Bengal Newz West Bengal

21/06/2022

Suspended BJP spokesperson, notorious Nupur Sharma on Monday skipped appearance at Narkeldanga Police Station in Kolkata, which sent her a notice on the basis of an FIR filed by a local resident over her controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed, an KP officer said.

Citing fear of "possible attack" on her, Sharma sent an email seeking four weeks' time for her appearance, an officer said.

"Nupur Sharma wrote to us to say that she will not be coming to Narkeldanga Police Station today... she has cited her apprehension about possible attacks as reason for her inability to come. She has sought at least four weeks' time..."

During the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, speaking on a motion tabled in the West Bengal Assembly against the controversial remarks made by Nupur Sharma, said that provocative statements are being made to vitiate the atmosphere in the country.

"I don't want to name anyone as the matter is sub-judice. Some people are deliberately making provocative statements to vitiate the atmosphere. I think those who have made such remarks should have been arrested long ago," she said.

20/06/2022

No major impact on normal life in initial hours of 'Bharat Bandh' to protest against the Modi Govt's newly introduced 'Agnipath Recruitment Scheme' in Howrah and parts of West Bengal on Monday.

Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal Government had said yesterday in an order, "Bandh will not be allowed, all State and Central Govt offices to remain open, transport to function normally." (Watch)

19/06/2022

বুদ্ধজীবী থেকে বুদ্ধিজীবী... সমকালীন বাংলার সবথেকে ঘৃণিত বিশেষণ 🥹

FB memories 🤥 9 years ago | ...look back at The Bengal Newz Life

18/06/2022

First Sub-National Immunization Day for 2022 for administering Polio vaccine drops is being conducted from 19th June 2022 in 11 states / UTs of the country viz. Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

18/06/2022

Train services on the Sealdah-Barrackpore route in West Bengal were disrupted for around an hour on Saturday as a group of anti-Agnipath agitators blocked railway tracks and did push-ups to register protest against the Narendra Modi-led BJP Government's new 'scheme' for recruitment in Armed Forces. (Mobile Video)

17/06/2022

The West Bengal Government on Monday issued an advisory for all multiple-system operators (MSOs) and Cable Operators in the state.

"Several satellite TV channels are transmitting coverage of news and incidents in such a manner which are misleading, sensationalized and having communal tone likely to cause breach of peace in the State," read an official statement.

The state Government advised the TV network providers to refrain from transferring any sensitive content.

"State Govt strongly advises all MSOs and Cable Operators who are broadcasting such news and programs of various private satellite TV channels to immediately refrain from transmitting any such content which is violative of above mentioned Cable Television Network Act, 1995," the statement added.

17/06/2022

(Watch) Protest against Modi Government's 'Agnipath Recruitment Scheme' reaches Kolkata on Friday. Protesters assembled at Howrah Station, started their march towards Indian Army HQ in the city, blocked traffic on Howrah Bridge and also gave push ups. Protesters have scattered themselves after Police intervened and removed the blockade. | Read hear 👉 The Bengal Newz

17/06/2022

Several officials of the West Bengal Education Department are involved in the irregularities in the Recruitment of Primary Teachers, a senior Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer claimed on Saturday.

The investigation so far has found that there are instances in which candidates were given appointments even after they submitted blank answer scripts, mentioning just their names and registration number, he alleged.

"There are several officials and junior-level workers, including clerks, who have been found to be involved in the irregularities in appointments in Primary Schools in West Bengal," the CBI officer told news agency PTI.

"We have found several answer sheets that are blank and only names and registration numbers written on them. These candidates were later given appointments," he alleged.

Transactions involving huge amounts of cash between these officers and the candidates have happened before the appointments were made, the officer claimed, adding that the agency has unearthed evidence about this.

The CBI is investigating allegations that Primary Teachers were recruited illegally in the state, on the direction of the Calcutta High Court.

The agency was asked on Wednesday by the court to investigate the allegations of "sale" of Primary Teachers' jobs by a resident of North 24 Parganas.

Senior TMC leader and former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has been questioned by the agency in the case.

The High Court directed the CBI to file a status report on its probe on the next date of hearing on 15 June.

16/06/2022

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court, who has asked the CBI to probe allegations of irregularities in appointment of Teachers and other staff for Government-aided Schools in West Bengal, said in open court on Tuesday he was not sure whether the investigations would yield any result.

He wondered aloud if a probe by a special investigation team would have been more effective. Justice Gangopadhyay also sought to draw the attention of the "rajya pradhan (state chief)" to the allegations.

"I'm tired. I'm fed up with the activities of the CBI. Now I am in a dilemma whether the investigations will yield any fruitful result," the Judge said in open court while talking to senior Advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, who is also the Trinamool Congress MP from Serampore.

Advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay came to Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay's Court in connection with a case, when the Judge made these remarks.

The Judge said: "I'm really concerned about the future of so many unemployed persons. Now I have every doubt whether my efforts would mean anything at all."

At this point, Kalyan Bandyopadhyay spoke about the CBI's poor track record. "It is a fact. The performance of the CBI is very bad. This court had in 1993 issued a CBI probe order in the Bhikhari Paswan disappearance case. Till date, the CBI has done nothing," the lawyer said.

Paswan, a mill worker, had allegedly been picked up from his home in Telenipara, Hooghly, by then CPM Government's Police in 1993 in connection with an agitation at Victoria Jute Mills. He never returned, nor was his body found.

His family alleged he had been killed by the Police. The Police said they had neither picked up Paswan nor were they aware of his whereabouts (as like like former Naxalite leader, Poet Saroj Dutta).

On Tuesday, Advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay mentioned one case after another where he said a CBI probe had not thrown any new light - Tapasi Malik's r**e and murder, Rizwanur Rahman's death, Saradha-Narada. "What did the CBI actually do in these cases," asked Kalyan Bandyopadhyay.

"Before 2011, I was a soldier of the party and fought those cases…. In the SSC (recruitment) case, I am defending Partha Chatterjee."

Partha Chatterjee, who was Education Minister when the controversial appointments were made, is also under Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay's scanner.

Following what Advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay said about the CBI, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay said: "Yes, now I feel a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would have been a better option. I could have monitored that investigation. I fear the fate of this investigation will also be like the investigation in the case of the Nobel Prize theft."

The CBI could neither recover Tagore's stolen Nobel medallion nor arrest the thieves.

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhay said: "I wonder whether the head of the state ('rajya pradhan') is aware of the facts. The situation is grave. I want the recruitment process to be transparent. I still hope the head of the state will do something." The Judge also said: "I believe that the officers of Kolkata Police are really efficient and effective."

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay's statement has created confusion in legal circles, several Lawyers at the High Court said.

Some Lawyers said the Judge wanted to put pressure on the CBI for a faster probe. Others said a chargesheet filed by the CBI in the Tapan Kandu murder case "has opened the eyes of the Judge"!

Tapan Kandu was Congress councilor in Purulia's Jhalda. "In the Tapan Kandu murder case, the SIT got only 10 days and arrested four persons. Till date, the CBI has arrested only one more person and filed the chargesheet accusing five persons, four of whom were arrested by the SIT. The CBI is following the SIT line of probe," a veteran Criminal Lawyer in CHC said.

14/06/2022

⚡ Weather Forecast | Enhanced rainfall activity likely to occur over the Districts of North Bengal during 14-18 June 2022.

14/06/2022

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee meeting Sharad Pawar ahead of the opposition meeting scheduled to to be held tomorrow at Constitution Club in New Delhi.

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee meeting Sharad Pawar ahead of the opposition meeting scheduled to to be held tomorrow at Constitution Club in New Delhi. 📸 Photo: PTI

14/06/2022

West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) 2022 results to be declared on 17 June. | Read here 👉 facebook.com/TheBengalNewz

14/06/2022

⚡ Breaking: CBI team reaches the residence of TMC MP and Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata to examine his wife Rujira Naroola Banerjee in connection with coal case. Abhishek Banerjee landed in Agartala a short while ago.

14/06/2022

A young female Chimpanzee, named Buri (old woman), sneaked out of her enclosure at the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata on Monday morning when there were visitors close by.

Zoo officials said Buri managed to "swing past" a mesh of wires, which are connected to a battery-operated power supply system, and landed straight into the arms of her keeper who had to feed her a Mango to coax her back into her cage.

Visitors on the Zoo premises said they saw a little Chimp swim through a moat inside her enclosure and mount a wall to reach the wire mesh.

The enclosure for Chimpanzees is surrounded by a glass wall and has a green patch and water-filled moat inside. There is a gap of a few inches, covered with the wire mesh, between the glass wall and the concrete wall.

Zoo Director Asis Kumar Samanta said Buri did not get any electric shock from the wires and there was no need to use any tranquillizer either.

"She is exceptionally intelligent. She managed to climb the wall, get hold of an iron rod and swing past the electrified mesh without hurting herself," said Asis Samanta.

"Had she got a shock, she would have fallen into the water, which she did not."

The keeper was standing close to the enclosure when the incident happened and Buri landed on his arms. "There was no need for tranquilisation or force to control her," Asis Samanta said.

Some of the visitors who had crowded outside the enclosure for a glimpse of Buri and her brothers, Mastan and Chottu, screamed at the sight of a Chimp coming out in the open.

"There were three little Chimpanzees. We were watching them. One of them was initially drinking water. Then suddenly it slipped into the water and swam to the wall where the glass partition ends. Seconds later it leaped out through a gap and landed outside. It was scary," said Taufik Jaman Sarkar, a resident of Pandua, in Hooghly, who was visiting the Zoo with his family.

Immediately after the incident, the enclosure was cordoned off and all the visitors were moved away.

"We removed the crowd to ensure there was no further panic," said a Zoo official.

The officials added this was not the first time Buri had escaped the enclosure.

Buri, who is little more than six years old, had arrived at the Zoo when she was six, accompanied by two male Chimps - one older and the other younger to her.

"They were rescued by the Wildlife Department from a location in Baguiati while they were being smuggled in. This Zoo became their permanent home following a court order. The eldest of the three - a male Chimp - was in the habit of beating the other two, so it was named Mastan. The youngest one was named Chottu. The third was a female Chimpanzee and was the most intelligent and sensible of the lot. So, she was named Buri," said a source at the Zoo.

The three share the enclosure with a 36-year-old Chimpanzee named Babu. The three are allowed to loiter in the enclosure between 5am and 1pm, after which they return to their cage.

Babu enters the enclosure at 1pm and stays till 5pm.

"Two years ago, we built a wooden watchtower inside the enclosure. After completion of the tower, we left the three Chimpanzees near it to see their reaction. Mastan and Chottu started screaming and ran for cover seeing the strange thing. But Buri was silent and calm," Asis Samanta recounted.

"She stared at the watch tower as if looking for possible signs of attack. After a few minutes, when she was confident that the tower was not moving, she slowly hopped onto it, went to the top and inspected the area. A few seconds later, she made a typical sound calling her brothers. They immediately took the cue and ran towards her," he said. (TT / My Kolkata)

13/06/2022

West Bengal state assembly today passed a bill that makes the Chief Minister - and not the Governor - Chancellor of all state universities in Bengal. BJP legislators protested but just 40 votes were polled against the bill and 183 were in favour. The move had earlier been cleared by the state Cabinet in the backdrop of Governor Jadgeep Dhankhar's clash with the state Government over appointments of vice-chancellors across Universities.
The Bill will now need the Governor's clearance, but he is constitutionally bound to act on the advice of the Cabinet. However, there have been instances where Governors in opposition-ruled states have sat on Bills for a long time and sent them to the President.

The Governor, by virtue of his position, is the Chancellor of all state-run Universities.

Last month Tamil Nadu had passed a bill empowering the state Government to take over the Governor's power of appointing vice-chancellors to Universities.

State Rducation Minister Dr Bratya Basu, after introducing The West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the House, said there was "nothing wrong" with the Chief Minister taking over as the Chancellor.

13/06/2022

(Watch) ADG (Law and Order) of West Bengal Police, Jawed Shamim IPS on widespread violence in state says, "No one will be spared. Strictest action will be taken against the accused and they will be booked under severest sections of law. We will ensure maximum punishment of the accused."

13/06/2022

On a day when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared before ED and questioned by the ED in connection with a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper, TMC mouthpiece 'Jago Bangla' takes a direct jibe at 'Congress protest' calling it their double standards and politics of opportunism. Reminding Congress that they didn't support TMC when TMC leaders were examined by central agencies like CBI, ED etc.

Header reads - "As Rahul Gandhi summoned, Congress to protest at Ed office and Sonia Gandhi hospitalised". TMC had termed actions by central agencies against their leaders as political witch-hunt. When ED examined Abhishek Banerjee, West Bengal Congress Chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had supported agency's action.

Article reads "TMC clearly states this reflects Congress' double standard and politics of opportunism. After losing in West Bengal, BJP had unleashed central agencies after TMC leaders. Agencies' actions against TMC leaders were vocally supported by Adhir! They why this protest today…"!

13/06/2022

Breaking: Calcutta High Court's Division Bench of Chief Justice has rejected CBI probe into alleged Metro Dairy scam, petition that was filed by Congress Adhir Ranjan Choudhury alleging anomalies in transaction of 47% stake shares held by State Government. High Court says share transactions not illegal and petition relied on media reports!

12/06/2022

⚡ West Bengal Police has arrested more than 100 persons in specific criminal cases registered under stringent sections of law for road blockade, rioting, arson damage to public property and spreading communal hatred in the state. (Click to check WBP's Twitter updates)

https://twitter.com/WBPolice/status/1535891251480100864

“West Bengal police has arrested more than 100 persons in specific criminal cases registered under stringent sections of law for road blockade, rioting, arson damage to public property and spreading communal hatred. Nobody who indulges in any of these crimes will be spared..(1/3)”

12/06/2022

The Calcutta High Court to pronounce verdict tomorrow on Monday in Metro Dairy case filed by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury against Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal Govt seeking a CBI probe.

11/06/2022

West Bengal Government shuts down Internet Service in Beldanga in Murshidabad District till 14 June, after the reported attack on the Beldanga Police Station over a Facebook post. 😡

11/06/2022

⚡ Section 144 imposed in Uluberia till 15 June (Wednesday) in wake of violent protests on Friday. | Breaking Via. The Bengal Newz

11/06/2022

In highest daily tally in over 3 months, India records 8,329 Covid cases.

Despite the rise in infections, hospitalisations and deaths have been low as most of the reported cases are believed to be mild. In the last 24 hours, 10 deaths were recorded, taking overall death count to 5,24,757. | Read in details here 👉 Bengal Newz India

10/06/2022

⚡ Bengal Newz Breaking: At least 8-10 rounds of bullets fired beside Bangladesh Deputy High Commission at Park Circus in Kolkata. Two including a woman killed as a 5th Battalion Kolkata Armed Police personnel opened fire from his service weapon. Policeman shot himself after firing. [Find updates on The Bengal Newz's Twitter handle]

https://twitter.com/BengalNewz/status/1535199702605766656

10/06/2022

West Bengal state assembly remembers iconic singer late KK amongst others during the obituary session on the first day of monsoon session. "He was a down to earth humble man" said the speaker in his speech. All MLAs rose up to observe 2 munits silence in memory of the departed souls.

10/06/2022

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced the WB 12th result 2022 today. The West Bengal Class 12th result is announced through a press conference held at WBCHSE council office in Kolkata.

A total of 4,97,809 students have got more than 60% marks in Board Exams. The pass percentage of WB class this year is 88.44%.

https://twitter.com/WestBengal_BN/status/1535142123674411008

“⚡ : Council of Education ( ) has announced WB . A total of 4,97,809 have got more than 60% marks in . The pass percentage of WB class 12 is 88.44 per cent. | ”