Page 96 - West Bengal

Rishra violence: Processionists instigated violence, police tell court

The report has maintained that such use of such offensive language and pelting of stones instigated the locals who retaliated by resorting to counter stone-pelting

Governor's guidelines to VCs of state varsities trigger row in Bengal

A fresh round of tussle between the state secretariat and Raj Bhavan has started snowballing in Bengal over a fresh set of guidelines imposed on the vice-chancellors of universities by the Governor

TMC accuses Shah of 'double standards' in addressing Ram Navami violence

The Trinamool Congress on Friday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of adopting "double standards" while addressing incidents of violence during Ram Navami in various states. Ram Navami was celebrated across the country last week with grand processions and special pujas, but the festivities were marred by the deaths of 14 people in separate incidents in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and clashes and arson in some parts of the country. Prohibitory orders were imposed in West Bengal's Hooghly and Howrah districts, where clashes broke out between two groups when processions were taken out to celebrate Ram Navami. HM@AmitShah shows DOUBLE STANDARD in addressing Ram Navami violence: Goes all ballistic on Opposition-ruled states: West Bengal & Bihar. Takes no actions against @BJP4India& Allies-ruled states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, & UP. Rules for thee but not for me, much? TMC posted on its official Twitter handle. Shah had said that if the BJP comes to power in Bihar,

SC rejects WB govt plea against HC order protecting Soumendu Adhikari

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea of the West Bengal government challenging a Calcutta High Court order which protected Soumendu Adhikari, brother of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, from arrest in a corruption case, saying the petition did not warrant interference now as the charge sheet has been filed. Soumendu, also a BJP leader, was protected by the Calcutta High Court against any probable coercive action by the West Bengal police on January 31, 2023 in a case of alleged misappropriation of funds while allotting 14 shops at the Rangamati Cremation Ground at Contai in Purba Medinipur. The case relates to the period when he was the chairperson of Contai municipal body. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chanrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala took note of the fact that now the charge sheet has been filed and a local court has taken cognisance of it. The court said, hence, there was no need to adjudicate the plea of the state government challenging the high court order. In pursuan

85 trains cancelled, vehicles stranded amid protest for ST status in WB

Eighty-five trains were cancelled, and hundreds of vehicles remained stranded as different organisations of the Kudmi community continued their rail and road blockade in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district on Thursday, demanding ST status, officials said. The protest started at 6 am on Tuesday with the blockade of the old National Highway 6, which connects Kolkata to Mumbai, at Khemasuli in Kharagpur Local police station area by Kudmi Samaj West Bengal, they said. Another organisation of the community, Adivasi Kudmi Samaj, joined the protest on Wednesday, blocking the railway tracks at Khemasuli station in Kharagpur-Tatanagar section, and Kustaur station in Adra-Chandil section in Purulia district, they added. Among the trains cancelled on Thursday were Howrah-Pune Duranto Express, Howrah-Jagdalpur Express, Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express, Howrah-Ahmedabad Express, Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Howrah-Ranchi Express, Shalimar-LTT Express, Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail and ...

WB panchayat polls: SC dismisses Adhikari's plea against Calcutta HC order

The Supreme Court Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari challenging an order of the Calcutta High Court declining to interfere with the West Bengal panchayat poll process. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala asked how can it stop elections midway when it is already scheduled. "Interdicting an election is a serious matter and we cannot do that. We will not interfere. Sorry, Dismissed," the bench said. Senior advocate P S Patwalia appeared for BJP MLA Adhikari who is the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly. The Calcutta High Court on March 28 had refused to interfere with the West Bengal panchayat election process at this stage while holding that there is the substance in petitioner Adhikari's contention over the seat reservation criteria used for the polls. The high court had held that any interference at this stage in connection with the PIL filed by Adhikari may lead to the postponement of the panchay

DA crisis: Calcutta HC directs govt to hold talks with agitating employees

The state government should take some decision to resolve the complications arising of the dearness allowance payments, court said

100 firms likely to start producing green fireworks soon in West Bengal

An organisation of fireworks manufacturers in West Bengal on Wednesday said around 100 member-units will soon commence producing 'green fireworks' conforming to safety guidelines prescribed by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) at special clusters coming up in South 24 Parganas district. Prabesh Atasbaji Byabasayee Samity (PABS) Secretary Sukhdeb Naskar told PTI, the association had discussions with officials of the environment department, fire services department, West Bengal Pollution Control Board and police in this regard. The guidelines prescribe ensuring a below-90 decibel sound and lower emission of harmful chemicals and have been formulating after several court judgements. While 20 fireworks makers have already received approval from NEERI as well as license from the environment ministry for manufacturing green fireworks conforming to the norms, at least 80 others have been given training in technology needed to produce green fireworks. "These 80

SER cancels 46 trains, short terminates 8 due to blockade of tracks in WB

At least 46 express and passenger trains were cancelled and eight others short terminated on Wednesday by the South Eastern Railway (SER) owing to an agitation and blockade at two railway stations in West Bengal by an organisation of the Kurmi community, an official said. In view of the agitation by members of the Kurmi community at Khemasuli station in West Medinipur district in Kharagpur-Tatanagar section of Kharagpur Division and Kustaur station in Purulia district in Adra-Chandil section of Adra Division from 5 am the 12814 Tatanagar-Howrah Steel Express, 12021 Howrah Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express, 12871 Howrah-Titlagarh Express were cancelled, a SER release said. The Kurmi community is demanding Scheduled Tribe status, an official said. The other trains cancelled were 08649 Adra-Purulia MEMU Special, 03595 Bokaro Steel City-Asansol MEMU Special, 03598 Asansol- Ranchi MEMU Special, 08650 Purulia-Adra MEMU Special, 18085 Kharagpur-Ranchi MEMU Express, 18116 Chakradharpur-Gomoh ...

Train services disrupted in Bengal as Kurmis demanding ST status block rail

This is the second day of the agitation by the representatives of the Kurmi community in demand of their recognition as a Scheduled Tribe

Kolkata-Mumbai highway blocked in Khargpur by OBC body demanding ST status

Several vehicles were stuck on the old National Highway 6, which connects Kolkata to Mumbai, after an organisation of the Kudmi community started a blockade in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district on Tuesday, demanding that they be given ST status. West Bengal Kudmi Samaj started the blockade around 6 am at Khemashuli in the Kharagpur local police station area, officials said. "The blockade will continue until our demands are met," said Tapas Mahato, a leader of the organisation. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the road because of the blockade, triggering massive traffic snarls even on the other adjoining roads in Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts. Till the last report was received around 11 pm, the blockade was continuing. Drivers of the stranded vehicles said they were facing scarcity of food and water. Some of the vehicles were being diverted through Balibhasha in Jhargram to bypass the blockade, officials said. Kudmis are at present classified as OBCs.

West Bengal violence: BJP demands Mamata Banerjee's resignation, NIA probe

The BJP on Monday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of engineering the recent violence in West Bengal and demanded her resignation. Addressing a joint press conference with two other party MPs, the BJP's Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee also called for the Centre's intervention and demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the violence. The incidents of violence that have taken place in West Bengal since Rama Navami are the result of a "pre-planned conspiracy" hatched by Banerjee, she charged. Debasree Chaudhuri and Khagen Murmu, two other BJP MPs from West Bengal, accompanied Chatterjee during her press conference at the party headquarters. "This is the result of a pre-planned conspiracy by Mamata Banerjee to consolidate Muslim votes and to make the Muslims happy," she said. The Hooghly MP also accused the TMC supremo of playing "appeasement politics" and claimed that "Hindus are under threat in West Bengal". Banerjee had claimed on Friday that the B

Calcutta HC seeks report from Bengal govt over Ram Navami clashes

While criticising the role of the police on this count, the bench also alerted the administration to be careful so that such incidents are not repeated

BJP MLAs injured in Rishra violence write to HM Shah seeking intervention

Biman Ghosh, along with a number of police personnel including the officer-in-charge of Rishra police station, Piyali Biswas, were injured in the clashes

Internet services suspended in Hooghly post clashes in BJP Shobha yatra

Hours after arson and communal tensions triggered in West Bengal's Hooghly on Sunday evening, the state government ordered for immediate suspension of internet services across the district.Prohibitory orders were issued by the state government after the clashes reported during Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shobha yatra on Sunday evening.According to the state government's order, internet services will remain suspended in Hooghly district till 10.00 pm Monday."No restriction is being imposed on voice calls and SMS and on newspapers hence communication and dissemination of knowledge and information is not stopped in any way," the state government's order added.It further said, "In order to prevent obstruction, annoyance or injury to any person lawfully employed, or danger to human life, health or safety or a disturbance of the public tranquillity, or a riot or an affray, through an order under section 5 (2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 read with the Temporary Suspension of Telecom ..

Mamata is role model for how law and order situation worsens: Anurag Thakur

Hitting out at the West Bengal government over the death of a Bharatiya Janata Party worker in the state, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of being biased

Ram Navami violence: Security beefed up in Nalanda, police say over 50 held

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday hit out at the Bihar and West Bengal governments over clashes in the states during the Ram Navami celebrations

Mamata Didi is sleeping...Jungleraj has returned: Thakur on clashes in WB

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday hit out at the Bihar and West Bengal governments, over the communal clashes in the states during the Ram Navami festivities

Community involvement in tourism sector important for its growth: Shringla

Suggesting that tea plantations in West Bengal have the potential to become tourism hotspots, India's G20 coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Saturday that community involvement in the tourism process is significant for its growth. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the second G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting here, Shringla also said that on the first day of the conference a lot of discussions were held on the states that are vulnerable to climate change such as Uttarakhand. "We had a lot of discussions on the issue of sustainable tourism and involving local communities...," he said. Shringla suggested that tea plantations in the area have the potential of becoming tourism hotspots and community participation in the tourism process is significant for its growth. "The tea industry, I think, provides sustainability because biodiversity is very important for the tea industry. And I think that conservation is important in this part of the country," he added. The 2nd Tourism .

NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo alleges assault by police in Kolkata

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Priyank Kanoongo on Friday claimed that he was roughed up by police officers while visiting the residence of a minor girl in Kolkata's Tiljala area, who was killed by a neighbour earlier this week. Police, however, rubbished Kanoongo's allegation and said officers had cooperated with him, and it was the NCPCR chief who "misbehaved" with them. "Bengal police officer Biswak Mukherjee beat me up at Tiljala police station in West Bengal. Policemen were secretly recording our investigation proceedings. They beat me up for protesting against this," Kanoongo tweeted in Hindi. Meanwhile, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) chief Sudeshna Roy claimed that Kanoongo "insulted her and her colleagues", and that she was contemplating lodging a police complaint in this regard. "The NCPCR team went there without informing us. When I reached the spot, he (Kanoongo) started speaking in a very insulting