastava, held that there are gaps in data, project execution and water quality. The NGT directed that the deficiencies and gaps noticed from disclosure made in reports of the state and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) be "responded to" by way of affidavit by the chief secretary of West Bengal, the director general of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

CM Omar Abdullah says tourism bouncing back in J&K post Pahalgam attack

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that there is an air of optimism about the revival of tourism in the Union Territory after the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people, mostly visitors, dead. Speaking at a travel and tourism event here, Abdullah said there is hope for a new beginning in J&K with tourism "bouncing back" after the terror attack. "2025 is not an easy year for us. The year can be divided into two parts - before and after the Pahalgam attack. We all see that tourism is bouncing back in J&K. There is a message of hope," Abdullah said. People of West Bengal are with J&K, he said, adding that the relationship between the two regions transcends over time in the context of "trust and affection". "West Bengal stood with J&K both politically and economically. We offer adventure and destination tourism. On the ground, there is an air of hope of a new beginning," the chief minister said. Abdullah assured that all necessary steps ...

Comeback after Singur: Tata Chairman Chandrasekaran calls on Mamata

The meeting marks the first between Tata Group's chairman and Mamata Banerjee, signalling renewed engagement and deeper investment intent in West Bengal

Trade union strike: Normal life remains unaffected; sporadic violence in WB

The trade unions claimed that the strike was successful, and a large number of workers abstained from work, impacting postal, banking, insurance, and mining sectors

Mamata seeks Niti Aayog's apology on misrepresented West Bengal map

The West Bengal CM said that the issue raised legitimate concerns about the rigor and reliability of Niti Aayog's work

Trade union strike: Daily life unaffected, sporadic violence in West Bengal

Normal life was not impacted in most parts of the country due to a nationwide strike called by several trade unions to protest against labour policies of the central government, though some sporadic incidents of violence were reported from West Bengal. However, the trade unions claimed that the strike was successful, and a large number of workers abstained from work, impacting the postal, banking, insurance, and mining sectors. Although the agitation remained by and large peaceful, reports of violence were received from pockets of West Bengal after Left-wing activists clashed with police and TMC supporters in various districts. In a statement, a forum of 10 trade unions said there was a bandh-like situation in many areas of the country, like Puducherry, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Goa, Meghalaya, and Manipur etc. Reports of partial bandhs were also received in many segments of Rajasthan, Haryana, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh,

Mamata slams NITI Aayog for map error showing Bihar as West Bengal

The error, found in the "Summary Report for the State of West Bengal" published on NITI Aayog's website, incorrectly depicted the territory of Bihar in place of West Bengal

Bharat Bandh: Services hit in Kerala, protesters lathicharged in Bengal

Trade unions have called a nationwide strike on July 9, protesting new labour codes, privatisation, inflation, job losses, and the Centre's alleged anti-worker policies

Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya appointed as West Bengal BJP president

Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya was on Thursday officially declared the new president of its West Bengal unit, and he will lead the party into the 2026 assembly elections. Sixty-one-year-old Bhattacharya was elected unopposed, with no other candidate filing nomination for the post by the stipulated deadline of Wednesday afternoon. The formal announcement came during a felicitation ceremony at Science City here, in the presence of senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who handed over the certificate of election to Bhattacharya. Prasad was the national returning officer for the election of the West Bengal BJP president. "Only one nomination was submitted for the post of president of West Bengal and that is Samik Bhattacharya's. I congratulate him," Prasad said, handing him the certificate. Bhattacharya had submitted his nomination papers at the BJP's state headquarters in Salt Lake on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by outgoing ...

Bengal govt to keep air ambulance in Digha during Rath Yatra on July 5

The West Bengal government has decided to keep an air ambulance in Digha during the return car festival of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra, an official said. The decision to keep an air ambulance in Digha during the 'Ulto Rath Yatra' (return car festival) of Lord Jagannath was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat on Wednesday, he said. "A helicopter has been asked to be deployed on the day of Ulto Rath on July 5. The helicopter operating agency has already been informed. The air ambulance will be kept on standby from noon on July 4. This arrangement is to avoid any delay in bringing someone sick to a hospital in Kolkata," he said. The state government is expecting a huge turnout of people during the return car festival of Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Digha on July 5, the official added. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the first 'Rath Yatra' from the newly constructed Jagannath temple in the coastal town of Digha on

Workers protest at IOCL's Bengal bottling plant over wage-related dispute

A wage-related dispute between LPG transporters and their drivers at Indian Oil Corporation Ltd's bottling plant at Budge Budge in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district escalated into a protest. The agitation, which occurred on Tuesday night, temporarily disrupted production and triggered sharp political reactions. Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, in a post on X, alleged that the incident reflected the growing lawlessness and "syndicate culture" under the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime. He also shared two videos showing protesters releasing LPG from cylinders, triggering panic in the area. PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos. "Yesterday's protest, where enraged workers released gas from cylinders onto the streets, could have turned catastrophic. A single spark could have ignited a massive fire, potentially engulfing the entire bottling plant, the nearby Budge Budge Institute of ...

Race for Bengal BJP chief intensifies; new president name likely this week

With less than a year to go for assembly elections, the BJP is all set to announce its new West Bengal president this week, amid intense lobbying, internal deliberations and factional negotiations within the saffron party's state unit. The party's returning officer and MLA, Deepak Barman, issued a notification confirming the schedule, sparking speculations over who will take over the reins of the state unit ahead of the assembly polls in April-May next year. Nomination for the Bengal BJP president's post will be accepted on Wednesday, followed by scrutiny and withdrawal on the same day. The final list of candidates will be released at 6 pm, according to the notification. "If more than one candidate remains in the fray, voting will take place on Thursday from 12 noon, and the results will be declared by 1.30 pm," a senior BJP functionary told PTI. However, several party leaders maintained that the process is mostly a formality and a consensus candidate chosen by the central leadersh

PIL in Calcutta HC seeks CBI probe into law college 'gang rape' case

A PIL was filed before the Calcutta High Court on Monday seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged gang rape of a law student in her college by an alumnus and two other classmates. The petitioner prayed for direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to hold a preliminary inquiry into the incident as complained of by the alleged survivor and file an interim report before the court. Claiming that the main accused Manojit Mishra has close proximity with the ruling party in the state, the petitioner prayed in the public interest litigation (PIL) that the investigation into the alleged gang rape case be transferred to the CBI from the Kolkata Police for an impartial probe. It was stated that Mishra was very influential in the conduct of the day-to-day affairs of South Calcutta Law College, of which he is an alumnus. He also sought a direction to the state authorities to compensate the survivor and her family members. The petitioner prayed for an order to appoint woman ci

Law college gang rape: BJP's 4 member 'fact-finding team' reaches Kolkata

A four-member 'fact-finding team' constituted by the BJP in connection with the recent gang rape at a law college in Kolkata arrived in the eastern metropolis on Monday morning. The members of the team include former Union ministers Satpal Singh, Meenakshi Lekhi and MPs Biplab Kumar Deb and Manan Kumar Mishra. "Despite being run by a woman chief minister, West Bengal is witnessing one ghastly incident after another in colleges and medical colleges in the state," Deb told reporters after arriving at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here. "Women are not safe in West Bengal... even a law student is not safe," he added. Deb alleged that the team did not receive permission to visit the South Calcutta Law College, or for an audience with the chief secretary. Deb said the team will later submit a report to BJP national president J P Nadda.

Centre committed to invest in Bengal's railway infrastructure: Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the Centre is committed to investing in the railway sector in West Bengal and has significantly increased allocations as part of its broader push to boost connectivity, cargo movement and support micro and small enterprises in the state. Speaking at the inauguration of the Udyami Sammelan Mela 2025 at the National Library in Kolkata, Vaishnaw said the railway budget for Bengal has seen a sharp rise from around Rs 3,000 crore under the previous regime to around Rs 14,000 crore now. The minister outlined upcoming projects, including the development of the New Jalpaiguri-Kolkata Rail Corridor to world-class standards, a statement said. "A master plan has been prepared for new railway lines, Gati Shakti cargo terminals, and the upgradation of the chicken neck corridor to a four-line network," he said, adding that the Sivok-Siliguri-New Mal Junction section will also be linked to the main corridor. Vaishnaw, the railway minister, said tha