Four persons were killed on Tuesday night and eight others injured in a blast that took place when the victims were allegedly making bombs near Rampurhat town in Birbhum district, police said.
Inter-state borders in Maoist-hit districts to be sealed
The chitfund scam in West Bengal claimed its twelfth victim on Monday with an agent of a ponzy scheme found hanging in his home at Basirhat in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.
The Supreme Court on Friday took suo motu cognisance of a horrific incident of gang rape of a young tribal woman by 13 villagers in West Bengal's Birbhum district and issued notice to the state government.
All four persons, including state minister Sabitri Mitra's son-in-law Samadip Sarkar alias Tinku, accused of beating up Election Commission personnel in Malda's Manikchak area were arrested on Friday.
Ajit Roy, 42, a resident of Ullora village in Memari, jumped in front of a train at Rasulpur in Burdwan.
Phase III of assembly polls in 62 constituencies of West Bengal on Thursday witnessed a series of clashes between political rivals during which bombs were exploded but the violence failed to deter the electors who came out in large numbers, recording a 79.22 per cent voter turnout.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and the West Bengal government seeking their response on how to meet the requirement of security personnel for conduct of panchayat elections in the state.
The bus carrying members of a marriage party from Kolkol village in Burdwan district to Birpara in neighbouring Birbhum district overturned when the driver lost control over the speeding vehicle at around 3.30 am, police said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre was not disbursing funds under the PM-Kisan scheme to peasants in the state despite the Trinamool Congress administration having sent the verified names of farmers to it.
Union Home Secretary G K Pillai on Tuesday said the West Bengal government had committed a mistake by negotiating the release of an abducted police official in exchange of releasing tribal women, who were reportedly supporters of Maoists. "I think they (the state government) did make mistake. They should have acted a little tough," Pillai said when asked by a TV channel whether the West Bengal government made a 'fatal mistake' while carrying out the swap.
The West Bengal government's decision to swap tribals for the release of an abducted police officer is a decision taken by the state government and only time will tell whether it is right or wrong, Home Minister P Chidambaram said. "They did not seek my advice nor was I required to offer them any advice. They are the best judges of what was required to be done in that situation. They have taken the decision. Whether it is the right one or wrong one, only time will tell."
Launching a blistering attack against the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed state Transport Minister Madan Mitra's arrest as "political vendetta" and "dirty conspiracy" by the BJP and dared the NDA government to arrest her.
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the West Bengal government to produce all police records pertaining to the case of Rizwanur Rehman, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances a month after his marriage to the daughter of influential industrialist Ashok Todi.Justice Dipankar Dutta asked Advocate General Balai Roy to produce by April 22 the records, including Todi's police complaint on August 31 last year.
A devastating fire at a multi-storeyed building in Kolkata that claimed nine lives turned into the epicentre of a political slugfest on Tuesday, with the Trinamool Congress government and the Bharatiya Janata Party pointing accusatory fingers at the Railways and the state administration respectively, even as the bereaved families grieved at the loss of their near ones.
A clash broke out between the workers of the TMC and the CPI-M in the Arambag area of Hooghly. One CPI-M worker is said to be injured in the incident.
Three Congress workers were killed ahead of Monday's fourth phase of panchayat polls in four districts of West Bengal and at least 100 houses vandalised and looted in South 24-Parganas district on Sunday.
Six-time Communist Party of India-Marxist legislator and former Rajya Sabha vice-chairman Mostafa Bin Quasem on Sunday allegedly committed suicide by leaping to death from the fourth floor of the MLA hostel in Kolkata.
'If Mamata Banerjee doesn't want, then violence cannot be stopped.'
The West Bengal government will not appeal against the Calcutta High Court directive for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the mysterious death of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rehman. The state government will also take apppropriate action against those senior police officials who are found guilty in the probe, Left Front chairman Biman Bose said on Wednesday.
The latest step comes in the wake of allegations from the CM's own party, the CPM, and opposition parties against the involvement of senior police officers. Bhattacharjee said Rizwan's death had stirred the society.
Protest continued on Sunday for the fourth consecutive day in Bihar against the attackers of a 16-year-old girl who was gang-raped and set ablaze in Kolkata in West Bengal demanding death sentence to the accused and a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into it.
The committee, which was formed by the National Human Rights Commission chairman on a direction by a five-judge bench of the high court, also said that these cases should be tried outside the state.
A middle-school student allegedly committed suicide in Murshidabad district of West Bengal by consuming pesticide after his father, a farmer, could not afford to buy him an expensive mobile of his choice.
Claiming that the Trinamool Congress is not perturbed over desertions by some leaders, she said politics is a solemn ideology and philosophy and one cannot change these everyday like clothes.
The Election Commission may cancel or postpone Lok Sabha polls in certain West Bengal constituencies if Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refuses to abide by its order to transfer eight state government officials.
The students had gone to the BSF camp to protest against an assault by a jawan.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation in addition to already sanctioned Rs 50,000 to the 20-year-old Birbhum gang rape victim.
Normal life was partially affected in West Bengal on Thursday following a state-wide 12-hour general strike called by Left Parties and trade unions, with the Bharatiya Janata Party also calling a 10-hour bandh to protest against alleged violence by ruling Trinamool Congress in the recent civic polls.
Questioning the eight-phase assembly elections in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that she suspects that the dates were announced as per the suggestions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for better management of the BJP's poll campaign.
Referring to the violence in Malda, he refuted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement that it was a result of tussle between Border Security Force officials and locals.
Hasty, ill-conceived steps show how isolated Mamata Banerjee had been from the national political trend. A fascinating excerpt from Sugato Hazra's Losing The Plot: Political Isolation Of West Bengal.
Nandigram, 126 km south of Kolkata, is Suvendu Adhikari's bastion, where he has vowed to defeat Mamata Banerjee by 50,000 votes or quit politics.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, who travelled by road from Jharkhand to this West Bengal town to address a rally after being denied permission earlier for landing helicopter in the state, targeted the Trinamool Congress chief for opposing the Central Bureau of Investigation's attempt to quiz the Kolkata police chief in connection with the ponzi scams.
A blood-soaked Nandigram made Mamata Banerjee what she is today and underpins the hopes of the combustible West Bengal leader of clinching a third straight term in office.
Zahid Hussain has been instrumental for the Indian Mujahideen for making a come back after being beaten down by security agencies. Vicky Nanjappa reports
The Centre has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the circumstances leading to the violence.
Opposition parties have expressed solidarity with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
At least 32 people, including 13 children, were killed and eight others injured when two mini buses carrying brick kiln workers and their families were hit by a truck on NH 35 in lower Assam's Barpeta district in the wee hours on Thursday.
The alleged chit fund scam in West Bengal involving the Saradha Group revolves around a total sum of Rs 2,460 crore with 80 per cent of the depositors' monies still remaining unpaid, a latest investigation report has revealed.
