Page 36 - West Bengal

We are alleged of encroaching upon parliamentary, executive functions: SC

"As it is, we are alleged of encroaching upon the parliamentary and executive functions," Supreme Court's Justice B R Gavai said on Monday in an apparent reference to recent attacks on the judiciary while hearing a matter over West Bengal violence. Justice Gavai, who was heading a bench also comprising Justice Augustine George Masih, made a similar observation in another matter. While one matter was over the recent violence in West Bengal during anti-Waqf law protests, the other plea sought a direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to prohibit streaming of sexually explicit and pornographic content on OTT and social media platforms. While hearing the plea over online content, Justice Gavai said, "Who can control it? It is for the Union to frame a regulation in that regard." "As it is, we are now criticised that we are interfering with the executive's function, the legislative functions," Justice Gavai told advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain who was appearing in the matter. Aft

Waqf Act row: SC allows party to withdraw plea for probe into WB violence

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the petitioner to withdraw a plea seeking a court-monitored probe into the violence in West Bengal over the newly-amended Waqf (Amendment) Act. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Koiswar Singh allowed the petitioner in-person advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha to withdraw the petition while granting him the liberty to file a fresh plea. The top court pulled up Jha over the averments made in his writ petition saying they were without any proper verification aside from the necessary parties. "You seem to be in some kind of hurry," the bench said. Jha was observed to have relied on media reports and the court asked him to do a proper verification of his claims in the plea and file a fresh one. The Calcutta High Court recently ordered the deployment of central forces in violence-hit Murshidabad district. Several people were killed and hundreds rendered homeless in communal violence in parts of Murshidabad district, mainly Suti, Samserganj, Dhulian and

West Bengal Guv Ananda Bose hospitalised with chest ailment: Raj Bhavan

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose was admitted to the Eastern Command Hospital here on Monday after he complained of chest pain, a senior Raj Bhavan official said. He was taken there around 10 am. Doctors are currently monitoring his condition and will take a call on the next course of treatment after carrying out necessary tests. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a visit to Bose at the hospital before leaving for Salboni in Paschim Medinipur to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony of the 1,600 MW power plant of JSW. "I visited the Governor at the Command Hospital since he is ill. I have directed my chief secretary to take necessary steps in this regard," Banerjee told reporters before boarding her helicopter at Dumurjola helipad in Howrah. The senior Raj Bhavan official said Bose had complained of chest congestion after returning from riot-hit Murshidabad on Saturday.

Daily life in Murshidabad resumes after violent protests, schools reopen

West Bengal Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday claimed that Hindus are under threat in the state

West Bengal CM turns to 'universal religion' to blunt communal polarisation

Tensions have remained high following the eruption of violence in Murshidabad over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025

Mamata accuses BJP-RSS of 'divisive politics' after Murshidabad violence

Banerjee alleged that certain groups were using the backdrop of an unfortunate incident" to promote a divisive agenda

NCW visits riot-hit Murshidabad; TMC calls panel BJP's political wing

A delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by its chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, on Saturday met riot-hit people in West Bengal's Murshidabad district and assured them that the Centre would take necessary steps to ensure their safety. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), however, questioned the NCW's neutrality, accusing it of functioning as a "political wing of the BJP." During the visit, affected women shared their harrowing experiences from the recent communal violence, which claimed three lives. They demanded the establishment of permanent BSF camps in select areas and called for an NIA probe into the clashes. Rahatkar said, "I am dumbfounded by the agony these women are having to suffer. What they went through during the violence is beyond imagination." The NCW chief assured the victims that there was "no cause for worry" as the Centre is with you. "We have come here to see your plight. Please don't worry. The country and the commission are with you. Don't th

VHP protests Murshidabad violence nationwide, demands President's rule

The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Saturday staged protests in different parts of the country against the recent communal violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad over the amendments made to the Waqf law, demanding immediate imposition of President's Rule in the state. The protests were held in Murshidabad, Delhi and Noida, among other places, with VHP members claiming a complete breakdown of law and order in the Mamata Banerjee-ruled state where clashes claimed at least three lives last week. In Delhi's Nangloi Chowk, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) general secretary Bajrang Bagda led a protest condemning the violence in West Bengal. In Noida, the VHP took out a rally raising slogans against the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal led by its national spokesperson Vinod Bansal. "Protests were held at multiple locations across the country, barring Punjab, because the Trinamool Congress is carrying out a cycle of oppression and repression of Hindus in connivance with Bangladeshi-Rohingya

'They want sense of security': WB Guv meets Murshidabad violence victims

Governor Bose further said that he would discuss the demands of the victims with both the central and State governments

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West Bengal Guv, NCW team to visit violence-hit Murshidabad today

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said that what happened in Murshidabad was an 'eye opener'

Normalcy restored in violence-hit areas of West Bengal, 272 arrested

The violence, which erupted on April 11 during protests against the new Waqf law, resulted in significant property damage, injuries, and the displacement of several families

Steps towards being Deergha Ayush: 7 lessons from famine-era Bengal

Leaders must recognise the existence and urgency of the crisis or problem

'Mother's wish': Ex-Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh weds party colleague at 60

Former West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh tied the knot with party colleague Rinku Majumdar in an intimate ceremony on Friday. Dressed in traditional Bengali wedding attire with a 'topor' on his head, Ghosh, along with his wife, appeared before the press following the rituals and sought people's blessings. "I thank everyone for their good wishes. I also thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has wished me. My personal life will have no bearing on my political career," he told reporters waiting outside his residence in New Town near Kolkata. Ghosh, 60, said that he decided to get married to fulfil his mother's wish. While he has been a bachelor till now, this is Majumdar's second marriage, and she has a son from the earlier one. Ghosh, known for his one-liners and quirky takes, has been a member of the RSS since his youth, and has served it in various roles across the country before becoming the state BJP president in 2015. As the state president, he is credited with establi

Why are India and Bangladesh locked in a war of words over Murshidabad violence? India-Bangladesh

India and Bangladesh are sparring diplomatically over the Murshidabad violence in West Bengal. While Dhaka condemns the attacks and denies any involvement, New Delhi has hit back sharply.

Murshidabad riots: Governor Bose defies CM, says peace will be imposed

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose to visit violence-hit Murshidabad despite CM's plea to defer; vows to 'impose peace at any cost'; HC orders central forces to stay amid Waqf Act protest clashes

Focus on own minorities: India rejects Bangladesh's comments on WB violence

Rejecting Bangladesh's recent remarks, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urged Dhaka to prioritise safeguarding the rights of its own minority communities rather than issuing 'unwarranted' statements

NHRC team arrives in Malda to meet refugees from Murshidabad violence

A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday arrived in West Bengal's Malda district to meet people who have taken shelter in refugee camps after fleeing violence-hit areas of Murshidabad district. The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of the recent violence in Murshidabad that broke out during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The Commission on Tuesday said it has decided to send a team to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry into the incidents, considering the seriousness of the situation. The NHRC action comes following the receipt of a formal complaint about the violence and the alleged human rights violations in the affected areas. According to officials, three people were killed during the violent clashes that erupted in the Muslim-majority areas of Shamsherganj, Suti, Dhulian, and Jangipur in Murshidabad district. Many residents, fearing for their lives, fled their homes and took shelter in camps set up in neighbouring Malda district. The violence occurred am

NCW chief arrives in Bengal to probe Murshidabad violence, meet victims

Rahatkar, who is part of the probe committee constituted by the NCW, will visit affected areas, including Malda and Murshidabad, over the next three days

HC forms 3-member panel for rehabilitation of Murshidabad violence victims

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered the formation of a three-member committee for the identification and rehabilitation of people displaced by the violence during the protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in Murshidabad district. A division bench comprising justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury also said that its interim order of April 12, directing the deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in Murshidabad, will continue. The court said the three-member committee will consist of an official each from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), besides the member secretary of the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA). "We deem it appropriate to constitute a committee consisting of three officers who shall monitor and coordinate the situation," it said. The committee was directed to identify the displaced persons, extent of damage caused to properties of the victims and also collect the data of the FIRs ...