1. Pak Prisoners Shifted to Separate Cells
Amid escalating tension with Pakistan, Bengal has shifted all its prisoners from the neighbouring country – 14 in all, lodged in the Dum Dum and Presidency jails – to separate cells for their safety.
Of the 10 prisoners in Dum Dum jail, three are women, arrested for violation of the Foreigners’ Act, and five are awaiting release after serving out their sentences.
Senior jail officers said the shifting took place after the Pulwama attacks and hours after a 50-year-old Pakistani convict was allegedly killed by fellow inmates in Rajasthan’s Jaipur jail.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Martyr’s Widow Trolled for ‘Not Wanting War’
A Pakistan-backed terror attack claimed her husband’s life less than a fortnight ago. Now this young Howrah widow is having to contend with trolling – from compatriots – who have not liked her sane, “war-cannot-solve-every problem” stand.
For Mita Santra, whose husband, Babloo Santra, was one of the 40 CRPF jawans who died in the Pulwama terror attack on 14 February, grief has been followed by abuse on the social media. She has been trolled on various websites and social media platforms and pulled up for being “cowardly and self-centred”.
While a few posts have been downright offensive, Mita – an English teacher from Bauria in Howrah – is not ready to buckle under pressure. She has scores of Kolkatans rallying around her. From housewives to university students, academicians and even prominent intellectuals, many have lauded the teacher for her anti-war stance.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Pak Sky Closure Effect on City, Too
Pakistan's decision to close its airspace forced Kolkata's air traffic control (ATC) to divert several flights bound for Europe through other routes and allow some to turn back on Wednesday.
Since evening, airport sources said, a number of overflying flights bound for Europe from southeast Asia and Australia were being cancelled.
Officials at the Calcutta airport said diversion of flights bound for Europe and the Gulf would continue till Pakistan reopened its airspace. "Till then, planes will take longer to reach their destinations," an official said.
Although most aircraft taking off from Kolkata do not fly over Pakistan, some of the airlines are being flooded with calls from passengers eager to know the status of their flights.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. School Pool Death: Cops Speak to All Stakeholders for Sequence of Events
Cops probing the mysterious circumstances that led to the death of four-year-old Sambuddha Ghosh in the swimming pool of his school said on Wednesday, 27 February, that they have now spoken to all stakeholders in the school to establish the exact chain of events.
The police said that among those they have spoken with are a few who have been named in the complaint filed by Sambuddha’s father Subhajit.
“We are doing everything to take the case forward. We cannot share details, but we have begun corroborating statements,” said a police source.
Officers said they have spoken in detail with the person who had gone looking for Sambuddha in the pool. The police said they were investigating who was in charge of the pool and the reason the door to it was unlocked on the day of Sambuddha’s death.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Order to Secure Air Assets in the East
The Eastern Air Command has asked officers to secure its air assets across the region.
The message has gone out to air officers commanding (AOCs) across the squadrons posted in Kalaikunda, Hashimara, Barrackpore and Bagdogra air bases in Bengal and also air bases in Tezpur, Chauba and Jorhat in Assam, sources at the air headquarters in Shillong said.
Within hours of this move on Wednesday, 27 February, Lt Gen MM Naravane, the GoC-in-C, Eastern Command, visited the Panagarh military station to check on preparations ahead of the arrival of the Brahmastra Corps from Ranchi.
(Source: The Telegraph)
6. Nine Schoolkids Injured as Truck Hits Pool Car
Nine school students were injured when the pool car carrying them hit a roadside tree after it was hit by a truck. The pool car driver, too, was injured. The accident took place at Malandighi in East Burdwan’s Kanksa on Wednesday. According to police, the truck caught fire after it hit the car.
The incident occurred when two trucks were trying to overtake the pool car carrying students of Ramkrishna Sevasram Vidyapith on Mucipara-Shibpur Road near Kanksa. The truck driver managed to flee and the injured were taken to a private hospital at Sonaka. A mob blocked the road for half an hour in protest against the accident.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. One More Wet Spell Before Clouds Lift
Two thunderstorms accompanied by rain lashed the city 11 hours apart on Wednesday.
The weather department said at least one more spell of showers was expected on Thursday, after which rainfall is likely to stop.
During the first spell of thunderstorm, between 5 am and 6 am, the wind clocked a maximum speed of 66 kmph at 5:05 am. The maximum speed during the second phase, recorded at 3:55 pm, was 46 kmph.
Calcutta has been experiencing thunderstorms intermittently since Monday morning because of multiple weather systems over the land and the Bay of Bengal.
(Source: The Telegraph)
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