New Delhi: The Students Federation of India (SFI) on Wednesday apologised for the attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Finance Minister Amit Mitra in New Delhi earlier this month. The duo were heckled by SFI activists as they made their way to the Planning Commission building in the capital. Mitra suffered injuries during the melee and had to be hospitalised later on. SFI General Secretary Ritabrata Banerjee,...
07:45 PM, Apr 17, 2013
Kolkata/Siliguri: Stoking controversy, a leader of CPI(M) student wing who was arrested after a clash with ruling Trinamool Congress activists, has been chained to his bed at a state-run hospital in judicial custody. The first year student, Santosh Sahani, of SFI was arrested on April 10 after a clash between Trinamool Congress and Left supporters in Siliguri. The chain was later removed following an uproar with activists alleging violation of...
11:23 PM, Apr 16, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal government team would soon visit Delhi to take up with the Centre the issue of attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Finance Minister Amit Mitra during a protest in the national capital. "A ministerial-level delegation from the state will soon leave here for Delhi after the chief minister fully recovers," state's Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee said in Kolkata on Tuesday. Describing the incident as "most...
10:51 PM, Apr 16, 2013
Vasco: Churchill Brothers, who are enjoying a four-point lead over East Bengal in the chase for the title, are now preparing to extend the lead further when they take on an out-of-form Dempo in their 24th round I-League match at the Tilak Maidan Stadium here Wednesday. East Bengal's dream to win the title received a severe blow after they drew four matches in a row, giving Churchill Brothers a chance...
12:17 PM, Apr 16, 2013
The culture of political violence in Bengal is not even sparing holy grounds such as Presidency College (now University) which were till now protected from acts of violence and hooliganism. Trinamool workers vandalised the Baker Laboratory which has seen doyens such as Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyen Bose (of Boson fame), Prof Meghnad Saha, PC Mahalanobis at work (their equipment is still preserved there, Baker Lab just completed 100 years...
07:55 PM, Apr 15, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that her government might have committed '2 or 3' mistakes in the past two years, but would learn from them in the New Year. "In the last 2 years, there have been hundreds of examples of development in Bengal. We also may have made two or three mistakes. But we will learn from our mistakes in the New Year," Trinamool...
04:54 PM, Apr 15, 2013
Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to maintain secularism as Bangladesh's state policy, amid countrywide celebrations on Sunday to mark the Bengali New Year, seen by right-wing Islamists as "anti-Islamic" practice. "Bangladesh will be a non-communal democratic country... Our country will be run in keeping with the spirit of the Madinah Charter of our beloved Prophet Mohammad" that charted out principles of religious harmony and co-existence, Hasina said in...
09:00 AM, Apr 15, 2013
Kolkata: East Bengal's I-League hopes virtually went up in smoke after a 1-1 draw against Sporting Clube de Goa at the Vivekananda Yubabharati Krirangan Sunday. East Bengal were wasteful to start with as the Goans drew the first blood when Juanfri Pena struck in the 43rd minute. Cornered, the home outfit found the equaliser through Edeh Chidi who struck in the 62nd minute. It was East Bengal's fourth successive draw...
07:35 PM, Apr 14, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, undergoing medical treatment for the last three days, was today discharged from the Belle Vue Clinic after agreeing to advice by doctors to take rest. "The chief minister was insisting on returning home since morning and her doctors decided to discharge her with a request to her to take rest," clinic's CEO PK Tondon told PTI. Quoting the chief minister he said she...
08:45 PM, Apr 13, 2013
Kolkata: Efforts were being made to downplay the 'attack' on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and finance minister Amit Mitra by projecting the Presidency incident, the Trinamool Congress claimed on Saturday and reiterated the demand for an impartial inquiry into the vandalism. Stating that the party had condemned both the April 9 'attack' on Banerjee and the finance minister and the vandalism at Presidency University a day after, TMC Secretary General...
06:51 PM, Apr 13, 2013
Washington: Secretary of State John Kerry has wished all Bengali-speaking people around the world "Shubho Nobo Borsho!" wishing them happiness and prosperity on behalf of President Barack Obama and the American people. "On behalf of President Obama, I convey my warm greetings to all Bengali-speaking people around the world as you celebrate Pahela Boishakh," marking the advent of Bengali new year, he said in a statement. "The American people wish...
05:12 AM, Apr 13, 2013
Kolkata: The CPI(M)-led Left Front on Friday demanded immediate steps against attacks on its party offices and workers in West Bengal following the heckling of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and manhandling of state finance minister Amit Mitra in Delhi on April 9, 2013. "Arson, loot, ransacking and physical assault of party leaders have been reported from many areas," the Front said in a letter to the state Home Secretary Basudeb...
02:45 AM, Apr 13, 2013
Kolkata: Two days after Presidency University was vandalised by alleged Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan addressed students at the campus and started by apologising for the incident. Meanwhile, five people, including Shubhojeet Burman, whose mother has admitted he is a Trinamool student wing member, have been arrested. "I have failed you as a Governor, I have failed you as a chancellor. There are others who have...
09:27 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday rang up Presidency University Vice-Chancellor Malabika Sarkar and said she was devastated by the vandalism at the Baker Laboratory on April 10. "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called me up. She said that she was devastated by the incident as Presidency University is a dream project. She expressed her grief over what happened," Sarkar told students of the university during an interactive...
08:03 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Siliguri: Forty six CPI-M activists, including a former MP, were on Friday sent to judicial custody till April 18 in connection with the clashes with cadres of the Trinamool Congress in Siliguri on Wednesday. The activists had been arrested following the ruckus, however, two Left leaders, Ashok Bhattacharya and Jibesh Sarkar, were released on Thursday after night-long detention. Five women councillors were also released on bail on Thursday. ...
06:29 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's condition was improving with relief from pain and slight improvement in blood pressure, a medical bulletin said on Friday. Her pulse rate continued to be low and she was examined by cardiologist SK Biswas at the premiere Belle Vue clinic, where she was admitted to. Mamata, whose health was reviewed by members of the medical consortium headed by Subroto Maitra, was advised to...
05:53 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Kolkata: An emotional West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan on Friday addressed the students of the Presidency University and said sorry for the violence that had taken place two days ago on its campus. "I want to assure the students that this will never happen again. You, especially the girl students, come to the University to build your future, not to fend off goons. I am sorry this happened," the Chancellor...
05:35 PM, Apr 12, 2013
New Delhi: One of the five persons arrested in connection with the Presidency University ransack case has got bail while the rest have been sent to judicial custody till April 26. The five arrested included Shubhojeet Burman and Jayanta Haldar. The mother of the former has admitted that he is a Trinamool Chhatra Parishad worker even as the party denies any hand in the attack. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister...
04:47 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Kolkata: The battle between the Trinamool Congress and the students of the Presidency University is getting uglier. Five people including a TMC worker have been arrested for ransacking the Presidency University. The TMC has now filed a counter-complaint against the activists of Students' Federation of India in the Presidency University for provoking them. Two Presidency University students named in the FIR have surrendered, but are expected to be out on...
02:17 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Kolkata: Two days after the attack on the Presidency University in Kolkata by alleged Trinamool Congress workers, four people, including a TMC worker, have been arrested. Those arrested are Shubhojeet Burman, Jayanta Haldar, Vishal Jaiswal and Pushkar Kumar Das. In the first clear admission of a TMC hand in the ransack, the mother of Shubhojeet Burman, one of those arrested, has acknowledged that her son is a Trinamool worker. All...
01:15 PM, Apr 12, 2013
