Page 20 - West Bengal

Normalcy back in Murshidabad after Waqf protest violence, forces deployed

Security personnel, including BSF and CRPF, have been deployed in the area, and authorities have stated that the situation is now under control

Situation peaceful, under control in violence-hit Murshidabad, say police

The situation in violence-hit areas of Murshidabad district, mainly Suti, Samserganj, Dhulian and Jangipur was peaceful and under control on Monday, a senior police officer said. Prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) remain in force in the violence-hit pockets where the roads wore a deserted look and shops downed their shutters. The internet remains suspended in the affected areas while security forces are conducting checks on vehicles along the main roads. Three people have died and several others injured in the violence which raged in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur areas since Friday afternoon but there was no report of any fresh incident from anywhere in the district. A total of 180 people have been arrested in connection with the violence following protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act till Saturday afternoon, he said. "The situation in and around these disturbed areas is peaceful and under control. There is no repor

BJP slams TMC MP Yusuf Pathan's 'sipping tea' post amid Murshidabad unrest

Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan posted a few pictures on his Instagram handle, showing him sipping tea and relaxing. The post drew criticism from the BJP

Murshidabad Waqf protests: 150 held over violence, central forces deployed

Violence over Waqf Act rocks Murshidabad as Calcutta High Court directs immediate deployment of central forces in the area

12 more held in violence over Waqf Act in West Bengal's Murshidabad: Police

Twelve more people were arrested in connection with the violent protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, where three people have died, police said on Sunday. No new incident of violence was reported from anywhere in the Muslim-majority district, with security forces keeping a close vigil, they said. "The situation in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur areas of the district is peaceful. Raids continued overnight, and 12 more people were arrested. With this, 150 people have been arrested so far," a senior police officer said. Prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been imposed in the violence-hit areas, and the internet has been suspended, he said. The security forces are checking vehicles on the main roads, and patrolling the sensitive pockets, he added. "An investigation is underway into the incidents of violence. More arrests are likely," the officer said. Several vehicles, including pol

Calcutta HC orders deployment of central forces in violence-hit Murshidabad

Holding that it cannot turn a blind eye to reports of vandalism in a few districts of West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court on Saturday ordered deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in Murshidabad district, which has been hit by violence allegedly linked to ongoing protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The court said this direction will not be limited to Murshidabad district only and "as and when required it should be extended to other districts faced with similar situation" and central forces may be deployed immediately to arrest the situation and bring normalcy. "We cannot turn a blind eye to the various reports that have surfaced which prima facie shows vandalism in few districts of the State of West Bengal," a division bench presided by Justice Soumen Sen said. The court noted that apart from Murshidabad, incidents have been reported from Amtala in South 24 Parganas district, in North 24 Parganas district and at Champdani in Hooghly. At least three people were ..

3 killed in Waqf-related violence in Bengal's Murshidabad district

Two persons were killed in West Bengal's Murshidabad district following violent clashes allegedly linked to ongoing protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, an IPS officer said on Saturday. The victims, a father and son, were found with multiple stab wounds inside their home in Jafrabad, located in the violence-hit Samserganj area, he added. According to him, both victims were found lying inside their home and were declared brought dead at a nearby hospital. Their family alleged that miscreants looted their house and stabbed the two before leaving. In a separate incident, another person sustained a bullet wound at Dhulian in Samserganj block earlier in the day, the officer said. Large-scale violence was reported on Friday from Suti and Samserganj areas of the district during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

WB education min's 'empty promises' mean nothing, say protesting teachers

Three teachers, who have been staging a hunger strike for the last three days demanding that the West Bengal SSC release a list of eligible candidates of the 2016 recruitment examination, on Saturday said "hollow promises" made by Education Minister Bratya Basu meant nothing to them. Basu had on Friday said the School Service Commission (SSC) was ready to publish the digital mirror image of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets of all 22 lakh candidates who had appeared in the 2016 exam, after a Supreme Court judgment invalidated the appointment of 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staffers of schools in the state, terming the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted". The agitating teachers -- Pankaj Roy, Suman Biswas, and Pratap Kumar Saha -- began their indefinite fast before the SSC office at Acharya Bhavan here at 11 am on April 10 calling for immediate demarcation between tainted and untainted candidates whose jobs were invalidated by the apex court on April 3. Speaking t

'Waqf won't be implemented in Bengal': Mamata amid clashes in Murshidabad

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for calm during her visit to Murshidabad

Waqf (Amendment) Act will not be implemented in West Bengal: Mamata

The Waqf (Amendment) Act will not be implemented in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday amid violent protests in the state. Banerjee said the law was made by the Centre and answers should be sought from it. "My sincere appeal to people of all religions, please remain calm, remain restrained. Do not engage in any irreligious behaviour in the name of religion. Every human life is precious; do not incite riots for the sake of politics. Those who are inciting riots are harming society," she said in a post on X. Several vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked as violence rocked Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts during protests over the new legislation on Friday. "Remember, we did not make the law over which many are agitated. The law was made by the central government. So the answer you want should be sought from the central government," the CM said. "We have made

Mamata trying to create Bangladesh by threatening Hindus: Sukanta Majumdar

When asked about the situation in violence-hit districts, including Murshidabad, Majumdar alleged that the situation was "grave" and the houses were being "looted"

Over 110 held in Murshidabad over Waqf Act violence, says Bengal Police

Over 110 people were arrested in connection with the violence that broke out in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district of West Bengal during a protest over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, police said on Saturday. Several vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked as violence rocked Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts over the new legislation on Friday. Raids were underway in all these districts, with over 110 arrested in Murshidabad, police said. "About 70 people were arrested from Suti, and 41 people from Samserganj in connection with the violence," a police officer said. The situation in these violence-hit places remained tense on Saturday morning, but no untoward incident was reported, officials said. In the worst-hit Murshidabad district, prohibitory orders have been imposed and internet services suspended in places that saw violence, they said. "Patrolling in Suti and Samserganj areas

Suvendu Adhikari demands central forces deployment amid violence in Bengal

Adhikari noted that the state administration has sought BSF deployment in Murshidabad to control the situation

Violent protests against Waqf Act in Bengal leave 10 policemen injured

Protests against the Waqf Act rocked parts of West Bengal on Friday, as agitators set ablaze vehicles, disrupted vehicular and rail movement, with a few policemen suffering injuries while trying to control the mob, officials said. The demonstrations took a violent turn in Suti in Murshidabad district when the protesters assembled despite prohibitory orders and blocked roads, hurled stones at security personnel, torched police vans and public buses during processions, they said. According to a senior police officer, trouble started when Muslims gathered after Friday prayers and staged protests against the Waqf Act, blocking a stretch of National Highway-12 from Dakbanglo More in Shamsherganj to Sutir Sajur More. "The protests turned violent after the agitators hurled stones at a police van, resulting in a clash in which around 10 policemen were injured," he said. Police had to lathi-charge to bring the unruly mob under control, and later use tear gas shells when some protesters thre

Can post OMR sheets of 22 lakh candidates after legal advice: WB minister

The West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) is ready to publish the digital mirror images of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets of all 22 lakh candidates who appeared for the 2016 exams with appropriate legal advice, state Education Minister Bratya Basu said on Friday. The Supreme Court court had on April 3 upheld a 2024 Calcutta High Court judgment annulling the recruitment of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff appointed through the 2016 SSC recruitment drive, terming the entire selection process vitiated and tainted. Emerging from a meeting with agitating teachers and non-teaching staff, Basu said the state government was hopeful of publishing the list within two weeks. Basu said although the SSC does not retain its own digital images of the OMR sheets in question, it does possess copies of those sheets retrieved by the CBI during its course of investigation, and which the agency later shared with the commission. Since the matter concerns a judgment of the Supreme Cour

Teachers who lost jobs begin march in Bengal, demand release of OMR sheets

Thousands of teachers, who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court verdict that invalidated their appointments, began a march from Karunamoyee in Salt Lake to the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Bhawan on Friday demanding the release of their Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets to identify the genuine candidates. Carrying placards demanding reinstatement, the protesters were joined by members of various civil society organisations in a show of solidarity. "SSC should release the copies of the OMR sheets to help segregate the eligible teachers," a demonstrator said. They claimed that the police officer accused of kicking teachers during a previous protest at the DI office in Kasba has now been assigned to investigate the cases registered against them. "What can we expect from such a probe? In no civilised society does an accused investigate the victims," a protester remarked. A large police contingent, including personnel from the Rapid Action Force, was deployed to

Guv has no authority to summon officers to discuss Bills: Bengal minister

West Bengal's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said the governor does not have any authority to summon officers to discuss pending Bills. Chattopadhyay's statement on Thursday came after Governor C V Ananda Bose said he has sought meetings with officers of different departments before approving some Bills that are pending with him. "The Constitution clearly states that the governor does not have the power to indefinitely hold back Bills. If there are legal concerns with a Bill, the governor may write to the government. But nowhere does the Constitution say he can summon officials or hold discussions. I have read the Constitution many times," the minister said. Following a Supreme Court verdict on the matter, Speaker Biman Banerjee said 23 Bills passed by the West Bengal Assembly since 2016 have not received the governor's assent. In a major victory for the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, the apex court on Tuesday cleared 10 Bills that were stalled and reserved b

Sacked teachers start relay hunger strike over job loss, police action

A section of teachers who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court judgment which held that the whole appointment process was tainted, on Thursday announced a relay hunger strike in protest over the issue. The teachers and other staff who lost their jobs said that they were also protesting police action against their compatriots at the district inspector (DI) of school's office at Kasba in south Kolkata on Wednesday. "We started a relay hunger strike agitation with one teacher at the beginning and will soon chalk out further programme to protest the issue," one of the protesters told reporters outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) office at Salt Lake here. The agitating teachers have been holding a sit-in outside the SSC office building 'Acharya Sadan' since Wednesday night to protest the loss of jobs and police action against their compatriots. The protesters alleged they were subjected to baton-charge and were even kicked and shoved around by law enforcement ..

22 held over violence during protests against Waqf Act in WB's Murshidabad

The official further said that the situation remains under control even though stone pelting occurred

PM Modi pays tribute to Lord Mahavir, hails message of non-violence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Mahavir, the 24th and last 'tirthankar' in the Jain religion, on his birth anniversary, saying his ideals give strength to countless people all around the world. Modi said his government will always work to fulfil the vision of the reverted holy figure. He noted that the government last year conferred the status of classical language on Prakrit, a decision which received a lot of appreciation. He said, "We all bow to Bhagwan Mahavir, who always emphasised on non-violence, truth and compassion. His ideals give strength to countless people all around the world." "His teachings have been beautifully preserved and popularised by the Jain community. Inspired by Bhagwan Mahavir, they have excelled in different walks of life and contributed to societal well-being," he added.