1. Trinamool Ups Ante on Citizenship Act
The Trinamool Congress has launched its campaign against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in north Bengal by organising a meeting in Malda and taking out processions across the region.
Around 3,000 Trinamool supporters on Thursday attended the meeting near the district collectorate in Malda where tourism minister Gautam Deb and former MP Mausam Benazir Noor renewed the vow to oppose the CAB and the National Register of Citizens in Bengal.
“People across north Bengal, particularly those living closer to the Assam border, fear the NRC and the CAB. We want to reiterate that our government and party will not let the BJP take up any of these exercises in the state. We want people to be aware of the consequences they might face. I will visit districts like Alipurduar and Cooch Behar and speak to people to ease their feeling of insecurity,” said Deb.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. 60-Year-Old Kolkata Woman Stabbed, Beheaded, Her Abdomen Slashed Open: Cops
A 60-year-old woman who lived in a rented apartment in south Kolkata was found beheaded and stabbed multiple times on Thursday morning, police said.
The victim, Urmila Kumari (60), originally from Punjab, used to live with her two sons who were out of town to attend a marriage, police said.
“For two days the woman was alone. We are trying to contact her sons. This could be a murder for gain or an act of vengeance. We are not ruling out any possibility,” said joint commissioner of police (crime) Murlidhar Sharma.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. No HC Stay on Mukul Voice Test
The high court on Thursday declined to stay an order by a subordinate Calcutta court that had allowed police to conduct a voice sample test of BJP leader Mukul Roy in connection with the arrest in July last year of a Burrabazar trader from whom Rs 90 lakh had been seized.
“After seizing the cellphones of a few witnesses in that case, police had recovered clippings containing Roy’s purported voice. It was very relevant to the case,” said state public prosecutor Saswata Gopal Mukherjee on Thursday.
Roy had moved the high court in March seeking a stay on an order issued by the metropolitan magistrates’ court.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Steady Supply of Onion to Bring Price Below Rs 100/Kg in Kolkata
A quantum jump in supply of freshly harvested onion promises to pull the retail price in Kolkata below Rs 100 in a day or two. The supply line, which was unsteady over the last two-three weeks, has been getting into the groove. Twelve onion-laden trucks from Nashik reached Koley Markert on Thursday. Another 12 have reached the wholesale market in Posta.
Apart from other states, freshly harvested onion has started arriving the city from Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum, said an agri-marketing department officer on Thursday. More than 100 tonnes of onion has been supplied to the city markets and the agri-marketing department will now keep a close watch on onion prices post this supply.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Online Fraud: South Kolkata Woman Duped of Rs 24 Lakh
A woman, who spent several years in London and had even worked closely with law enforcement agencies abroad before returning to Kolkata and settling in Lake gardens, was allegedly duped online of Rs 24 lakh. Though the modus operandi is typical of the Nigerian fraud gang, what stood out this time was the fact that the accused had befriended her while playing an online game.
The cybercrime cell of Kolkata Police has lodged a case in this regard. According to initial investigations, the two accounts where the money was sent, were “hired” for a few days by the accused.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. New Rule to Curb Varsity Autonomy, Claim West Bengal Teachers’ Bodies
Two university teachers’ bodies of West Bengal on Wednesday termed a new rule tabled in the Assembly to check direct communications between the chancellor and the varsities as “dangerous” for the autonomy of the educational institutes.
The Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) and the All Bengal University Teachers’ Association (ABUTA) criticised the rule that said all communications between the two sides would henceforth be routed through the higher education department.
The governor is the chancellor of all the state-run universities.
(Source: PTI)
(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.)