1. Corona Panic Being Spread To Divert From Delhi Violence: Mamata Banerjee
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that panic was being spread over the coronavirus to divert attention from the Delhi violence, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted that he would stay away from Holi festivities to prevent the spread of the virus.
“A lot of people are creating a fuss over the coronavirus. Certainly a disease is a disease. The whole world is worried. But don’t create panic. So that people forget what happened in Delhi, to divert attention from the actual matter, they are going around saying corona, corona. When it actually happens, most certainly say so. We want a medicine for this (coronavirus). We deal with a disease as a disease. We don’t want even a single person in Bengal to be affected,” Mamata said at a programme in Buniyadpur, South Dinajpur.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. 3 In ID Isolation Ward; Health Dept Sets Up Camp At Airport
The ID&BG Hospital on Wednesday admitted three suspects in the isolation ward. Also, the state health department has set up a camp at the airport terminal international wing to ensure immediate quarantine of flyers identified as ‘suspects’ after thermal screening.
One of the suspects is a woman from Dum Dum who had been in close contact with friends who had travelled to Thailand recently. While none of the friends are corona infected, the woman showed some symptoms. The second person is a man from South 24 Parganas who has a travel history to an affected region. He was rushed to the state’s nodal hospital for nCoV after he complained of fever. The third suspect is a man from Ranaghat in Nadia.
(Source: The Times Of India)
3. Sent Back SC/ST File: Jagdeep Dhankhar
Bengal chief secretary Rajiva Sinha on Wednesday called on governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and discussed “a host of issues” including the SC-ST Commission Bill that has been pending with Raj Bhavan.
After the meeting, Dhankhar said he had returned the file relating to the West Bengal State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Bill, 2019, which was passed by the Assembly on 30 August last year.
The governor, who had sought more inputs from the Trinamool Congress government for giving assent to the bill, said he would address the issue when he gets the file back.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. HC Starts Hearing Polish Youth’s Plea Against Deportation
Calcutta High Court on Wednesday started hearing the petition moved by Polish student Kamil Siedcynski against a ‘leave-India’ notice served upon him by the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for allegedly participating in an anti-CAA protest on 19 December. Appearing for Siedcynski, senior counsel Jayanta Mitra submitted before Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya that the Centre’s action was arbitrary and demonstrated non-application of mind.
Mitra said Siedcynski was a mere spectator of a demonstration held near New Market, where he unwittingly spoke to a vernacular daily journalist. The comparative literature PG student at Jadavpur University later learnt an article had appeared in the newspaper with his photo. The journalist allegedly put words in his mouth for which Siedcynski complained to the newspaper, Mitra claimed. On 14 February, he received an FRRO notice, directing him to meet officials on 19 February. Siedcynski sought another date and appeared before FRRO officials on 24 February. The student was given no chance to defend himself and handed the ‘leave-India’ notice, dated 14 February, Mitra alleged. The order says Siedcynski has to leave India by 9 March.
(Source: The Times Of India)
5. Refugees, Not B’desh Immigrants, Are Bona Fide Citizens Of India: Didi
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday clarified her stand on refugees following her views as reported in sections of the media and categorically denied having said that Bangladeshi immigrants were bona fide citizens of India.
“I have never said that people of Bangladesh are our citizens. There are citizens of Bangladesh as we are citizens of India. I would only like to point out that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were one country before Partition in 1947. Many people from Pakistan and now Bangladesh came over to India after Partition. I had referred to them. There were two treaties, one with Pakistan known as the Nehru-Liaquat Treaty and the other with Bangladesh called the Indira-Mujib Treaty, regarding these people,” Banerjee said at a public rally held in Buniyadpur, Dakshin Dinajpur.
(Source: The Times Of India)
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