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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
3 elephants, including mother & calf, killed by train while being driven away by hula party in Bengal's Jhargram
Three elephants — including a mother and her calf — were killed after being hit by a train in West Bengal's Jhargram district early Friday while a state forest department-backed Hula party was attempting to drive the herd out of a human settlement. The incident occurred near Banstala railway station under the Kharagpur division of South Eastern Railways, around 14 km from Jhargram town, when the herd was crossing the tracks. The Kharagpur-bound Janshatabdi Express hit the animals around 1.45 am. State Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda told The Indian Express, 'It is an extremely sad incident. Personally too, I am very upset. A mother elephant, a calf, and another adult elephant died after being hit by the train. I will visit the spot shortly.' Hansda added that the Railways had been informed hours earlier of an elephant drive in the area. 'At around 11 pm, we alerted the Railways…. despite this, the incident occurred. We have ordered a probe. Unlike in North Bengal, where speed restrictions are in place in elephant corridors as per Supreme Court orders, there are no such rules in South Bengal,' she said. Forest officials later removed the carcasses and cleared the area. The hula party — a group of local youth hired by the state government to drive away elephants that stray into villages and farmlands — had been driving the herd through the area late at night when the animals crossed the railway tracks. Suvrajyoti Chatterjee, secretary of the Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL), an NGO working on reducing human-animal conflict in Bengal, said: 'It is now evident that a more pragmatic, science-backed, and robust conflict management strategy is urgently required.' 'The solution to the complex issue of man-elephant conflict must involve inclusive decision-making, with active participation from all stakeholders including the Forest Department, local communities, independent wildlife experts, railway authorities, civil society, and conservation organizations,' Chatterjee said. In August last year, a pregnant elephant that had strayed into Jhargram town died after it was allegedly attacked with a burning spear by a hula party. In February this year, an elephant was severely injured after villagers in Jalpaiguri chased it with an earthmover. In June, forest officials had launched a probe after fireballs were allegedly hurled at a herd in Jhargram, one of which struck a calf. 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
KLO chief accuses Mamata govt of ‘police, political terror', TMC calls him BJP's stooge
Accusing the TMC government of 'political and police terror' against the Koch and Rajbanshis communities in West Bengal, Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) chief Jibon Singh has asked people to rise against 'Kolkata Sarkar'. The TMC linked the KLO chief's statement with the controversy over a notice issued by the Assam government to a farmer in Cooch Behar, alleging Singh has been acting on BJP's behalf. In a video message shared on social media, the head of the banned outfit said: 'To all my Koch-Rajbanshis friends. The outsider Kolkata Sarkar has illegally, unconstitutionally and forcefully captured the Cooch Behar state. They are allowing infiltration of Bangladeshis, which has made Koch and Rajbanshis minorities in their own land.' 'They have been carrying out police and political terror on Koch-Rajbanshis in a planned manner for a long time… They are arresting the Koch and Rajbanshis, houses torched, and jobs and businesses being usurped,' said Singh, also known as Tamir Das Kamtapur Liberation Organisation was formed in 1995 to wage an armed struggle for a separate state for Koch-Rajbanshis. 'I appeal to all communities of Kamtapur, Koch, Rajbanshis, Adivasis, Gorkha, Bengalis and others. Come let us all come together against this oppressive government and rescue our Kamtapuri state,' he added. TMC spokesperson and chairman of North Bengal State Transport Corporation, Partha Pratim Roy, said that the KLO chief 'is a BJP man'. 'Whenever the BJP is in a crisis in North Bengal, he shares anti-government messages. Even before the elections, he shares messages. Now, the BJP is in a crisis following the Assam government trying to impose NRC on our residents. So, he is coming out with these messages,' Roy said, referring to a Cooch Behar farmer being served notice by the Foreigners tribunal in Assam to prove his citizenship. The KLO is a banned militant outfit operating in Assam and West Bengal the primary demand of which is a separate Kamtapur state, including six districts of north Bengal (Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin and Malda), four states of lower Assam (Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, and Goalpara), Kishanganj in Bihar and Jhapa in Nepal. The Koch-Rajbanshis. are estimated to number over 33 lakh in West Bengal, accounting for more than 30 per cent of the electorate in north Bengal. 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
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Migrant row: Relatives of two Birbhum families file habeas corpus petition in Calcutta HC
The relatives of two migrant families from Birbhum district, detained by Delhi police and allegedly pushed into Bangladesh, on Tuesday filed a habeas corpus writ petition with the Calcutta High Court. The plea, filed on behalf of the missing families, will be heard on Wednesday by a division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra, according to lawyers representing the relatives of the two families. 'We have appealed that the family members be found and brought before the court,' said Sabnam Sultana, advocate for the petitioners. Samirul Islam, chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Labour Welfare Board, said the state administration is pressing the Centre and BSF to trace the two failies and ensure their safe return. 'We are with the families. On one hand we are knocking the courts door, on the other hand, the state administration is putting pressure on the Centre and BSF to trace the families,' he said. On June 26, Danish Sheikh, wife Sunali Khatun and their eight year old son, residents of Paikar village in Birbhum district, were pushed into Bangladesh after they were detained by Delhi Police. Meanwhile, Sweety Bibi, 32, and her sons — Kurban Sheikh, 16, and Imam Diwan, 6 — from Dhitora village in Birbhum district, were also taken into custody around the same time in Delhi and allegedly pushed into Bangladesh. Both families were detained in K N Katju Marg police station in Delhi. Bhodu Sheikh, father of Sunali Khatun and Amir Khan elder brother of Sweety Bibi have filed the petition with the Calcutta High Court. 'This Sunday we got a call from my sister who and her children are now somewhere in Bangladesh. They were begging us to bring them back. We are poor people . What can we do? The state government is helping. We are begging to the court to do something and bring them back,' Amir Khan told The Indian Express. 'My daughter, her husband and her child are there too in Bangladesh. I do not know whether I will see them again. They went to Delhi to work as rag pickers. Our only hope is court now,' said Bhodu Sheikh. 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
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
1 killed, 3 injured in crude bomb blasts in Bengal; TMC leader says devices were meant to target him, party offices
One person died and three others were critically injured in crude bomb blasts in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman on Friday night, the police said, adding that they have cordoned off the blast site and are investigating the materials used in making the devices. Following the incident, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Rabindranath Chatterjee alleged that the crude bombs were being made to target him and other party leaders, and claimed that a suspended party leader was behind it. The deceased has been identified as Barkat Sheikh, while the injured are Sheikh Toofan Chowdhury, Ibrahim Sheikh, and Safiq Mondol. They were taken to Katwa sub-divisional hospital. Officer said Chowdhury is a notorious criminal who was recently released from jail. According to the police, the blasts took place in an abandoned house at around 9 pm at Rajour village in the district's Katwa region. 'The police is on the spot and we have stated an investigation,' Kashinath Mishra, Sub-divisional Police officer (SDPO), Katwa, told reporters. Prima facie, it appears that people were making crude bombs in an abandoned house in the village which blew up, officers said. The roof of the house was damaged in the impact of the explosion. Reacting to the blasts, TMC's Purba Bardhaman district president Rabindranath Chatterjee said, 'They were planning to kill me and the others. Jangal Sheikh is behind all this. Toofan Chowdhury works for him,' he told media persons. Suspended TMC leader Jangal Sheikh is the former councillor of Ward 13 in Katwa municipality. He was arrested in 2015 in a murder case and is presently in jail. 'They were making and stockpiling crude bombs which would have been used to attack our party offices in the region. They also planned to start illegal sand mining in the area,' Chatterjee claimed. 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
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Urgently need stringent legislation, impacts certain sections of society': Mamata writes to Shah over rise of cyber crime
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue of increasing 'provocative' social media content and cyber crime. She urged him to introduce 'stringent legislative and police intervention'. The letter, written on July 3, stated, 'I write to convey my deep concern over an issue that is increasingly posing serious challenges to public tranquillity… incendiary narratives, misleading stories and fake videos circulating on social media are contributing significantly to the aggravation of criminal tendencies among certain sections of society.' 'Such content not only spreads misinformation but also has the potential to inflame communal sentiments, incite violence, disrupt societal harmony and (increase) crime against women. The instantaneous and wide-reaching nature of misuse of digital platforms amplifies these effects manifold,' the letter read. Highlighting the rise in cyber crime including financial frauds, Banerjee wrote, '… the menace of cyber crime is growing both in complexity and in its detrimental impact. From financial frauds and identity theft to online harassment and defamation, cybercrimes are exacting a severe toll on individuals and institutions alike. Notably, both provocative social media posts and cybercrimes disproportionately affect the vulnerable sections of society — women, children, the elderly, and those from economically weaker backgrounds.' The letter claimed that the 'current legal framework and its enforcement requires further strengthening' to keep pace with 'the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem and sophisticated methods employed by malicious actors.' Banerjee noted that it is equally important to spread 'awareness regarding the responsible use and consumption of digital media'. 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
