1. Mamata's 'Purification' Drive To Counter BJP
Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced a “purification” drive by the Trinamul Congress along the trails of the BJP’s proposed 40-day Bengal Rath Yatra, which she called a “Ravan Yatra” to highlight its alleged divisive agenda.
The Bengal chief minister declared that the 19 January Brigade Parade Grounds rally she is planning to showcase pan-India Opposition unity in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls would be a “turning point” for India.
Explaining the “purification drive”, Mamata said her party would conduct counter-rallies, meetings and processions at every place the BJP’s chariots would pass through from early next month, in order to “cleanse” these areas of the alleged seeds of conflict and disharmony the Rath Yatra would sow.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Vivekananda Park Still Bears Brunt of Bazi Bazar
If Chhath rituals spelt disaster for the Lake – the waterbody as well as the flora and fauna bearing the brunt of the puja performed and the crackers burst – Vivekananda Park right across the street still hosts piles of garbage and debris left behind by the Baazi Bazar, nearly 10 days after Diwali.
The city’s biggest fireworks market was held at Vivekananda Park this year after the Army initially refused to grant permission at Maidan. The park, part of the Rabindra Sarovar eco-sensitive zone, was on Friday found still littered with plastic bottles, packets, empty cartons and thermocol pieces, and the grass turning grey. “The fair was allowed at the park on condition that the organisers would return it in the same condition in which it would be given to them. They will have to pay penalty for not complying. They will also have to pay for the cleaning cost,” a KMDA official said.
(Source: The Times Of India)
3. Vanished Waterbodies Send Chhath Devotees To Lake
A dramatic change in the city’s topography and demography has led to a sharp rise in the number of Chhath devotees at Rabindra Sarobar over the past decade. First, they have been flocking to the Lake as rapid urbanisation led to the disappearance of waterbodies in south Kolkata, where some used to perform the puja. Secondly, a sizeable Hindi- and Bhojpuri-speaking population that lived in central Kolkata and went to the Hooghly to perform Chhath, shifted south and became dependent on the Lake.
(Source: The Times Of India)
4. Commuters Suffer As Autos Go On Strike On VIP Road
Thousands of schoolkids and office-goers had a harrowing time on Friday morning after auto drivers of Ultadanga-Baguiati went on a flash strike and stopped plying to protest against new permits being allegedly issued by the regional transport office and the increase in the number of ‘flying autos’ that run without valid permits or use forged documents.
Around 400-odd auto drivers began the protest from 9:30 am at Baguiati crossing. They refused passengers and stopped autos of other routes that were plying on VIP Road. The strike continued till 3:30 pm, following which cops persuaded the protestors to resume services after promising to set up a meeting between the auto union leaders and officials of the Barasat Regional Transport Office.
(Source: The Times Of India)
5. HC Report: Abused Kid Can Get Admission In Any School
A child who has faced sexual harassment in school will have the choice to shift to any other institution provided he/she can meet the financial requirements of the preferred school. Also, the institution the child opts for cannot impose any minimum academic qualification for his/her admission.
These are among the recommendations made by an expert committee set up by Calcutta High Court to protect children from sexual harassment in school. Justice Nadira Patherya accepted the final report prepared by amicus curiae advocate Phiroze Edulji on Friday and directed that steps be taken to implement it.
As a safeguard against malpractices, the report warns parents against making false allegations in a bid to get their children transferred to a perceived ‘better school’. In such cases, a school may reject admission to the child, it states.
(Source: The Times Of India)
6. HAMs Help Reunite 90-Year-Old With Her Long-Lost Sister’s Family
Tears flowed freely as 90-year-old Jasoda Nath came face-to-face with the family members of her long-lost sister – whom she had last seen 77 years ago – on a tablet screen.
Sitting at her Kanchrapara home, Jasoda gingerly held the tablet as the video call went through and the screen lit up with the smiling faces of the children and grandchildren of her sister in faraway Tripura. Though she wept with joy at this unusual reunion, she regretted that her sister Renuka Nath was not there. She had passed away in 1990.
(Source: The Times Of India)
7. Harassment Charge Against Jadavpur University Professor
A former research scholar at Jadavpur University has accused a professor who had been her guide of “body shaming” her and making “sexually coloured remarks” that caused “trauma that I could not take anymore”.
The woman resigned from her research assistantship around a month before writing a complaint to vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, in which she mentioned recorded telephonic conversations and video calls as evidence of what the professor had allegedly subjected her to.
An internal complaints committee constituted to look into the allegations of sexual harassment met on Monday to discuss the case.
The accused continues to teach at the university, sources said.
(Source: The Telegraph)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)