Page 14 - West Bengal

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

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