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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘If voters' names are removed like in Bihar, we'll take fight to Delhi, gherao ECI office': Mamata Banerjee at July 21 rally
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday laid out the party's roadmap ahead of next year's crucial Assembly elections and announced the launch of a 'bhasha andolon' from July 27, protesting the alleged harassment and detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers. She was addressing a rally at Kolkata's Esplanade East to mark Shaheed Diwas. Banerjee threatened to take the agitation to Delhi if, like in Bihar, voters' names are removed from electoral rolls in Bengal. 'I respect the EC Chair. But in Bihar, over 40 lakh names have been removed from the voters' list. They (Election Commission of India) are planning a similar move in Bengal. I'm saying it clearly — we will not allow that. We will take the fight to Delhi. If needed, we will gherao the Commission's office,' Banerjee said. Referring to what she called a conspiracy against Bengali, the Bengal Chief Minister said, 'Bangla bhashar upor sontras cholchhe (there is a reign of terror on the Bengali language). Over 1,000 people have been detained and jailed in BJP-ruled states including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh… Whoever speaks Bengali is being detained in BJP-ruled states.' She also showed purported detention camp notifications to the crowd at the rally. 'Remember, Bengal took part in the freedom struggle. If people are jailed for speaking in Bengali, we will protest. I don't abandon a fight midway. Remember Nandigram, remember Singur. BJP must be removed from power at the Centre,' she said. Banerjee also targeted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. 'You can't control Assam but you're poking your nose into Bengal. If you continue this, I would ask Susmita Dev (TMC Rajya Sabha MP) to start a movement in Assam. We will all go there,' she said. Announcing the party's protest schedule, Banerjee said, 'From July 27, we will hit the streets. Every Saturday and Sunday, we will protest in Bengal. I urge our MPs to demonstrate at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Delhi. Intellectuals and sports personalities will also take part.' 'We have over 22 lakh Bengali migrants outside Bengal. And around 1.5 crore migrants work in Bengal. We love Hindi, we love Gujarati. But why are you (BJP) conspiring against the Bengali language?' she asked. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More Ravik Bhattacharya is the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. Over 20 years of experience in the media industry and covered politics, crime, major incidents and issues, apart from investigative stories in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Andaman Nicobar islands. Ravik won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for political reporting. Ravik holds a bachelor degree with English Hons from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University and a PG diploma in mass communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik started his career with The Asian Age and then moved to The Statesman, The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. ... Read More
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Trust people who have been to Kashmir after attack': Omar Abdullah appeals to potential tourists from West Bengal
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed to potential tourists from West Bengal to visit Kashmir, stating that security would be given. Speaking at a Travel and Tourism fair inauguration programme in Kolkata on Thursday, he said, 'I understand everybody's concern after the Pahalgam terror attack. But be assured that all security-related steps have been taken by the government, and trust the people who have been to the place after the attack, rather than believing those sitting outside and making judgments without even knowing the place.' Abdullah noted that the Amarnath yatra is taking place, and claimed there has been a 'noticeable increase' in the number of direct flights to Jammu and Kashmir: 'Tourism is bouncing back. I am here in the city (Kolkata) to boost that.' 'There are some places where we are conducting security audits. We are working to give tourists a safe and secure destination,' he said. '2025 has not been an easy year for us. The year can be divided into two parts: before the Pahalgam attack, when Kashmir Valley was packed with tourists, and after the Pahalgam attack, when the region was trying to recover from the massive drop in the numbers,' he said. The leader expressed his gratitude to the West Bengal government and said, 'People of West Bengal are with J&K. The relationship between the two regions transcends over time in the context of 'trust and affection'. He added, 'West Bengal stood with J&K both politically and economically. We offer adventure and destination tourism. On the ground, there is an air of hope of a new beginning.' On April 22 this year, twenty-six people were killed in a terror attack in the Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
TMC leader shot at, BJP MLA's son & his driver held: Police
A TRINAMOOL Congress (TMC) leader was seriously injured after he was allegedly shot at in Cooch Behar on Thursday evening, police said on Friday. The son of local BJP MLA Sukumar Roy, Dipankar Roy, and his driver, Uttam Gupta, were arrested in connection with the case, police said. Raju De, member of the TMC's Uttar Panchayat Samiti in Cooch Behar, underwent surgery and is now stable, police said citing doctors. A personal vehicle belonging to the Roys that was allegedly used in the crime was also seized by the Cooch Behar police. BJP MLA Roy, however, denied all the allegations and claimed that his son has been 'falsely framed' in this case. 'All these are baseless allegations. They (TMC) have no organisation in this constituency. They are now trying to frame BJP workers before the 2026 Assembly election,' claimed the MLA. District Superintendent of Police Dyutiman Bhattacharya said, 'Two more persons are suspected to be involved in the incident. A search is on for them. A forensic team is examining the seized vehicle.' According to the police, when Raju De was returning home from a meeting on Thursday evening, a black-coloured car approached him and the occupants opened fire. Local residents took De to a nearby nursing home, where he underwent surgery, police said. Doctors said his condition is now stable. TMC Coochbehar district president Abhijit Det Bhowmik claimed, 'A few days ago, the BJP MLA (Sukumar Roy) visited Chakchaka area to interact with the people. Some local residents, under the leadership of Raju De, staged a protest in front of him. This seems like an act of revenge.' In a post on X, the ruling TMC wrote, 'The 2024 Lok Sabha results from Bengal made it clear that @BJP4India was rapidly losing ground in Cooch Behar. Now that the district has slipped from their iron-fisted grasp, they've returned to what they do best: unleashing BRUTE, MINDLESS VIOLENCE. Our Panchayat Samiti worker from Cooch Behar II was shot in cold blood. CCTV footage confirms the involvement of @BJP4Bengal MLA Sukumar Roy's son, flanked by their usual gang of armed goons. When you can't win people's trust, can't secure a mandate, can't fight a clean election, you shoot your way through…' The BJP, however, denied all the allegations. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Mint
02-07-2025
- Mint
Kolkata rape case: Accused Monojit ‘Mango' Mishra makes shocking claim, says scratch marks on his body ‘love bites'
Kolkata gangrape case: The main accused in the Kasba gangrape case, Monojit 'Mango' Mishra, has now claimed that the scratch marks found on his body are actually 'love bites'. Talking to the news agency ANI, Mishra's lawyer, Raju Ganguly, claimed that Manojit told him that 'everyone is making him out to be a villain.' When asked about scratch marks from nails on his body, and the one mark on his neck, the lawyer said that Monojit Mishra told him, 'It is a 'love bite'. When I asked him who gave him that, the police took him away.' 'I could not see any scratch marks from nails on him,' Ganguly said, adding that he could only see one mark, pointing at the neck. Raju Ganguly demanded that the phone of the victim should also be seized and sent to the forensics. 'Call record should be brought before the court. After seeing the records, I feel that perhaps this is not a rape case,' the lawyer claimed. 'I have not come to a conclusion, I would be able to tell you by 20 July whether this is rape or not,' he added. Following Monojit Mishra's arrest and the Kolkata gangrape case, more women of the South Calcutta Law College in Kasba have come forward to share chilling accounts of being sexually harassed by the accused. One of the women, quoted by Anandabazar Patrika, has accused expelled TMCP leader Mishra of sexually harassing her during a college picnic in 2023. 'Alcohol arrangement was made under the supervision of Monojit. I went to a room to get my phone when I heard someone close the door. It was him. He was approaching me while opening his shirt buttons and was intoxicated to the extreme,' she told the newspaper. The Kolkata Police have added six additional charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Mishra and his associates in the gangrape case following an investigation, as per a report by The Telegraph on July 1. The police have added charges under — watching and capturing images of a woman in a private act without her consent, causing hurt with dangerous weapons, kidnapping with the purpose of wrongful confinement, kidnapping to cause the victim grievous hurt, slavery, or unnatural lust, criminal intimidation and keeping the kidnapped victim in confinement.
Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Law College rape case: TMC minister sparks fresh outrage with ‘small incident' remark, clarifies
A fresh controversy erupted on Tuesday after TMC minister Manas Bhuiyan purportedly compared the alleged rape of a law student as a 'small incident'. Speaking at a Doctor's Day blood donation camp in Kolkata, Bhuiyan said, 'No culprit of the Pahalgam incident has been arrested. Whenever a small incident happens in Bengal, controversy starts.' He was referring to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 men, mostly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists. As the TMC leader's remarks went viral, Bhuiyan in a statement said that his words were taken out of context and that he 'strongly condemned' the law college rape incident. Seizing on his 'small incident remark', state BJP president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said, 'One after another, TMC leaders are making such statements. It speaks volumes about their character.' BJP's Jagannath Chattopadhyay called it 'a matter of shame,' while CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh accused the TMC of shielding its workers, pointing out that the main suspects in the campus rape belong to the party's student wing. The TMC, however, defended Bhuiyan, saying his comment was unrelated to the law college case and aimed at broader law-and-order debates. 'Bhuiyan's comments have been twisted and linked to the rape incident,' a TMC spokesperson said. Clarifying his remark, Bhuiyan said, 'Our party and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee do not tolerate such crimes. I oppose and condemn the Kasba (rape) incident in the strongest terms. I would like to clarify that my previous comments were not related to the Kasba incident. They have been misrepresented and linked to the unfortunate incident in an attempt to malign and defame me. I reiterate – I strongly condemn this incident.' Bhuiyan's controversy follows a string of contentious remarks made by TMC leaders, including Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra and MP Kalyan Banerjee. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
