1. Don't Hide Your Inability By Imposing Immersion Restrictions, HC tells Govt
The Calcutta high court on Wednesday told the Bengal government that it could not block a citizen's constitutional right to practise religion on the mere assumption that there could be disruption of law and order. “Let them (Hindus and Muslims) live in harmony , do not create a line between them,” Acting Chief Justice Rakesh Tiwary said, referring to the government's decision to disallow the immersion of Durga idols on 1 October when Muharram would be observed.
The acting chief justice asked the state government to provide “concrete grounds” for its decision to stop immersion of Durga idols after 10 pm on 30 September (Vijaya Dashami day) and disallow it completely on 1 October. “The administration is hiding its inability by imposing restrictions,” he said.
The bench hearing three PILs, which have challenged the restrictions imposed on immersion of idols at the end of the Durga Puja festival, also includes Justice Harish Tandon. It is expected to give its verdict on the issue on Thursday . But its observations on Wednesday were categorical: a mere assumption that a law-and-order situation might arise because Dashami and Muharram fell on consecutive days could not be the basis of imposing curbs on immersion timings.
“If you say there is complete harmony , are you (the state administration) not creating a line of division between the two communities by your action?“ asked Justice Tandon.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Mamata’s Hill Gamble
The Mamata Banerjee government rolled the dice for a calculated gamble to sideline Bimal Gurung by nominating his rival as the head of a nine-member board that will run the administration and drive development projects in the strike-crippled hills.
Dissident Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang has been named the chief of the board of administrators that will oversee the activities of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration ( GTA), the semi-autonomous body for the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills.
Making the announcement, the chief minister suggested that she considers Tamang to be the rightful leader of the Morcha now.
"As per provisions of Section 65(b) of the GTA act, we have decided to appoint a board of administrators under the chairmanship of Binay Tamang, who is leading the Morcha at this moment," Mamata said.
The statement marks a shift from the policy of dealing with Tamang behind the scenes till now. Another rebel Morcha leader, Anit Thapa, has been nominated as the vice- chairman of the board.
(Source: The Telegraph)
3. CM Jibe at Rajnath On Giri Meet
Mamata Banerjee today suggested that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh shouldn't have met Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri as a lookout notice had been issued against the hill leader.
"I know there is a lookout notice against him. The Union minister's post is constitutional. If I was there (in that position), I would not have met him (Giri)," the chief minister said at Nabanna on Wednesday.
She was replying to a question on the meeting between Rajnath and Giri in Delhi the day before.
Asked why Bengal police were not arresting Giri, Mamata said: "When police get him, he will be arrested." In Siliguri, state tourism minister Gautam Deb today said the meeting between Giri and Rajnath proved that the BJP was backing the ongoing agitation. "It is unfortunate that the Union home minister had a meeting with a person (Giri), who is booked under Unlawful Activities ( Prevention) Act (UAPA) and against whom a lookout notice has been issued. It clearly indicates the BJP is supporting the ongoing movement in the hills," Deb said.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Showers Likely On Two Festival Days: Met
This year, Durga Puja is likely to be rain-soaked and the weather could play spoilsport on at least two days during the festival, the Met office predicted on Wednesday .
While the showers may not last very long, they may strike in multiple spells throughout the day and disrupt pandal-hopping. The weathermen, however, could not yet specify which two days are likely to be affected. A cyclonic circulation that is likely to form in the north Bay of Bengal around September 2526 could be the trigger. On Wednesday , Kolkata received 11.9mm rain till 5.30pm.
A wet Puja is likely to be preceded by a relatively dry period. With the low pressure, which has been triggering rain in Gangetic Bengal since Monday, having receded to Jharkhand, it will have minimal impact on the weather now, said GK Das, director, Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).
“The showers will now lessen. Though sporadic, light spells are likely on Thursday. From September 22 to 24, we expect a relatively dry period with very little rain. But the weather could change during the Puja period,“ said Das.
(Source: The Times Of India)
5. Ritabrata Probe Team Should Have Had A Woman Member: Yechury
It would have been better had there been a woman representative in the committee that looked into the allegations against expelled party MP Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in Kolkata on Wednesday.
There were four major allegations against the MP in the inquiry committee charge-sheet. Among them were allegations of his “moral degeneration“ in relation to women. The three-member committee – including Md Salim, Madan Ghosh and Mridul Dey – looked into the complaints. The committee also probed into the allegations of continuous leakage of the party's internal issues to the media, lavish lifestyle and serious inconsistency between his income and expenditure.
“He had been given enough opportunity. He was a Rajya Sabha MP. But the allegations against him were found to be true,” Yechury said.
Bandyopadhyay had alle ged he wasn't allowed to spend his MPLAD funds.Yechury on Wednesday said, “MPLAD funds aren't spent by the MPs, but by the officials. An MP goes through proposals and either approves or disapproves. Nobody could stop an MP from spending MPLAD funds.’’
(Source: The TImes Of India)
6. Injured Man Turned Away By Four Hospitals
The nightmare for a Jalpaiguri accident victim trying to get treatment in a Kolkata hospital the whole of Tuesday night ended on Wednesday morning only after intervention from the CM's office. Desperation due to refusals for admission by four hospitals drove the family to 30B Harish Chatterjee Street on Wenesday morning. The person from the Chanadipa under Banahat police station area is now admitted to SSKM.
Sahabul Alam (32) was seriously injured after his vanrickshaw overturned near his home on Monday . Referred by a north Bengal hospital to SSKM, he faced a series of rejections by the four city hospitals – SSKM (twice), NRS Medical College, Sambhunath Pandit Hospital and Calcutta Medical College & Hospital (CMCH). After his final attempt to get admitted to SSKM failed around 11.30pm on Tuesday , the patient and his relatives spent the night in an ambulance in front of SSKM's emergency ward. This is when they decided to knock on the chief minister's door.
“We were at a loss as to what to do. The only address we knew was 30B Harish Chatterjee Street and the only person is Didi.We decided to seek help from Didi and went to her Kalighat address,“ said Khursid Alam, the patient's brother.
(Source: The Times Of India)
7. Father Claims Acid Attack By Uncle as Six-Month-Old Fights For Sight
A six-month-old is fighting to save her eyesight in a Kolkata hospital after a suspected chemical was poured into her eyes. While her father who comes from Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district abutting Kolkata, alleged that his brother (the victim’s uncle) committed the crime with active help from his mother, the police say that there are a lot of loose ends and that the probe is likely to include the parents as well.
The parents – Jayanta Chakraborty and wife Tumpa – are both beggars. While the incident, according to them, occurred on 3 September, the baby was admitted to Calcutta National Medical College (CNMC) a good fortnight later on Monday. On Wednesday, CNMC Superintendent, Dr Pitbaran Chakraborty said, “We have referred her to another hospital for better treatment.” Accordingly, she was admitted to the Regional Institute of Opthalmology of Calcutta Medical College.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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