Page 13 - West Bengal

NCW chair writes to Bengal chief secy over Kolkata law college gangrape

The National Commission for Women has written to the chief secretary of West Bengal directing urgent action in the South Kolkata gang-rape case and the state police's cooperation for a meeting between a member of the rights panel and the survivor and her family. NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar termed the incident "grave" and said it had "shaken public conscience". The women's rights panel took suo motu cognizance of the case on Friday. It has expressed deep concern for the safety, dignity, and well-being of the survivor and stressed the need for a swift institutional response. In her letter to the chief secretary, Rahatkar directed that the state police must fully cooperate with NCW member Archana Mujumdar, who has been deputed to meet the survivor and her family. The commission has also sought an immediate and confidential internal medical examination of the survivor and asked that both internal and external medical reports be submitted to the NCW within three days. Further, the

Kolkata student gangrape: Row over perpetrators' links; NCW seeks probe

A woman was allegedly gang-raped at a Kolkata law college, sparking political outrage and protests. Three accused, including a TMC student leader, have been arrested. NCW demands urgent probe

Bengal's Digha set to hold first Rath Yatra from new Jagannath temple

Idols of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings were placed inside their chariots in front of the new temple in West Bengal's Digha town, where the Rath Yatra will begin in a few hours on Friday. All other preparations for the festival are in full swing, while the administration is ready to conduct the event smoothly, an official said. "The idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were put up in their chariots kept near the main temple gate as the sibling deities were being decked up for their annual sojourn to their aunt's place," International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Vice President Radharanan Das told PTI. As part of the festival, the three chariots will be taken out from the temple around 2:30 pm, and the entire journey will be over by 4 pm, officials said. The sweeping of the 750 km route of the Rath Yatra by a golden broom will begin at 1:45 pm. Accompanied by monks of the temple and others, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will per

India should intervene diplomatically to stop Iran-Israel conflict: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed concern over the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict and urged the Centre to take diplomatic initiatives to help end the hostilities between the two West Asian nations. The conflict has seen hundreds of missiles and drones exchanged between Israel and Iran since tensions escalated over a week ago, with the situation worsening significantly following the US bombing of three major Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning. During her address in the assembly on environmental issues, Banerjee said, "War has broken out in many parts of the world. Such things cause air and water pollution. We have to take steps to stop this." She said, "External affairs come under the Indian government. Diplomatically, peacefully, we must take initiative so that war stops." Banerjee clarified, "I am not authorised to speak on external affairs and diplomatic issues. This is my personal view as a concerned citizen of this world." Speaking on the flood

Crude bomb kills girl in Nadia amid TMC bypoll victory celebrations

A teenage girl was killed in a crude bomb explosion during Kaliganj bypoll celebrations in Bengal, with unverified reports linking the blast to TMC victory festivities

Assembly bypolls: BJP wins Gujarat, Congress bags Kerala, AAP takes Punjab

Voting held on June 19 for bypolls to five Assembly seats - Kadi, Visavadar (Gujarat), Nilambur (Kerala), Ludhiana West (Punjab), and Kaliganj (West Bengal); counting is underway

MGNREGA verdict in, but tug of war between Centre, state lingers in Bengal

Even as both the TMC and the BJP claim 'victory' after the Calcutta HC's order on resumption of MGNREGA in the state, political fault lines are likely to widen before Assembly polls next year

Bengal may lose ₹25 cr GST as SBI shifts key unit from Kolkata to Mumbai

Kolkata faces a potential state GST loss of nearly Rs 25 crore this fiscal year as the State Bank of India (SBI) moves to relocate its Global Market Unit (GMU) from Kolkata to Mumbai, a civil society organisation has claimed. This proposed shift has drawn protests from civil society groups like Bank Bachao Desh Bachao Manch (Save Bank, Save Nation Platform), describing SBI's decision as "arbitrary and opaque". "The GMU and associated units contribute significantly to state revenues via GST, nearly Rs 25 crore this fiscal year. Additionally, over 70 contractual staff stand to lose their jobs," Bank Bachao Desh Bachao Manch joint convenors Biswaranjan Ray and Soumya Datta said in a complaint. The State Bank of India recently stated that decisions regarding the opening, shifting, or rationalisation of branches and offices are part of an ongoing business process based on evolving operational and administrative needs. This explanation was provided by the Deputy General Manager ...

Centre reviews HC order to resume MGNREGA in West Bengal from August 1

Kolkata High Court asks Centre to restart MGNREGA in West Bengal with safeguards against corruption, prompting review of legal and procedural steps

WBCAP 2025 registration begins for UG admission; know how to apply & more

WBCAP UG 2025 registration window has been activated. Students seeking UG admission can submit their application forms by visiting the official website at wbcap.in. The last date is July 1, 2025

WB Madhyamik 2025: PPR PPS result out, 9 new toppers in top 10; know more

The WBBSE has officially released the Madhyamik PPR/PPS result 2025 today. 9 new students are now in the top 10 merit list. Exams were held between Feb 10 to 22, 2025, from 10:45 AM to 1:00 PM

Calcutta HC grants interim stay on WB's OBC list notification till Jul 31

The bench warned that the executive cannot bypass legislative procedures, stating that half the process was followed and the rest done unilaterally

Bengal govt's shift from industry incentives sparks business concern

Incentives - or the lack thereof and outstanding dues - have long been a pet peeve of the industry

NU Vista moves court against West Bengal's incentive scheme rollback

On account of the Revocation Act, the incentives of ₹427.14 crore and ₹300.44 crore to be received by the company and NU Vista Limited, respectively, are likely to be impacted, Nuvoco mentioned

Police prevents BJP leaders from visiting violence-hit Bengal's Maheshtala

West Bengal BJP leaders led by state unit president Sukanta Majumdar were prevented by the police from visiting violence-hit Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas district on Thursday, a day after the area witnessed group clashes. Union minister Majumdar and other leaders were stopped by police enroute to Maheshtala, following which they held a protest in Kolkata's Kalighat area near the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when they were detained and released later. In a post on X, Majumdar said, "Just yesterday, the same @WBPolice were forced to wave white cloths in surrender before radical jihadists in Rabindranagar -- spineless, helpless, and humiliated. And today, suddenly, they appear to be warriors -- zealously following Chief Minister @MamataOfficial's orders with blind obedience, immersed in servitude!" "Today, as we moved toward Maheshtala to stand beside the attacked Hindus, the administration blocked our path citing Section 163. And when we later went to Kalighat, to th

The Bengal Files teaser out: Vivek Agnihotri explores Bengal's 'dark past'

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's film, The Bengal Files: Right to Life, explores Bengal's turbulent past and releases in theatres nationwide on September 5, 2025

Vehicles torched, cops injured in Bengal: What triggered the chaos?

Five police officers were injured and vehicles set ablaze in West Bengal's Maheshtala after a land dispute led to violent clashes; patrols have since been intensified

Smart meters will be normal, consumers to pay bills every 3 months: WB govt

Days after halting the installation of prepaid smart meters in homes across the state, West Bengal Power Minister Arup Biswas on Wednesday said the gadgets already installed would be treated as normal ones, and consumers would have to pay their electricity bills every three months. Biswas claimed that the decision to install the meters for domestic power consumers was a directive from the central government. He thanked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for suspending the programme after widespread public protests. "The installation of prepaid smart meters for domestic power consumers was forcefully imposed. I would like to thank the Chief Minister for halting the programme," he said. "All the smart meters that have already been installed will now be treated as normal meters, and consumers will have to pay bills once every three months," he added. On Monday, Banerjee halted the installation of the meters in homes after facing stiff resistance and mass protests in several districts ove

Backwardness only benchmark to decide OBC status, not religion: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday told the state Assembly that backwardness is the only benchmark to decide the OBC status of people. Maintaining that a disinformation campaign is continuing on social media by some quarters, she asserted that there is no connection with religion in deciding the inclusion of any person in the OBC category. Noting that the only benchmark for deciding OBC status in the state is backwardness, Banerjee said that a commission set up by the government is holding a survey on 50 new subsections for inclusion in that category. The chief minister said that 49 subsections have been included under the OBC-A and 91 under OBC-B categories. She said that while more backward sections of people have been included under OBC-A, the less backward people come under OBC-B. The chief minister addressed the House after laying the annual report of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes for the financial year 2024-25. Banerjee said that all ...

Bangladesh protester found on Bengal voter list, BJP-TMC trade blows

A man seen in Bangladesh's 2024 protests is now on Bengal's voter list, sparking BJP-TMC clashes over infiltration, fake documents, and electoral fraud