104-year-old bodybuilder Manohar Aich, who was once a household name in Bengal after becoming India's first Mr Universe in 1952, died at his Baguiati residence this afternoon, according to family sources. "Aich was on a liquid died for last 10-15 days and had stopped talking. He breathed his last at 3.50pm," his son Khokan Aich told PTI. Aich is survived by two daughters and two sons, one of whom manages a gym and fitness centre to fulfill his father's dream of making the youth "healthy and strong". "Never quit exercise, he would always say. His mantra to stay healthy was simple - healthy eating and exercise," Khokan added. Former Bengal cricket captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who is Minister of State for Sports, visited Aich's residence to offer his condolence. Aich, who turned 104 on March 17, had become India's first Mr Universe when he won the 1952 National Amateur Body-Builders' Association Universe Championships. Born in the district of Comilla (now in Bangladesh), Aich, at just four feet and 11 inches, was not the tallest of men. But encouraged by English officer Reub Martin, Aich took up bodybuilding and made this his passion during his stint at the Royal Air Force under British colonial rulers. He also went on to serve jail term when some years later he protested against colonial oppression, something which Aich considered as "turning point" in his life.
Jha, who had been on run since Wednesday when four people breached security protocol inside and outside Parliament, walked inside a police station in the New Delhi district Thursday night and is now being interrogated by a counter intelligence team, the police source said.
The Kolkata connection of Lalit Jha sparked a political debate in the state, with West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar accusing TMC MLA Tapas Roy of being in "convenience" with Jha.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asserted that she did not threaten junior doctors at state-run hospitals, who have been continuing cease-work for 21 days now to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a woman medic. Addressing a rally organised by the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, Banerjee had on Wednesday urged the agitating junior doctors of Bengal to urgently consider returning to duty and said she doesn't want to lodge first information reports (FIRs) against the striking doctors in consideration of their future careers.
Greenpeace on Tuesday shot off a letter to the government protesting the denial of entry to one of its officials last week and called the action a "clampdown on the freedom of movement" which is "entirely arbitrary and lacking basis in law".
COVID-hit India will be bolstered by the return of key players when the four-time champions meet holders Bangladesh in the third quarter-final of the Under-19 World Cup in Osbourn, Antigua on Saturday.
A policeman has been left blind in one eye after being struck by six hit by South African David Miller in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, local media reported on Saturday.
Executive Director of Greenpeace India, Samit Aich and Programme Director Divya Raghunandan have resigned.
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In a statement, Greenpeace India said it believed that this leak was a concerted effort by parties with vested interests to ensure elimination of any opposition.
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Greenpeace India on Tuesday said it was staring at an "imminent" shutdown within a month in the absence of funds.
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The Delhi high court on Wednesday allowed Greenpeace India to use two of its accounts for the purpose of receiving and utilising fresh domestic donations for its day-to-day functioning.
'Possibly, our campaigns have made the right impact and raised the right questions, which is making several stakeholders uncomfortable,' Samit Aich, Greenpeace India's executive director, tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com
Tax exemption for donations to Greenpeace may be withdrawn.
'The home ministry has made a serious allegation to the media without providing a scrap of evidence to back it up. We think this shows how worried the ministry has become.'
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In a first such action in India's electoral history, the Election Commission had Wednesday ordered campaigning in the nine West Bengal constituencies to end at 10 pm on Thursday, instead of 6 pm on Friday, in the wake of violence between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata during Amit Shah's roadshow.
Those who claim the Maheshtala rape case was only a road accident, are unable to answer why four people were arrested and a gangrape case was registered. Indrani Roy and Dipak Chakraborty report
'Democracy and dissent are being strangulated. It is not good for the country.'
The BJP doesn't want to focus entirely on an anti-Mamata campaign.
In a tough action, the Government on Thursday barred Greenpeace India from receiving foreign funds with immediate effect by suspending its licence for six months and froze all its accounts, alleging it has "prejudicially" affected the country's public and economic interests.
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