Page 50 - West Bengal

Bengal flood: Guv asks Mamata to do her duty, not pass buck to DVC

West Bengal, Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday shot off a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee advising her to carry out her duties following flood in the state and not to blame the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for the inundation, a Raj Bhavan source said. Earlier in the day, he sent another letter to the CM enquiring about the flood situation and the preparedness of the state government to tackle it. Banerjee, during the day, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi informing him that the state would sever all ties with DVC for "unilaterally releasing water" which led to floods in several south Bengal districts. Banerjee visited a few places affected by the deluge. In the latest communication to her, Bose referred to a report of experts which claimed that the districts of Bankura, Birbhum and Paschim Medinipore "do not fall in the Damodar Valley river system and the inundation there was due to the extreme rainfall conditions over Kangsabati, Silabati and Dwarakeshwar rivers".

RG Kar case: CBI plea in court for narco test on arrested ex-principal

The CBI is contemplating conducting a narco analysis test on Sandip Ghosh, the arrested former principal of RG Kar hospital, in connection with the rape-murder of a woman doctor at the medical establishment, an officer said on Friday. The central probe agency, during its submission in the Sealdah court on Friday, said that Ghosh has not been cooperating with the investigators. Ghosh has already undertaken a polygraph test. During a narco analysis test, the drug sodium pentothal is injected into the body of the subject, which takes him to a hypnotic state, and his imagination is neutralised, the CBI officer said. The CBI also told the court that the report of Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) has termed some of his statements as misleading. It plans to take Ghosh to Gujarat for the narco analysis test if allowed by the court. The agency also wants to conduct a polygraph test on former Tala Police Station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondal, who was arrested in connection wi

Bengal medics call off 'ceasework', to resume work partially from Saturday

Junior doctors agitating over the RG Kar incident called off their cease work' on Friday evening, announcing partial resumption of duties entailing attending essential services in state-run hospitals from Saturday. Ending the logjam persisting for 42 days, the medics withdrew the cease work' after holing a march to the CBI office in Salt Lake from the state health department's headquarters, where they had been demonstrating for over a week. The procession covered a distance of around 4 km from the Swasthya Bhawan' to the CGO Complex. The medics have said they would not work in the Outpatient Department (OPD), but partially function in emergency and essential services. The doctors had called the cease work' and staged the sit-in outside the state health department headquarters in the wake of the rape and murder of a young medic at RG Kar hospital.

Bengal floods: CM Mamata writes to PM, threatens to sever ties with DVC

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that her state would sever all ties with the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for "unilaterally releasing water", which led to floods in south Bengal districts. In a four-page letter to Modi, she claimed that five million people in Bengal have been affected by the floods, and urged him to immediately sanction and release central funds to address the widespread devastation caused by the deluge. Sharply retorting to her remarks, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari challenged the chief minister to execute her ultimatum by the end of the day and warned that if Banerjee severed ties with the DVC, several districts in southern Bengal would plunge into darkness. "I would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that as a result of an unprecedented, unplanned, and unilateral release of an enormously huge volume of water at nearly five lakh cusec from the combined system of Maithon and Panch

'Watch your daughters; woman had liquor at RG Kar protest': Bengal minister

TMC has distanced itself from Bengal Minister Swapan Debnath's comments, made about the women participating in the 'Reclaim the Night' movements after the RG Kar rape-murder incident

WB suffering from floods, Mamata busy teaching lesson to J'khand: Himanta

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday slammed his West Bengal and Jharkhand counterparts - Mamata Banerjee and Hemant Soren saying one was "teaching lesson to people of Jharkhand by sealing its borders" while people of Bengal were suffering from floods and the other was maintaining silence as "politics was more important to him". Himanta, who is also the BJP co-incharge of Jharkhand Assembly elections due later this year, is in the state to participate in BJP's 'Parivartan Rally' which will be flagged off by Union Home Minister Amit Shah from Sahibganj here. "The people of Bengal are suffering from floods due to the failure of the Bengal government. But I am surprised that Mamata Didi is not venting her anger on her officers, but on the people of Jharkhand. She is teaching a lesson to the people of Jharkhand by sealing the state's border, and the honourable chief minister of Jharkhand (Hemant Soren) is silent," Sarma said in a post on X. The post mentioned that the BJP government a

SC pulls up CBI for alleging hostile environment in all West Bengal courts

The Supreme Court ordered the CBI to withdraw its petition to transfer post-poll violence cases from West Bengal, strongly disapproving claims of a hostile environment in the state's courts

Bengal junior docs to hold march to CBI office in Salt Lake today

The agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have announced withdrawal of their sit-in before Swasthya Bhavan, will hold a march to the CBI office in Salt Lake on Friday, seeking justice for the alleged rape and murder of a medic in the state-run RG Kar hospital last month. Ending the logjam persisting for the last 41 days, the junior doctors had on Thursday announced partial resumption of duties entailing the attending essential services in state-run hospitals from Saturday. To mark the withdrawal of their 10-day dharna near the state health department's headquarters, they will organise the procession from their protest site to the CGO Complex, a distance of around 4 km, demanding a quick wrap-up of investigations. The medics also announced setting up of Abhaya medical camps, in memory of the brutally murdered RG Kar post-graduate trainee doctor, in flood-affected regions of the state from Friday. "Given the flood situation in West Bengal and the state government agreeing to .

Ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh's medical registration cancelled

The West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) on Thursday cancelled the registration of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's former principal Sandip Ghosh, an official said. Ghosh, who is in CBI custody, has been removed from the list of Registered Medical Practitioners maintained by the WBMC, he said. His licence was cancelled under various provisions of the Bengal Medical Act of 1914, the official said. He is an orthopaedic surgeon and without the licence, he cannot practice. Ghosh was arrested by the CBI on September 2 for his alleged involvement in the financial irregularities at the hospital amid the protests over the rape and murder of the on-duty trainee doctor. He was later accused of evidence tampering in the rape-murder case. Aniket Mahato, one of the leading faces of the junior doctors who have been agitating over the death of their colleague, described it as a "victory". "This is a victory for our deceased sister. The cancellation of Ghosh's medical registration should have

RG Kar issue: Agitating doctors to lift 'ceasework' partially from Saturday

Agitating junior doctors announced that they will "partially" lift their 'cease work' and partially rejoin their duties at emergency and essential services in state-run hospitals from Saturday as the West Bengal government has accepted most of their demands. The medics, who have been on 'cease work' for the last 41 days following the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, announced that they would lift their sit-in outside Swasthya Bhawan on Friday. Before lifting the sit-in, they would hold a march from Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters, to CBI office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake area. "It has been decided that given the flood situation in West Bengal and the state government agreeing to certain demands of ours, we will be rejoining emergency and essential services partially from Saturday. We are withdrawing our cease work partially," an agitating doctor said after their general body meeting. The protesting doctors said the

RG Kar: Doctors allege police pressure as decorators dismantle protest site

Agitating junior doctors on Thursday alleged that decorators were removing tents, bamboo shafts and pedestal fans from the protest site in front of Swasthya Bhawan after they were allegedly pressurised by the police to do so. The police, however, denied these allegations as baseless. The agitating doctors said that around midnight, decorators, who had themselves donated tarpaulin, beds, tents and pedestal fans, were seen removing those from the sit-in site outside the state health department headquarters in Salt Lake. A junior doctor claimed that there was confusion when decorators began opening the tents, but they were assured that these items would be replaced soon. "All arrangements for the sit-in are being funded by the public. Some decorators volunteered to provide us with tents, fans, bamboo shafts, and makeshift beds. When we contacted them about why they were taking down the items, they said they would replace these soon as they needed to use these items for making Durga Pu

RG Kar case: ED summons TMC MLA Sudipta Roy for questioning, says official

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned TMC MLA Sudipta Roy for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the Kolkata-based R G Kar Hospital and Medical College, official sources said Thursday. Roy is the president of the West Bengal Medical Council and also holds charge of the R G Kar Patient's Welfare Committee. He has been questioned by the CBI in this case as it is also probing the alleged irregularities. The premises of the MLA from Serampore apart from that of some others, was searched hy the ED on Tuesday. Roy has been asked to appear at the ED office in Kolkata on Thursday for questioning in the case, the sources said. The CBI has arrested former principal of the hospital Dr Sandip Ghosh and three of his alleged associates in this case. The ED case filed under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) stems from the CBI FIR. These irregularities surfaced after the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old w

RG Kar incident: Calcutta medical college superintendent questioned by CBI

The junior doctors have been protesting for over a month, seeking improvements in healthcare and working conditions

Officials refused our demands: Junior docs after meeting Bengal chief secy

This came after junior doctors from West Bengal Junior Doctors Front met West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to discuss their unfulfilled demands

RG Kar impasse: Meeting of agitating medics with Bengal chief secy underway

The second round of talks between agitating junior doctors and officials of the West Bengal government to resolve the impasse due to the RG Kar issue is presently underway for nearly one-and-a-half hours, officials said. Escorted by a pilot police vehicle, the delegation of around 30 medics reached the secretariat around 7.15 pm. The meeting with the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant started around 7.30 pm. Just like Monday when they held talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the protesting medics were accompanied by stenographers to record the minutes of the meeting. "We want the issue of safety and security in hospitals to be addressed. The chief minister had announced the formation of a task force, but there is no proper clarity on it. We want the state government to accept our legitimate demands," an agitating doctor said before leaving for the meeting venue. The West Bengal government on Wednesday invited the junior doctors agitating over the RG Kar rape-murder incident for a .

Police delayed seizing belongings of RG Kar accused by two days: CBI

Police delayed seizing the clothes of Sanjay Roy, an accused in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College, for two days though his role had been established on August 10, a day after the crime, CBI officials said on Wednesday. Roy, a police volunteer, was arrested based on CCTV footage showing him entering the seminar hall of the college at 4.03 am on the day of the incident. His role in the "commission of crime had already emerged" but Tala Police caused an "unnecessary delay of two days" in seizing his clothes and other belongings. It could have resulted in strong evidence against him, the officials said. The central probe agency, which took over the case on August 14 following an order from the Calcutta High Court, has arrested former principal Sandip Ghosh and Tala Police station officer in-charge Abhijit Mondal in connection with the case. Both were found to be evasive in their responses, the officials alleged. The officials also accused the t

Agitating doctors write to Bengal chief secy, seek meeting on issues

Agitating junior doctors on Wednesday wrote to West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, seeking a discussion on certain key unresolved issues like security in hospitals as a pre-condition for lifting their ongoing sit-in outside the state health department headquarters. The medics shot off an email at 11.19 am with respect to their general body meeting, which concluded early Wednesday morning. The protesters highlighted issues of safety and security inside state-run hospital premises, and details of formulation and functions of the promised task force headed by the chief secretary, as agenda for the proposed meeting. "In reference to our last meeting with the CM, we would like to reiterate that there were certain key points regarding our five-point demand, which were unresolved. Particularly our 4th and 5th points, concerning the development of the healthcare system, safety, security and prevailing threat culture," they stated in the email. Till information last received, the ...

South Bengal faces major flood risk amid heavy rain and dam discharge

The Damodar Valley Corporation has issued a red alert in the region after increasing water discharge to 250,000 cusecs on Tuesday

Agitating junior doctors continue sit-in, seek another meeting with CM

Junior doctors agitating over RG Kar murder early Wednesday said they will continue their sit-in and not join duty, despite the state appointing Manoj Kumar Verma as the new Kolkata Police chief, replacing Vineet Goyal, and removing two senior health department officials, giving in to the medics' earlier demands. According to a statement issued following the conclusion of their general body meeting, which had started around 6.30 pm and went on till well past midnight, the protestors called the state's administrative measures "only partial victory" of their movement. The doctors demanded the removal of the state health secretary NS Nigam, saying they were assured by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the Monday of an action on it. The doctors said they will send an email to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant after daybreak seeking an appointment with the CM for another meeting later in the day. They also demanded discussions on safety and security of doctors inside hospital premises and

File status rpt on probe into irregularities at RG Kar Hospital: SC to CBI

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the CBI to submit a status report on the probe into alleged financial irregularities at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered last month. The top court also perused the status report filed by the CBI concerning the rape and murder incident and said disclosing the status will jeopardise further investigation. Refusing to stop streaming live proceedings in the suo motu case related to the incident, the apex court said it was a matter of public interest and the public must know what is transpiring in the courtroom. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra perused the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report and said disclosing the status would jeopardise further investigation. As the hearing commenced, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, sought the stopping of live proceedings in the case. He alleged