1. Governor Visit Nod
Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi is likely to visit some violence-affected areas of Asansol and Raniganj on Saturday, three days after the Mamata Banerjee government "advised" against such a trip on security grounds, sources said.
"The governor again expressed his desire to visit and this time there was no objection," said a government source.
The trip was cleared partly because the state has claimed normality and rejected Delhi's offer for central forces. The nod is also seen as a "damage control" after Asansol MP Babul Supriyo was stopped from entering the town on Thursday.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Post-Ram Navami Violence, Police Gear up for Hanuman Jayanti
Following violence over Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal, the police are putting in place elaborate arrangements to avoid any untoward incident during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations in the state today.
Apart from a ban on armed rallies, additional forces will be deployed in each district and police personnel will be placed outside every religious place.
"Elaborate arrangements have been made. Police will be deployed in every corner of the state, we will keep a tab on any suspicious movement. No one will be allowed to take out armed rallies," a senior police officer said.
(Source: PTI)
3. Agitating Students Disrupt Rail Services in Assam
Several trains were cancelled and at least a dozen were stopped midway today after the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU) organised a 'rail roko' at Kokrajhar station, demanding new Kamtapur state.
They also demanded ST status for the Koch-Rajbongshi community during the agitation, officials of Northeast Frontier Railway said.
"Due to the protest, we had to cancelled 10 local trains during morning hours. However, no long-distance trains were cancelled and they were only stopped at various stations in Assam and West Bengal," a Northeast Frontier Railway Spokesperson said.
(Source: PTI)
4. Storms Kill Boy, Ravage Farms
Hailstorms and thundershowers in north Bengal claimed the life of a boy and caused extensive damage to crops amid forecasts of such weather in much of the state till Sunday.
Met sources said thunder squalls with wind speeds up to 65 kmph accompanied by hail was likely to occur in sub-Himalayan Bengal and Gangetic Bengal, including Calcutta.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Trinamul 'Tourist' Label on BJP Boss
Minister Gautam Deb on Friday described Amit Shah as a "tourist", saying the BJP chief's trip to north Bengal next month would not have any impact on the ruling Trinamul in the forthcoming rural polls.
"He appears to be under tremendous pressure and needs some refreshment. The weather here is beautiful these days and we feel he should come here like a tourist and enjoy his stay. He had paid a similar visit earlier as a tourist and tried some stunts. But those didn't work out," Deb, the tourism minister who hails from north Bengal, said.
(Source: The Telegraph)
6. Kolkata: College Girls Get Stalker Arrested
A middle aged man was arrested in Salt Lake for allegedly taking photographs of four college girls without their consent near City Centre Mall on Friday evening.
Police said the girls were walking towards CB Block in Salt Lake when they noticed a man pointing his cellphone at them with the flashlight on.
The girls, all in their early twenties, allegedly demanded to check his phone but the man refused.
(Source: Times of India)
7. Bandel Church Priest Appeals for Peace, Tolerance
The head priest of one of the oldest Catholic churches in the country has appealed to people to live a "peaceful life" and adopt the principles of "tolerance and forgiveness".
No matter what is our religion or culture, living in peace with fellow humans and other living beings is the need of the hour, Father TL Francis, Prior of Marian shrine at Bandel Church in Hooghly district, said during the Good Friday service.
(Source: PTI)
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