Page 24 - West Bengal

Messi was unhappy about being touched at Kolkata event, organiser tells SIT

Satadru Dutta, the arrested main organiser of Lionel Messi event here on December 13, has told investigators that the football icon was "unhappy with being touched or hugged" during his appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium and left before staying there full-time as scheduled, a source in the SIT said on Saturday. During prolonged questioning by officers of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Dutta said Messi "did not like being touched on the back or being hugged" and that the concern had been conveyed in advance by the foreign security officials responsible for the footballer's protection, he said. "Despite repeated public announcements to restrain the crowd, there was no impact. The manner in which Messi was surrounded and embraced was completely unacceptable to the World Cup-winning footballer," Dutta told investigators during his grilling on Friday, the source said. West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas was seen in close proximity to Messi throughout the programme, with ...

In PM's absence, Bengal Guv launches highway projects worth Rs 3,200 cr

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday unveiled national highway projects worth Rs 3,200 crore in West Bengal with an aim to boost economic activities and tourism in the state. Bose officially launched the projects from Netaji Park in Taherpur area of Nadia district instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was initially supposed to unveil the development projects from the ground, but whose helicopter failed to land in the area on account of insufficient visibility due to dense fog over the region. Modi was forced to return to the Kolkata airport from where he later addressed the crowd in a virtual audio mode. Bose inaugurated the 66.7 km-long four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-34 in Nadia district, while he laid the foundation stone for the four-laning of the Barasat-Barajaguli stretch of the highway in the adjacent district of North 24 Parganas. It has remained our constant endeavour to ensure modern connectivity to those far-flung areas of Benga

Bihar election results have opened doors for BJP's win in Bengal: PM Modi

Addressing a rally in West Bengal, PM Modi accused the TMC of shielding infiltrators, alleging appeasement politics; he also promised to end 'maha jungle raj' in the state

PM Modi to address 1st rally in Bengal today after draft voter list release

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit West Bengal's Nadia district on Saturday, where he will inaugurate national highway projects and address a public rally, amid heightened political tensions over the ongoing SIR exercise in the state. This would be Modi's first visit to the state since the draft SIR rolls were published, and the third in the past five months. The Prime Minister, political observers said, is scheduled to address the growing unease amongst the Matua community members post the publication of the draft rolls from his strategically located BJP rally venue in Taherpur area of Ranaghat, not far from the heartland of the Namasudra Hindu community in adjacent Bongaon. In the process, Modi is likely to sound the BJP's bugle for the assembly polls, which are due in the state early next year and finalise the roadmap for the party's big push for the crucial elections. The people of West Bengal are benefiting from numerous pro-people initiatives of the central ..

Mamata govt courts investors ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls

Speaking at the conclave, RPSG Group Chairman Sanjiv Goenka said that over the last 15 years, the group has invested Rs 26,500 crore in the state

West Bengal draft electoral rolls out: 5.8 mn voters deleted in SIR | TMC | Congress | BJP |Voter ID

The Election Commission has published West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls after a Special Intensive Revision. Around 5.8 million voter names have been deleted, but officials say the process is not fin

Over 5,000 govt schools have zero enrolment; Telangana, Bengal top list

Of 10.13 lakh government schools across India, 5,149 have no students at all. And more than 70 per cent of these schools reporting zero enrolment in the 2024-25 academic year are in Telangana and West Bengal, according to government data. The broader category of schools with less than 10 or zero enrolment has also seen a sharp surge, reveals data shared by the education ministry in Parliament recently. The number of such government schools grew by 24 per cent over the last two years -- from 52,309 in 2022-23 to 65,054 in 2024-25. These schools now account for 6.42 per cent of the country's total government schools, the government said in a written reply to questions by MPs Karti P Chidambaram and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in the Lok Sabha. While Telangana has approximately 2,081 zero enrolment schools, West Bengal has 1,571 such institutions. Telangana's Nalgonda district recorded the highest number of empty schools in the state as well as the country at 315. Mahabubabad with 167

SC defers hearing in West Bengal VC appointment matter to January

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred to January next year a plea related to the appointment of regular vice-chancellors in the state-aided universities in West Bengal. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the office of Governor C V Ananda Bose, that some positive developments have been made in the case. The top court, at the joint request of the attorney general and the counsel of the state government, adjourned the case for hearing till January. A festering dispute goes on between the governor and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the appointment of VCs in 36 state-aided universities. In a bid to end the tussle between the two top constitutional functionaries in the state, the apex court had on July 8, last year, constituted a search-cum-selection committee headed by former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit to oversee the appointments. On April 22, the top court

Messi event chaos: Bengal sports minister resigns, CM takes charge

Angry fans resorted to vandalism, alleging poor event management and criticising VIPs for hogging the football icon's attention and time to the extent that fans did not even get a glimpse of Messi

Messi event chaos: Probe panel flags procedural violations, recommends SIT

The inquiry committee, investigating the vandalism at the Salt Lake Stadium during an event involving Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, has recommended the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident, an official said on Tuesday. The panel, headed by Justice (Retd) Asim Kumar Roy, submitted its preliminary report within three days on Monday, he said. "The incident warrants a thorough and independent investigation. We have recommended the formation of an SIT to ascertain responsibility and lapses," a member of the committee told PTI, referring to the preliminary findings. The committee was formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and is headed by Roy and comprises Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, following unrest at the stadium during Messi's visit to Kolkata on December 13. The report raised serious questions over violations of standard operating procedures, particularly regarding the entry of wate

West Bengal draft electoral rolls published: 5.8 mn voters deleted in SIR

Following the SIR, the draft roll is expected to include around 70 million voters, down from nearly 76 million electors listed before the SIR

ECI to release SIR draft rolls today: Here's how to check your name

India's voter rolls are undergoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to remove duplicate, fake, or ineligible names, including those of deceased or shifted voters

Messi event chaos: WB police summon 6 event managers, nab 5 for vandalism

The West Bengal Police on Monday sent summons to officials of six organisations, which were in charge of managing various aspects of the Lionel Messi event at the Salt Lake stadium, where spectators resorted to large-scale chaos and vandalism two days ago, alleging gross mismanagement, an officer said. Acting on an FIR on the spectator rampage that led to an estimated loss of over Rs 2 crore of stadium properties, police have also arrested five people so far on charges of vandalism and assault on police personnel. Among the notices which were served to the event organisers included those to Laltu Das, manager of Satadru Datta the now arrested prime organiser of the event, police said. Summonses were also dispatched by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate to Manali Bhattacharya, an event manager, Supriya Dasgupta, Sambaran Karmakar, Aditya Das and Amit Kumar, a senior official of a food delivery aggregator. All six officials, police said, were involved in managing the marquee eve

Messi event chaos: Cal HC to hear PILs seeking transfer of probe to CBI, ED

Ripples of Saturday's Salt Lake stadium spectator rampage during Argentine football legend Lionel Messi showcasing event reached the corridors of the Calcutta High Court on Monday after Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Pal allowed the filing of three separate PILs related to the fiasco. The petitions sought the court's intervention to transfer the probe into the stadium violence to central agencies such as the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). The petitions, separately moved by the state's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and advocates Sabyasachi Chattopadhyay and Mainak Ghoshal, are likely to be heard together by the court later this week. Appearing for Adhikari, advocate Bilwadal Bhattacharya sought permission to file a petition seeking the court's intervention into unearthing the factors that led to the crowd unrest on Saturday. He also challenged the authority of the three-member inquiry committee constituted by the state ..

Messi event chaos in Kolkata: Chief organiser sent to 14-day police custody

A court here on Sunday sent Satadru Datta, the chief organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake stadium where chaos erupted a day ago, to 14-day police custody, an officer said. Datta was arrested by the Bidhannagar Police on Saturday for mismanagement of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad. The counsel, appearing for Datta, told the court that his client was being "victimised and framed", the officer said. "We expect that the police investigation in the next 14 days will bring clarity," Datta's lawyer said. BJP supporters held a protest outside the court when Datta was taken there. What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi's brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated. They failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite hav

Messi Kolkata event poorly managed, administration responsible: BJP MP

Speaking on the incident, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said, The West Bengal government clearly appears to have failed in this event

Bengal Guv denied' entry into stadium, hours after Messi event fiasco

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose was on Saturday evening "denied" entry into the Salt Lake Stadium, hours after chaos and crowd trouble at the venue marred an event featuring football legend Lionel Messi. Bose described the denial of entry as an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor, and sought a reply from the authorities. I never write a report without seeing the place My report is half ready. I want to see for myself what happens in ground zero, he told reporters outside the stadium, adding that he would give the authorities one more chance to open the gate. Is this the way Bengal treats its Governor? The Governor is not a rubber stamp, Bose said, terming the episode a ghastly irrelevance of a constitutional authority. Bose said he would revisit the stadium on Sunday and examine the issue in depth. It is not a personal affront this is an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor... If any deliberate attempt is made by someone to hide the truth

Mamata calls Shah 'dangerous', warns of dharna over SIR voter deletions

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called Union Home Minister Amit Shah "dangerous", and warned that she would sit on a dharna if even a single eligible voter's name was struck off from the list during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Launching a blistering attack on Shah, the chief minister said at a rally in Krishnanagar in Nadia district, "The country's home minister is dangerous. You can see it in his eyes it's terrifying. In one eye, you see 'Duryodhan', and in the other, 'Dushasan'." Alleging that the SIR was being used as a political weapon ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, Banerjee said, "If even a single eligible voter's name is struck off, I will sit on a dharna. There will be no detention camps in West Bengal. They are so hungry for votes that they are conducting the SIR just two months before elections." Banerjee said that she herself had not filled out her enumeration form so far. "Do I now need to prove my citizensh

Mamata to launch ₹8,487-cr project for constructing 20,000 km of new roads

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will on Thursday inaugurate one of the state's largest road projects, launching work for the construction of over 20,000 km of new roads across the state under the 'Pathashree' and 'Rastashree' schemes, months ahead of the assembly polls, an official said. The rollout of the project will be the centrepiece of her one-day visit to Nadia during the day. She will also address a political rally. "The chief minister will launch the initiative at an administrative programme at district headquarters Krishnanagar in the afternoon. The project, funded entirely by the state exchequer, is worth Rs 8,487 crore," the bureaucrat said. Over 20,000 km of roads will be constructed across rural and urban West Bengal, with 15,011 km of rural roads to be built in rural areas at a cost of Rs 6,987 crore, he said. A total of 5,019 km of roads will be built in urban areas under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) at a budget of

Key witness in Sandeshkhali Shahjahan case injured in road mishap, son dead

Bholanath Ghosh, one of the prime witnesses in the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali and connected CBI cases which implicated the now-jailed TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, was critically injured when a truck collided with his car in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, a senior officer said. Ghosh's younger son, Satyajit (32), and the driver of his car, Sahanur Molla (27), were killed in the accident that took place on the Basanti Highway near the Boyramari petrol pump under the Nazat Police Station limits in Basirhat, he said. The truck dragged the private vehicle and dumped it in a water body adjacent to the road, the officer said. While the truck was found on the side of the highway, precariously dangling over the water body, the erring driver fled the spot. Basirhat Superintendent of Police Hossain Mehedi Rahaman confirmed that injured Ghosh was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Kolkata. The bodies of the deceased w