1. Mamata Slams ‘Agenda of Hatred’
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, 21 February, condemned the attack on a young Kashmiri shawl seller in Nadia’s Taherpur, warning against taking the law into one’s hands and asserting that people from all parts of the country had the right to live in Bengal.
“Those who have committed this wrong, I think there should be action against them,” Mamata said. A video of the attack had gone viral, particularly in Kashmir.
Nadia police had sent the shawl seller, and another youth from Kashmir, to Calcutta. Five youths were arrested over the attack. A court granted them bail on Thursday.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Ex-VC, Registrar, Teacher of Visva Bharati Sentenced to Jail in Forgery Case
A court on Thursday, 21 February, sentenced former vice-chancellor of Visva Bharati univeristy Dilip Kumar Sinha, ex-registrar Dilip Mukhopadhaya and former teacher Mukti Dev to five years imprisonment in a forgery and conspiracy case.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bolpur, Aurobindo Mishra also ordered the three convicted persons to pay a fine of Rs 1,000 each. The court on Wednesday, 20 February, had convicted the three in the case of forgery and conspiracy.
Sinha, Mukhopadhaya and Dev appealed for interim bail Thursday after the judgement was passed but the court turned down their request, said assistant public prosecutor, Phiroj Pal.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Bengal Villagers Lynch Man, Injure Aide for Cow ‘Theft’
Villagers in Purulia’s Kotshila lynched a person and seriously injured another for allegedly stealing cows grazing inside the local Jabor forest on Wednesday night, 20 February.
The deceased has been identified as Gouri Shankar Kumar, 38, of Bororola in Kotshila. Gouri’s accomplice Shabbir Ansari, 32, has been admitted in Purulia’s Deben Mahato Sadar Hospital with injuries all over his body. A resident of Bokaro in neighbouring Jharkhand, Shabbir was allegedly beaten with bamboo sticks.
Kotshila police was informed at night but a team of cops only reached Jabor early on
Thursday and rescued Gouri and Shabbir in an unconscious state. They were taken to the local Kotshila block health centre, where Gouri was declared dead.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Kolkata Metro Seeks Nod for Cameras Inside Coaches
Metro Railway has submitted a safety wish list to the Railway Board that includes CCTV cameras inside coaches, fire alarms at stations and ultra-sensitive heat detectors along the tunnels.
The transport lifeline has also planned a technology upgrade to improve communication between drivers and the central control room and put up proper signage to guide passengers out of tunnels during an emergency.
The steps are in keeping with a report by the commissioner of railway safety (eastern circle) on the 27 December fire in a Dum Dum-bound air-conditioned rake. The accident occurred between Rabindra Sadan and Maidan stations.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Pulwama Spurs Cyber Crime Check
The Bengal cabinet on Thursday, 21 February, approved 25 more cyber crime police stations to curb increasing crimes committed through computer networks or devices.
The move comes at a time social networking sites are being used to spread hatred, particularly in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
The state now has only a handful of cyber crime police stations, like those in Kolkata and Salt Lake.
(Source: The Telegraph)
6. CNG Buses Introduced in West Bengal
Buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) were introduced between Asansol and different parts of the state, including Kolkata, on Wednesday, 20 February.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off the green fleet to be operated by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC). The fuel switch is aimed at bringing down rising levels of air pollution across parts of south Bengal.
Twenty such buses will connect Asansol to Kolkata, Bankura, Burdwan and other destinations. State government officials said there are plans to introduce CNG bus services across Kolkata. “To begin with, we are staring the service in Asansol. The gas is available there,” Mamata said.
(Source: The Telegraph)
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