Tag: West Bengal

17Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Calcutta HC reserves order on extending CAPF stay in Murshidabad, state claims situation under control

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday reserved its order on the continuation of central forces in violence-hit Murshidabad district of West Bengal. The court suggested that a three-member panel, comprising one member each from the National Human Rights Commission, the West Bengal State Human Rights Commission and State Legal Services Authority, should visit the affected pockets of the district to oversee the restoration of peace and rehabilitation of people displaced due to the violence. A division bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Raja Basu Chowdhury heard a petition moved by the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who claimed that bomb blasts took place during communal riots in the Muslim-majority district and prayed that the National Investigation Agency (NIA)...

Read More

17Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Commuters halt Sealdah trains, allege reduction of general compartments; services affected

Train services on the Diamond Harbour Line of the Sealdah South Branch in West Bengal were severely disrupted during rush hours Thursday as passengers staged a rail blockade at North Radhanagar Station. The protest, which lasted for two hours from 7.45 am to 9.45 am, halted all train movement on both up and down lines of the southern section of Sealdah. This disruption caused inconvenience to commuters, particularly office workers and students, at the start of their day. The protesting passengers voiced their grievances regarding the recent reduction in the number of general compartments of trains, coupled with an increase in women’s compartments. They claimed the change, without a corresponding increase in the overall number of trains or additional coaches, has led to severe overcrowding ...

Read More

15Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Mamata’s Bengali New Year wish receives taunt from Oppn and an invitation to Murshidabad

On the morning of Bengali New Year’s Day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to X and wrote, “Ami Banglai gaan gai… (I sing in Bengali).” Soon after the post, a fresh war of words and jibes among the prominent parties in West Bengal erupted. Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari posted, “While Rome was burning, Emperor Nero was playing the flute! When communal violence is blazing in the state, it is natural for you to sing… But the melody of the song has become out of tune!” Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said, “Chief Minister, your representative went to Manipur, and Hathras. Please come to Murshidabad… You love travelling. Come and travel along the bank of Ganges. You will write poetry there.” Story continues below this ad Chowdhury al...

Read More

15Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Bengal Governor sends report to Centre on situation in Murshidabad after protests over Waqf law

Amid the unrest in Murshidabad over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has initiated official communication with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the current situation in Murshidabad, sources said. Raj Bhawan sources said that in the report, the Governor has also appraised the Centre about the communication that he has had with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in this regard. A detailed report regarding the law and order situation in Murshidabad by the Governor’s core team — including information passed on by the state administration — has been prepared and sent to the Ministry. Story continues below this ad At least three people were killed, several others injured and a number of shops torched after protests against the Waqf (Amendmen...

Read More

14Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

BJP and TMC allege ‘outsiders’ instigated violence at Murshidabad

West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that at least 100 crore Hindu-owned properties had been damaged during religious clashes that turned violent in Murshidabad. He suggested that Bangladeshi outfit ‘Ansarulla Bangla Jamat’ was behind the violence, while TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “Those who instigated the violence, local people did not recognise them. They came from outside. Who are they? Where did they come from? Who helped them? We think there is a bigger conspiracy. We are demanding a detailed investigation.” “We have already made a list of six hundred persons who instigated the violence and submitted it to the administration,” Adhikari said in front of the legislative Assembly on Monday. Story continues below this ad He also alleg...

Read More

13Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

BJP MP urges Centre to declare 4 Bengal districts as ‘Disturbed Areas’ under AFSPA

BJP’s Purulia MP Jyotirmay Singh Mahato has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging the Centre to declare select bordering districts of West Bengal as “disturbed areas” under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), alleging repeated attacks on the Hindu community. In his letter dated April 13, Mahato alleged that districts such as Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia and South 24 Parganas have witnessed violence against Hindus, with the state administration turning a “blind eye” due to what he called the ruling Trinamool Congress’ “appeasement” politics. He claimed that over 86 Hindu homes and shops were looted or destroyed in Murshidabad district recently and that civilians, including a man named Hargobindo Das and his son, were murdered. In Jhaubona village, he said, betel leaf plant...

Read More

12Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Saif Ali Khan attack: Accused also committed theft at relative’s house in West Bengal, say police

The Mumbai police, who recently filed a chargesheet in the Saif Ali Khan attack case, have found that the accused, Bangladeshi national Mohammed Shariful Islam Fakir, allegedly committed thefts in West Bengal. As per the Bandra police’s chargesheet, Fakir’s 52-year-old maternal uncle from the South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal told the police in his statement that in July 2024, Fakir came to his house and stayed there for a day. But as he stole money from his house, he threw Fakir out of his house and family, the man allegedly told the police. This relative informed the police that Fakir was a Bangladeshi national and also gave details of his family living in the neighbouring country. Story continues below this ad Tracing the owner of the mobile phone Fakir was usin...

Read More

11Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Former West Bengal Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah, who once criticised his own Left party’s policies, passes away

A former veteran minister of West Bengal’s Left Front regime as well as with TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Abdur Rezzak Mollah, passed away on Friday at around 11 am. His son Mostaq Ahmed told The Indian Express, “He was ill for more than a year. Today morning, he was sitting on his chair at his residence. Suddenly, he went through a brain stroke and before he could be shifted to hospital, he died.” Mollah, who was 90, first became an MLA in 1972, and remained an MLA until 2021. Story continues below this ad He was last elected as TMC MLA from the Canning (East) constituency in 2016 and became the Minister of Horticulture in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet. He was the Land and Land Reform Minister in former CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s cabinet, and openly criticised Bhattacharjee...

Read More

10Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Day after police action, teachers who lost job take out mega rally in Kolkata

Braving the scorching Kolkata heat, close to 1,000 school staff who lost their jobs after a recent Supreme Court verdict hit the streets in a mega rally, demanding that a mirror image of the OMR sheet be published, and “genuine candidates” get their jobs back with dignity.The mega rally, which began from Sealdah to Rani Rashmoni Road in central Kolkata, also saw doctors and people of other professions participate in order to show their support. Nikunj Kumar Karmakar, 70, and his wife Alokh Karmakar, residents of Beleghata, came to Sealdah in support of those who lost their jobs and also to protest against the “police atrocities”. Story continues below this ad On Wednesday, a group of teachers and non-teaching staff clashed with the police outside the office of the district...

Read More

9Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

WB school recruitment scam: CPI(ML) Liberation leader seeks President’s intervention

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has written to President Droupadi Murmu over the Supreme Court’s decision to terminate nearly 26,000 teachers in West Bengal, urging her intervention to save the teachers. In a letter, a copy of which he shared on social media, Bhattacharya said the termination was a “collective punishment” for the systemic corruption in the recruitment process.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO “The court and the government all accepted that the overwhelming majority of teachers now terminated had obtained their jobs by fair means, but now all of the 26,000 teachers who had to go through the tainted recruitment process have been stripped of their only source of secure and dignified living,” Bhattacharya said. St...

Read More

9Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

West Bengal school teachers protesting job loss clash with police in Kolkata, face lathi charge

A group of teachers and non-teaching staff who lost their jobs due to a Supreme Court ruling which annulled the appointments of over 25,000 West Bengal school staff clashed with the police outside the office of the district inspector of schools in the Kasba area of Kolkata Wednesday.The police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the protesters and allegedly kicked a few of them. The police issued a statement that four male and two female police personnel sustained injuries in an “unprovoked attack” by the protesters. Protesters also held rallies and sat on dharnas outside DI offices in Purba Bardhaman, Malda, Purulia, and Murshidabad. Chaos also broke out at Acharya Sadan, the head office of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), as some teaching and non-teaching staff prote...

Read More

8Apr By source belowNo Comments

Opinion

The rise of caste in West Bengal

Nearly three weeks before five Dalits entered a Shiva temple at Purba Bardhaman district under police protection, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a statement about her caste in the State Assembly that largely went unnoticed. On February 18, while participating in a debate in the Assembly, she emphasised that she was not only a “proud Hindu, but also the daughter of a Brahmin family”.The emphasis that the Trinamool Congress chairperson placed on her caste assumes significance in the wake of recent developments. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has been urging all Hindus to unite against the Trinamool before the 2026 Assembly elections. The party has coined a new slogan, “Hindu Hindu bhai bhai, 2026 BJP Chai (All Hindus must unite: In 2026 we want BJP)”.The Leader ...

Read More

7Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

‘Where is the state govt’s list of genuine teachers?’: West Bengal BJP leadership targets Mamata as party workers protest

Minutes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting on Monday with teachers who lost their jobs after a Supreme Court ruling, the Opposition BJP sharply criticised her, saying that she is “misleading” the candidates.State BJP leadership questioned the Chief Minister on why her government could not provide the Supreme Court with a list of teachers who were “genuine” and those who were “tainted”. On April 3, the SC nullified over 25,000 school jobs in West Bengal, while upholding a Calcutta High Court Order on an alleged school jobs scam case which is being probed by the CBI. The apex court termed the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process as “vitiated and tainted by fraud”. Story continues below this ad While BJP MLAs protested near the...

Read More

7Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Ram Navami: In Shibpur, hit by violence 2 yrs ago, drones, top cops keep vigil

Ram Navami: In Shibpur, hit by violence 2 yrs ago, drones, top cops keep vigil Source link

Read More

7Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

West Gengal: Amid heavy bandobast, Ram Navami concludes peacefully

Amid heavy police deployment, Ram Navami was celebrated peacefully in West Bengal. The past two years saw the festivities marred by violence in the state.On Sunday, as Ram Navami processions were taken out in different parts of the state, there were heartwarming scenes of communal harmony and camaraderie as people from the minority community showered flower petals on people, distributed water bottles, and offered sweets. This year, apart from the Opposition BJP, which has been leading the Ram Navami processions in the state, the ruling TMC leaders and workers also took part in Ram Navami processions. Story continues below this ad Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari laid the foundation stone of a Ram Temple at Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district. Adhikari, the BJP MLA f...

Read More

7Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Bengal readies advisory to pharmacists over fake drugs — from QR codes of medicines to licence cancel

In the wake of a recent seizure of a large amount of fake and substandard medicines from a warehouse in Titagarh, the West Bengal government is going to issue a strict advisory to all the pharmacists in the state. Sources in the state Health Department said that during a recent high-level meeting, it was decided that any wholesale medicine supplier or pharmacist found selling fake medicines would have their licence cancelled. “The medicine shops will be told to put on display the QR codes of the medicines so that the customers can have an idea if the drugs they are purchasing are genuine or not. They will also get information of about 300 types of suspected medicines,” an official of the Health Department said. Story continues below this ad “The Drug Control General of Ind...

Read More

5Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

‘Teacher strength to be reviewed and para teachers used’: Bengal higher secondary board after SC verdict ousts over 25,000 government teachers

The recent Supreme Court verdict cancelling the appointment of over 25,000 Bengal government school teachers has not only put the future of the sacked teachers and their families in jeopardy but also left the schools grappling to complete the curriculum amid a staff crunch. Speaking about the reduced strength, Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, President, West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE), told The Indian Express, “We will review each case and then make an appropriate decision. We are trying our best to ensure that higher secondary education does not get affected. We will hire part-time teachers and para teachers if required.” Animesh Halder, District Secretary, South 24 Parganas, Secondary Teachers & Employees’ Association (STEA), said, “It is a very sad day for us, but...

Read More

5Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Security tightened ahead of Ram Navami in West Bengal, 29 IPS officers deployed in sensitive areas

The Kolkata Police and the West Bengal Police have tightened security in their respective jurisdictions ahead of Ram Navami on Sunday. According to sources, the West Bengal Police have deployed 29 IPS officers in 10 sensitive regions, including six police commissionerates and four districts: Howrah, Barrackpore, Chandannagar, Malda, Islampur, Asansol-Durgapur, Siliguri, Howrah Rural, Murshidabad, and Cooch Behar. Five to six IPS officers have been assigned to supervise the law and order situation in the Howrah district alone. Also, Barrackpore and Chandannagar have been allocated four IPS officers each. Story continues below this ad In the state capital, Kolkata, security cover has been tightened, with approximately 4,000 to 5,000 police personnel being deployed to maint...

Read More

4Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Rain and storms in West Bengal in the next few days; heat, humidity to ‘worsen discomfort’: IMD

West Bengal is set to experience a period of fluctuating weather conditions in the coming days, with the IMD forecasting a mix of heatwaves, thunderstorms, and rainfall. While some regions may find temporary relief from the heat, the humidity is expected to exacerbate discomfort. According to the forecast for April to June, a slightly above normal number of heatwave days are likely to occur over some parts of south Bengal, especially in April itself. However, this heat is expected to be interspersed with stormy weather. “The IMD has forecast that several districts of South Bengal may experience storms and rains in the next few days,” officials said. “Humidity-related discomfort is likely to increase further as the water vapour content in the air is between 47 and 90 percent,” one of them s...

Read More

4Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

West Bengal SSC to soon initiate fresh job drive for vacant school posts

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on Friday said it would abide by the Supreme Court directive and soon initiate the process of conducting fresh exams for all teaching and non-teaching candidates, who took part in the now-invalidated 2016 job recruitment exercise. Speaking to reporters a day after the apex court annulled the appointments of 25,752 teachers and staffers in state-run and state-aided schools, WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said the commission, in view of the top court order, would seek legal advice on the eligibility of candidates who can take the fresh tests. “About 26 lakh candidates had applied for the exams in 2016 and around 22 lakh appeared for the tests. Of them, some 1.41 lakh candidates were aspirants for posts of teachers in classes 9-10 and anot...

Read More

4Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

‘How will we hold classes, check Madhyamik scripts?’: Heads of West Bengal schools face major crisis after SC order ousts 25,000 teachers

“My science faculty is almost entirely gone. How will we run classes?” said Kakoli Chowdhury, headmistress of Sailaja Memorial Girls High School in Lalgola, Murshidabad, where the employment of 18 out of 46 teachers is to be cancelled after a Supreme Court order nullified 25,752 school jobs in West Bengal.From holding classes and tests to checking answer scripts of Madhyamik (secondary board) examinations, hundreds of schools in West Bengal are facing a crisis after the order. Many state-run schools were already suffering from a dearth of teachers. Notably, schools in West Bengal are yet to get an official notification in connection with the cancellations of recruitment, which came as the Supreme Court said the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process was “vitiated and tain...

Read More

3Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

‘We are jobless, scapegoats, back to square 1’: Educators in West Bengal as SC upholds dismissal of over 25,000 teachers

A wave of despair has washed over thousands of teachers in West Bengal following the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the appointments of nearly 26,000 teachers and staff in state-run and state-aided schools.For months, teachers have been meeting at Shahid Minar in Dharmatala every other day to discuss the case. On Thursday, they sat, watching the judgment live, as it plunged their careers into uncertainty. The apex court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s verdict, labeling the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process as “vitiated and tainted by fraud” and cancelling the appointment of 25,753 teachers. Story continues below this ad Amit Ranjan Bhuiyan, a Physical Science teacher at Keorakhali Nakul Sahadeb High School in Medinipur district, is among tho...

Read More

1Apr By source belowNo Comments

Gaming

Sunderbans firecracker unit blast: Death toll rises to 8, more feared trapped in rubble, say police

The death toll in the blast at a firecracker manufacturing unit housed in a residence in the Patharpratima area of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal has risen to eight. The death toll includes four children. On Monday night, the police found seven bodies from the house after the blast. Four seriously injured persons were taken to hospital. One of them, Sutapa Banik, succumbed on Tuesday morning. Those whose bodies were recovered from the house were identified as Aurobindu Banik (65), Anuska Banik (6), Pravabati Banik (80), Santana Banik (28), Arnab Banik (9), Ashmita Banik (8 months) and Ankit Banik (6 months). Story continues below this ad Police said that many people are still feared trapped under the debris left behind after the blast. “In a preliminary investig...

Read More