MP, 4 May 2024, Siliguri: Two people from Cooch Behar were arrested for allegedly duping money in two separate cases. Complaints for both the cases were lodged in 2023 at Panitanki Out Post.
Police arrested both the accused at the same place in Cooch Behar on Thursday. In one case, Moumita Nag, a resident of Hakimpara area of Siliguri, met a 25-year-old youth named Devkant Dey on social media.
A brother-sister relationship developed between the two. After gaining Moumita’s trust, Devkanth took money from her several times by promising her that he would double the money. He took about Rs 10 lakh from Moumita and absconded.
On October 9, 2023, Moumita lodged a complaint. In the second case, another person named Sanat Talukdar from Cooch Behar was arrested by the police of Panitanki Outpost on charges of cheating a resident of Jalpaiguri on the pretext of providing a loan from the bank.
Shyamal Sarkar, a resident of Jalpaiguri, took a loan of Rs 2 lakh from a bank in Siliguri last year. The accused, Sanat Talukder, was an employee of that bank.
There, Shyamal gave Rs 1 lakh to Sanat to submit to the bank, but he deposited the money to his own bank account. Later, on September 22, 2023, Shyamal lodged a complaint. Both the accused were produced in Siliguri Court on Friday.
MP, 4 May 2024, Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was pulled up by the Calcutta High Court for applying to the Chief Secretary for sanction to prosecute former ministers and public servants in recruitment scam cases instead of the Governor, who was the correct sanctioning authority.
According to a news agency, the Division Bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Gaurang Kanth called for a report from CBI on whether the appropriate sanctioning authority has been approached and observed that the issue needs to be sorted at the earliest.
On behalf of CBI, it was submitted that the sanction from the Chief Secretary was sought only for the prosecution of school department officials.
The Court reportedly clarified that in the case of Kalyanmoy Ganguly and other former ministers, it needs to be sought from the Governor itself. The matter is scheduled to be heard on May 7.
Mamata On April 23, the Court had warned that if the Chief Secretary failed to act on the Court’s directions then they would be constrained to initiate proceedings against him.
In earlier two occasions as well, the Chief Secretary was asked to make his position clear. The Division Bench was hearing the bail applications of former minister Partha Chatterjee, Subires Bhattacharjee and Kalyanmoy Ganguly, amongst others.
According to the counsel representing them, they have been in custody for about two years and the case could not progress due to the absence of sanction.
MP, 4 May 2024, Kolkata: Candidates who lost their job following the verdict of Calcutta High Court in the 2016 recruitment staged a demonstration outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) office on Friday.
The Commission chairman Siddharth Majumder met with 10 representatives from the protesters and explained the legal constraints pertaining to the matter. While expressing his sympathy towards legitimate candidates who allegedly lost their jobs in the case, he assured them that the commission will do everything possible within the legal framework to assist them.
The Calcutta High Court had declared around 25,753 appointments–both teaching and non-teaching–granted in the selection process of 2016 as “null and void and cancelled.” It was challenged in the Supreme Court by the state government.
According to a news agency, the state argued that the High Court instead of segregating the valid from invalid appointments has set the 2016 recruitment entirely. It was further pleaded that the special bench had relied upon oral arguments without the support of affidavits.
It was stated that the result of this judgement will create a vacuum in the state unless the new selection process is completed.
Hence, it will impact the students considering the upcoming new academic session. The Supreme Court recently stayed CBI probe with regard to the state government officials involved in approving supernumerary posts to accommodate illegal appointments and to take such persons into custodial interrogation if necessary.
However, the apex court turned down the prayer for stay of High Court’s direction to cancel the appointments of 25,753 candidates, which includes both teaching and non-teaching staff who were appointed in 2016.
On Thursday, Raj Bhavan banned the entry of Bhattacharya. On Friday, a statement from the Governor’s office read: “The Attorney General for India has been contacted for advice on further legal steps against the Minister for her defamatory and anti-constitutional media statements.”
MP,4 May 2024, Kolkata: A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya accused Governor C V Ananda Bose of turning the ‘Peace Room’ in Raj Bhavan into Peace Haven (a city-based mortuary) of women’s respect, the Governor’s office has informed it is consulting the Attorney General for legal action against Bhattacharya.
On Thursday, Raj Bhavan banned the entry of Bhattacharya. On Friday, a statement from the Governor’s office read: “The Attorney General for India has been contacted for advice on further legal steps against the Minister for her defamatory and anti-constitutional media statements.”
Bhattacharya said she cannot be intimidated and that Raj Bhavan has no right to ban her entry. She said she has a sound understanding of law and will take necessary action. TMC leader Shashi Panja said: “Governor is in arrogance mode and banned our Finance minister from entering Raj Bhavan.
Did he ever think that we were willing to go there? After this allegation, are we ready to enter that place? Ask us first.”
Since PM Modi was supposed to stay at Raj Bhavan on Thursday night, she questioned: “I want to know where did the PM stay last night? Why did he not utter a single word on the molestation allegations against the Governor?
Raj Bhavan has also banned the entry of police into its premises “in the guise of conducting unauthorised, illegitimate, sham and motivated investigation to placate political bosses during elections”.
DC Central, Kolkata Police, Indira Mukherjee told the media that a complaint was received at 5 pm at Raj Bhavan outpost on Thursday where a woman who is a Raj Bhavan staff alleged sexual harassment against the Governor.
Mukherjee said the complaint was forwarded to Hare Street police station. “We have initiated an inquiry. Since this kind of complaint is a sensitive matter. We are consulting our law department and constitutional experts.
It is part of our inquiry. We know when the incident happened but we will not share it now,” she said. Asked if she spoke to the officer on special duty (OSD) of the Governor, she said: “Our inquiry has not reached that level yet”.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police has constituted an eight-member Special Enquiry Team (SET) to conduct an enquiry about the alleged molestation. Cops on Friday reportedly went to Ran Bhavan and talked with some of the employees.
The Governor, in a message said: “Dear members of the Raj Bhavan staff. I welcome all generous allegations and the frequent innuendos passed on me by a political force. I understand there is more in the offing. But one thing is clear.
None of the absurd dramas is going to deter me from a determined effort to expose corruption and curb violence. Character assassination is the last resort of a failing malevolence. Those who engineer these filthy narratives have a totally moribund character…”
The complainant informed the Raj Bhavan OC on Thursday that she resides in the Raj Bhavan quarters and is a contractual staff there. She alleged that on April 19 the Governor asked her to meet him with a resume and on April 24, she met him in the afternoon. It is then that the Governor allegedly made a lewd proposal and even touched her.
She alleged she somehow managed to avoid that. She also alleged she was again called on May 2 when she decided to go along with the supervisor but the Governor asked the supervisor to leave the conference room. He allegedly told the victim he will call her at night but when she refused, he misbehaved with her.
The crime investigation department booked Prajwal, grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, after a JD-S worker from Hassan lodged a complaint against him
PTI, 03, May 2024 : The Criminal Investigation Department investigating the sexual abuse allegations against Janata Dal-Secular leader and National Democratic Alliance’s Hassan Lok Sabha candidate Prajwal Revanna has registered a case of rape against him, based on the complaint by a party worker.
The crime investigation department booked Prajwal, grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, after a JD-S worker from Hassan lodged a complaint against him.
Besides the rape charges, the CID invoked sections against Prajwal pertaining to voyeurism, disrobing and making videos and taking photographs by threatening the complainant.
In the complaint, the woman said Prajwal had raped her at gunpoint and made videos on his mobile phones.
She said Prajwal had taken her to the MP quarters where he perpetrated the crime at gunpoint and threatened that he would kill her as well as her husband, if she revealed to anyone what he had done.
The accused allegedly forced her to satisfy his lust whenever he demanded, and threatened to make her video public if she did not cooperate.
Prajwal is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women. The state government-constituted Special Investigation Team is investigating the case.
Scores of explicit video clips allegedly involving the 33-year-old MP sexually abusing several women had started making the rounds in recent days.
Prajwal is the BJP-JD-S alliance’s candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held on April 26, after which he left the country on a diplomatic passport.
The JD-S had joined the NDA in September last year.
The JD-S leadership has suspended Prajwal from the party.
All four people were pronounced dead at the scene on Highway 401 in Whitby, about 50 kilometres east of Toronto, police said on Thursday.
PTI, Toronto, May 3, 2024 : An Indian couple visiting Canada and their three-month-old grandchild were among four people killed on the spot in a multi-vehicle collision when Ontario police pursued a liquor store robbery suspect driving the wrong way.
All four people were pronounced dead at the scene on Highway 401 in Whitby, about 50 kilometres east of Toronto, police said on Thursday.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said that two of the victims, a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, were visiting from India. However, the SIU did not release the names of the victims.
The couple’s three-month-old grandson also died in the multi-vehicle collision. Highway 401 was closed for several hours after the incident on Monday, it said.
The agency said that the parents of the infant, his 33-year-old father and 27-year-old mother, were travelling in the same vehicle and were taken to hospital.
The mother’s injuries are serious, the SIU said.
The 21-year-old robbery suspect was also killed in the collision, which involved at least six vehicles, CBC News reported.
Officials have said the deadly car chase started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville and ended around 20 minutes later after the suspect in a cargo van led Durham police on a high-speed chase against opposing traffic on Highway 401.
A 38-year-old male passenger from the cargo van was also taken to the hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
The autopsies for the victims were conducted in Toronto on Wednesday.
Seven investigators, one forensic investigator and one collision reconstructionist continue to investigate this case, the statement said.
The SIU is an agency called in to investigate whenever police are involved in a death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
Milica Maljkovic Birkett, a witness to the deadly police chase and had a lucky escape, said she didn’t have time to think.
She was driving her regular commute on the 401, when she was suddenly face-to-face with the suspect van barrelling toward her car on the wrong way.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, like what just happened? What’s going on?'” Maljkovic Birkett told CBC Toronto on Thursday.
Maljkovic Birkett said the experience has taken time to process.
“It’s so scary,” she said. “For whatever reason, somehow my life was spared. But (four) others were taken and that was just really heavy,” she said.
PTI, Imphal, May 2, 2024 : A bank was robbed in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Thursday, officials said.
The incident happened at SBI’s Salbung branch in the Tuibong area around 2 pm, they said.
Preliminary information suggests that around Rs 20 lakh in cash was robbed by four armed men, who are yet to be identified, they added.
An investigation was underway, officials said.
Following the robbery, the armed men who were wearing masks and helmets fled towards Kangvai, eyewitnesses told the police.
A search was underway to arrest the perpetrators, officials said.
Another bank looted in CCpur
Chronicle News Service, CCpur, May 02 2024: The State Bank of India (SBI) branch located in K Salbung, Churachandpur district, became the latest target in a string of bank robberies plaguing the hill areas of the state since the onset of the crisis on May 3 last year.
According to reports, a group of 4 or 5 armed individuals with faces concealed with masks and helmets, stormed into the SBI K Sal-bung branch on Thursday around 1.30 pm.
Brandishing small firearms, the assailants held both bank officials and customers at gunpoint as they ransacked the branch.
The intruders also fired shots both inside and outside the bank, before seizing approximately Rs 15 lakh in cash from the cash counter no 2 of the bank as well as the customers, who were inside the bank at the time of the heist.
The branch manager has lodged a complaint at Churachandpur police station, detailing the events.
Witnesses recounted the chaos and fear that ensued as the armed robbers made their way through the bank, rifling through drawers and demanding cash from both staff and customers.
In a show of violence, shots were fired towards the branch manager’s cabin, heightening tensions and leaving the customers in fear.
The robbers also proceeded to threaten employees at gunpoint, vandalising strategically placed CCTV cameras and damaging certain machines within the premises.
Eyewitnesses and law enforcement sources confirmed that the perpetrators swiftly fled the scene, escaping towards Kangvai road in Churachandpur district.
In response, a rapid and extensive manhunt was launched by police and central forces to apprehend the culprits and recover the stolen funds.
In the aftermath of the robbery, authorities discovered a live round left on the desk of cash counter no 3, which was promptly handed over to the police for further investigation.
This latest incident adds to a grim tally of bank robberies that have plagued the hill areas of the state since the crisis erupted last year.
On May 16 last year, armed miscreants looted Rs 11.7 lakh from the Manipur State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) branch in Churachandpur.
On July 10 last year, gunmen robbed Rs 3 crore from the Axis Bank branch in Churachandpur.
Just four days later, on July 14, armed assailants targeted the MSCB branch in Kangpokpi, looting cash and equipment worth nearly Rs 1 crore.
November 23 last year, witnessed a brazen heist at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Ukhrul, where gunmen decamped with nearly Rs 19 crore.
Mention may be made that all the Meetei residents of Churachandpur district have fled the district after armed Kuki mob targeted their properties and lives on May 3 last year.
In the aftermath, almost all of the standing properties in the Meetei localities have been flattened to the ground using bulldozers.
Even a Kuki youth was killed while trying to demolish a multi-storeyed building owned by a Meetei resident of Churachandpur.
The accused had established a “brotherly relationship” with a woman on social media to gain her trust before swindling her of lakhs of rupees.
EOI, SILIGURI, MAY 3, 2024 : A man involved in an alleged online scam has been arrested six months after the filing of the complaint.
The accused had established a “brotherly relationship” with a woman on social media to gain her trust before swindling her of lakhs of rupees.
The accused scammer, a resident of Cooch Behar, established contact with the woman, a resident of Hakimpara in Siliguri, by introducing himself on social media.
Gradually he gained the trust of the woman. He persuaded her to provide him with Rs 10,000 and returned Rs 17,000 to build her trust.
Later, he deceived her into handing over around Rs 50,000 on one occasion while returning Rs70,000.
Finally, he disappeared after swindling the woman of lakhs of rupees. Following the complaint of the woman the Panitanki Outpost tracked the man, using his mobile tower location.
The bench asked Singhvi when are the elections scheduled in Delhi to which he replied that on May 23 the campaigning will come to an end in the national capital and on May 25 the polling will be held
PTI, New Delhi, 03.05.24 : In a ray of hope to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after 43 days of his arrest in the excise policy-linked money laundering case, the Supreme Court on Friday told the Enforcement Directorate to be ready with the case as it may consider hearing arguments on his interim bail on May 7 on account of Lok Sabha polls in Delhi.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and is currently lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody.
A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), that the hearing on Kejriwal’s plea against arrest is likely to take time and therefore, the court was considering hearing the probe agency on interim bail to him.
“It appears we can’t complete today. We will post it on Tuesday morning itself. Mr Raju, one more thing. If it is going to take time and it does appear to us that it may take some time, we will then consider the question of interim bail because of the elections,” the bench told Raju, who was wrapping up his argument for the day.
Raju submitted that he will oppose the bail to Kejriwal and pointed out that to the statements made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh after getting bail last month in the case.
“Just, look at the kind of statements he is making,” he said.
The bench said it is putting the agency on notice about the court’s intention, so that it is not taken by surprise on May 7, when the interim bail issue will be dealt.
“We are not commenting on it either way. We are just saying we will hear on interim bail and not saying we will grant interim bail. We may or may not grant interim bail,” the bench said.
It also told senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal,
“Just one thing more. Please also take instructions. Because of the position he holds, whether he should be signing official files?” During the hearing, Singhvi informed the bench that on March 16 the elections were announced and on March 21, Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on the basis of statements and materials which were available with the agency since last July.
The bench asked Singhvi when are the elections scheduled in Delhi to which he replied that on May 23 the campaigning will come to an end in the national capital and on May 25 the polling will be held.
The top court was also critical of Singhvi’s arguments that AAP being a political party will not be covered under section 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which deals with offences by companies.
“Anything done by a political party cannot be attributed to its President, Convenor or General Secretary, else it will be a case of vicarious liability. A political party is out of the section 70 of the PMLA,” he submitted, adding that the provision only deals with companies.
The senior lawyer further said that a political party is not a partnership, private corporate firm or a society but an entity which is registered under the Representation of the People Act.
The bench said, “It is difficult to accept your arguments.
AAP is a juristic person and cannot be arrested. It can be impleaded as accused. Person in-charge can be prosecuted along with the juristic person under section 70 of the PMLA. Will the society not be covered under section 70.
Anyways, we have noted your arguments and will deal with it.” Singhvi said that there is no direct evidence of Kejriwal receiving kickback and if at all he has, then the case will fall under the Prevention of Corruption Act and not the PMLA.
He added that all the materials the ED has, were covered in the bail case of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and the court has said that no case is made out based on them.
The top court also posed several queries to ED including on why nine exculpatory statements of witnesses were not mentioned in the ground of arrest of Kejriwal and why only inculpatory statements were mentioned.
Raju replied that the investigating officer, though having considered all the materials before him, is required to only mention the relevant material which make him believe that the accused has committed the offence.
“I have considered all the materials but I need to mention only the relevant material and not irrelevant materials. The statements which are exculpatory are irrelevant material and if the investigation officer is to record all the materials before it, then the record will be voluminous and he will not be able to file the chargesheet in 60 days,” Raju submitted.
However, the bench did not agree with the submissions and said that the scheme of the law and the 2022 verdict in Vijay Madanlal Choudhury has kept section 19 at higher pedestal and therefore, entire material should be before the court at the time of his arrest.
Section 19 of the PMLA empowers the ED to arrest persons based on the material in its possession, providing a reasonable basis to suspect that an individual has committed an offence punishable under the law.
The top court issued the ED a notice on April 15 and sought its response to Kejriwal’s plea.
On April 9, the high court upheld Kejriwal’s arrest, saying there was no illegality and the ED was left with “little option” after he skipped repeated summonses and refused to join the investigation.
The matter pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.
The cash was being carried to Chanchal from Gazole for election purposes. The BJP worker could not produce any paper in support of his claim. On April 29 in English Bazar, Rs 2 lakh in cash was also seized from Shantanu Ghosh, general secretary of BJP South Malda organisational district by the flying squad.
Avijit Roy, MP, 2 May 2024, Malda: The flying squad of the Election Commission of India (ECI) seized cash worth Rs 8 lakh from a vehicle on the Bypass Road of Paharpur under the Chanchal Police Station on Wednesday from a worker of BJP.
The cash was being carried to Chanchal from Gazole for election purposes. The BJP worker could not produce any paper in support of his claim. On April 29 in English Bazar, Rs 2 lakh in cash was also seized from Shantanu Ghosh, general secretary of BJP South Malda organisational district by the flying squad.
Ghosh claimed it to be his funds of trade but failed to produce adequate documents so the amount was seized and forwarded to the District Grievance Committee for further verification.
A car was stopped on the Bypass Road of Paharpur on Wednesday carrying flags and logos of BJP by the officials of the flying squad. On further search, cash worth 8 lakh was found from the vehicle.
Tilak Ram, office in-charge of BJP in Chanchal Assembly constituency, said: “I have been carrying the fund for election purposes from Alampur to Chanchal BJP party office to meet several expenses of the election.
They seized the amount and I shall go to the committee to claim it back.” The officials said that the seized amount would be sent to the authorised committee and hearings will be made for verifying the source of money.
To implement the Model Code of Conduct in Malda, 64 flying squad teams, 42 video surveillance teams and 82 static surveillance teams have been formed. Afsar Ali, Chanchal Block president of TMC, said: “The BJP government has stopped the funds for Bengal in various schemes and is now sending money for their own election expenditure. This party is trying to buy votes on money power.
The court acknowledged the corruption allegations against the accused and the filed chargesheet, emphasizing the automatic nature of the grant. The court held the delay a “violation of orders” and an attempt to “subvert the criminal prosecution.
PTI, Kolkata, 2 May 2024 : The Calcutta High Court expressed dismay over the delay in granting sanction to prosecute former officials in the 2016 West Bengal school jobs case. Despite directing the decision by May 2, the state requested seven more weeks, which the court deemed “wilful delay.”
The court acknowledged the corruption allegations against the accused and the filed chargesheet, emphasizing the automatic nature of the grant. The court held the delay a “violation of orders” and an attempt to “subvert the criminal prosecution.” The accused were seen as too powerful to allow for a fair trial, raising concerns about institutional support and prosecution viability.
he Calcutta High Court on Thursday expressed ”pain” at the prolonged delay by the West Bengal chief secretary in deciding on the grant of sanction to prosecute former public servants arrested by CBI in the 2016 school jobs case.
The high court on April 23 directed the top official to decide on the matter by May 2 in the case. During the day, the state government prayed for seven weeks to decide on granting the sanction. The court termed it a ”wilful delay” and said a sanctioning authority ”cannot hold prosecution to ransom” by dragging its feet on taking a decision on sanction for prosecution.
Stating that it is pained at the delay despite repeated directions by it and setting guidelines on the issue of granting sanction to the chief secretary, a division bench presided by Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that it will hear out the parties and take a decision on bail applications by the accused persons on Friday.
Former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, one of the accused in custody, moved a bail application before the court along with other ex-public servants who were arrested in the case.
The chief secretary, through the state’s advocate general, prayed for seven weeks’ time to take a decision on the application for sanction by the CBI.
Maintaining that the accused persons were public servants and that there is an allegation of corruption against them and a chargesheet has been filed, the court said that it is an automatic course to take a decision on grant of sanction.
The bench said the court is being constrained to take a harsh view of it.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted that this court should not have gone into the question of sanction as the issue to be decided in this matter is bail applications by the accused persons.
Holding that the matter before it is definitely whether the accused persons are enlarged on bail or not, the court said, ”If it comes to our light that a particular agency is subverting the process of criminal justice, will the court turn a blind eye?” Stating that constitutional democracy moves on trust, the bench said that this is not an expected stance of a constitutional democracy.
”We are constrained to observe that this has been a wilful effort not only to violate our orders, but suffered the administration of criminal justice,” the bench said.
The court said that it will be a relevant consideration for deciding the bail applications that there are roadblocks creating hindrances to trial.
Maintaining that it is an ”institutional conspiracy”, the court said that the accused persons seemed to be too powerful to subvert the criminal prosecution. The court said that it is ”really apprehensive whether the wherewithal and institutional support for a fair trial is possible here.” Stating that it is up to the prosecuting agency to take a call on that, the court said that it feels extremely distressed.
On April 9 also, the bench expressed its displeasure over the delay in grant of sanction and directed the chief secretary to take a decision by April 23.
The CBI had stated before the court during a previous hearing of the matter that the governor of West Bengal had granted sanction to prosecute former minister Partha Chatterjee.
The division bench is jointly hearing the bail prayers of the state’s former Education minister Partha Chatterjee, former secretary of West Bengal School Service Commission Ashok Saha, former SSC chairman Subires Bhattacharyya and former chairman of SSC’s advisory committee Santi Prasad Sinha, who are in custody for about two years in connection with the case.
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday expressed “pain” at the prolonged delay by the West Bengal Chief Secretary in deciding on the grant of sanction to prosecute former public servants arrested by CBI in the 2016 school jobs case.
Maintaining that the accused persons were public servants and that there is an allegation of corruption against them and a charge sheet has been filed, the court said that it is an automatic course to take a decision on grant of sanction. The bench said the court is being constrained to take a harsh view of it.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted that this court should not have gone into the question of sanction as the issue to be decided in this matter is bail applications by the accused persons. Holding that the matter before it is definitely whether the accused persons are enlarged on bail or not, the court said, “If it comes to our light that a particular agency is subverting the process of criminal justice, will the court turn a blind eye?”
Stating that constitutional democracy moves on trust, the bench said that this is not an expected stance of a constitutional democracy. “We are constrained to observe that this has been a wilful effort not only to violate our orders, but suffered the administration of criminal justice,” the bench said. The court said that it will be a relevant consideration for deciding the bail applications that there are roadblocks creating hindrances to trial.
Refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives….truth will triumph: Bose
EOI, KOLKATA, MAY 2, 2024 : In a sensational incident that stirred a political furore in the state a female employee of Raj Bhavan today put West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose in the dock for sexual harassment.
She filed a complaint against the Governor at Hare Street police station under Kolkata Police . The woman, who had been working as a temporary employee of Raj Bhavan used to live in the staff quarters of Raj Bhavan.
However the Governor refuted the charges vehemently. “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives If any body wants some election benefits by maligning me God bless them. But they can not stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal,’’
Governor Bose said in a statement. In expected fashion the incident triggered a political slugfest in the state. `
`A Governor is being accused of indulging in sexual harassment. What kind of state we are in,’’ fumed state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Retorted Subhendu Adhikary, BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly. “It could be an attempt to divert people’s attention from the several scams the ruling TMC is reeling under. However the allegation should be probed. `
If it turns out to be a conspiracy the perpetrators should be punished. But if it comes out to be true action should also be taken,’’ Ashikary said.
However, according to constitutional experts a Governor, while in office enjoys immunity from all criminal proceedings under Article 361 of the Constitution.
Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice on a petition filed by B R Aravindakshan and asked the Centre to file its response within four weeks
PTI, New Delhi, 02.05.24 :
The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre’s stand on a plea alleging disappearance of 70,772.48 kg of heroin from seizure records between 2018 and 2020.
Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice on a petition filed by B R Aravindakshan and asked the Centre to file its response within four weeks.
The petitioner, a journalist, has claimed that there is a huge discrepancy between the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report and the data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding seizure of drugs in the country from 2018 to 2020.
“He (petitioner) states that cumulatively, 70,772.48 kg of heroin has disappeared from seizure records between 2018 and 2020. Issue notice. Let replies be filed within four weeks,” the court said in its order passed on Wednesday.
The petitioner has said “the alarming disappearance” of more than 70,000 kg of heroin, valued at approximately Rs 5 lakh crore in the international market, raises concerns of national security, social stability and economic repercussions.
The plea says the magnitude of the “discrepancy” is so large that if not sorted promptly, it may result in chaos in the society, but no action has been taken on the issue.
“On 12.09.2022, the petitioner filed a complaint before the MHA representing the data relating to the mismatch of data provided by NCRB and the data provided by Hon’ble Nityanand Rai, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs, concerning seizure of heroin during the year 2018 and 2020.
“The petitioner insisted that 70,772.54 kg heroin worth Rs 5 lakh crore seized in India has been missing, thus insisting the ministry that an immediate investigation should be ordered for the safety and welfare of the country,” the petition says.
The petitioner has sought several directions with respect to the alleged mismatch, including a direction to the MHA to order an investigation in a stipulated time period.
The victim’s father, Rodulal has alleged that two of his son’s friends, Ajay Salvi and a boy conspired to kill Yashwant Nagar under the pretext of shooting a video
PTI, Kota, 02.05.24 : A day after a 22-year-old man died while making a reel with a country-made pistol, two accused have been detained for questioning, police said on Thursday.
The victim’s father, Rodulal has alleged that two of his son’s friends, Ajay Salvi and a boy conspired to kill Yashwant Nagar under the pretext of shooting a video, police said.
The matter came to light on Wednesday when Yashwant Nagar suffered a bullet injury in the chest while shooting a video with a country-made pistol at a tea shop near Maharishi Gautam Bhawan in Mahaveer Nagar Extension. He was immediately rushed to New Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
While talking to the reporters, Rodulal said that as per the video that he had seen of his son, a boy was loading the gun and shot Nagar in the chest while Ajay was standing nearby.
He further said that Ajay brought Nagar from Kota to Jhalawar a few days ago and conspired to kill him. Based on Rodulal’s complaint, a case has been registered under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code against Ajay Salvi and a boy, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Manish Sharma said.
The police handed over the body to the family after conducting a post-mortem. The two accused were brought in for questioning and further investigation is underway, SHO Mahendra Maru said.
Premoday Khakha has been accused of allegedly raping a minor girl several times between November 2020 and January 2021 and is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in August
PTI, New Delhi, 02.05.24: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant bail to the wife of suspended Delhi government officer Premoday Khakha, who allegedly raped a minor girl several times and impregnated her.
A bench of justices C T Ravikumar and S V N Bhatti dismissed the plea of the official’s wife Seema Rani and said it was not inclined to interfere with the Delhi High Court order which had dismissed her plea.
Khakha has been accused of allegedly raping a minor girl several times between November 2020 and January 2021 and is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in August.
The minor was the daughter of a person known to the accused, according to police.
Rani is also an accused in the case. She allegedly gave the girl medicines to terminate her pregnancy. The woman is in judicial custody.
The couple was arrested after the survivor recorded her statement before a magistrate at a hospital.
The case was registered under the provisions of the POCSO Act and Indian Penal Code sections 376(2)(f) (being a relative, guardian or teacher of, or a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman, commits rape on such woman) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman).
IPC sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) have also been invoked in the case, police said.
The parcel was delivered by an unidentified man. As soon as the electronic item was plugged in, there was a blast
PTI, Sabarkantha, 02.05.24 : A father-daughter duo were killed and two children sustained serious injuries on Thursday after an electronic item delivered by an unidentified person exploded in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district, police said.
The incident took place at Veda village, said sub-inspector Jitendra Rabari of Vadali police station.
“The parcel was delivered by an unidentified man. As soon as the electronic item was plugged in, there was a blast,” he said.
While Jitu Vanzara (33) died on the spot, three injured girls were rushed to the Vadali community health centre and from there to the Himatnagar civil hospital.
Vanzara’s 11-year-old daughter died at the hospital, while her sister and cousin were undergoing treatment, the police official said.
One of the injured girls was in a serious condition and put on a ventilator, said assistant resident medical officer Vipul Jani.
A relative of the victims said the parcel was delivered in an autorickshaw. Police were investigating if the family had ordered the item, Rabari said.
Agencies: A father and his daughter were killed after an electronic item delivered by an unidentified person exploded in their home in Gujarat’s Vadali on Wednesday.
The victims have been identified as Jitendra Heerabhai Vanjara and his daughter, Bhumika Vanjara.
The deadly parcel, which was ordered online, also caused injuries to two other family members, young girls aged nine and 10.
Parcel was delivered by an unidentified man
The incident took place in Veda village, according to sub-inspector Jitendra Rabari of Vadali Police Station.
“The parcel was delivered by an unidentified man. As soon as the electronic item was plugged in, there was a blast,” he said.
One of the injured girls was placed on a ventilator due to her critical condition.
A relative of the victims said the package was delivered to them in an autorickshaw
Injured survivors rushed to hospital, police investigation initiated
Following the explosion, the two injured girls were immediately taken to Himmantnagar Civil Hospital for treatment.
During their medical examination, doctors discovered wires embedded with iron fragments in their bodies.
This alarming discovery prompted an immediate police response.
Officers were dispatched to the Vanjara residence to begin an investigation into the origin and cause of the deadly parcel explosion.
If a mother gets to see her children maybe once a month, there is a father who hasn’t seen his daughter since she was born
Kuki woman meets her children once a month in Mizoram as Meiti husband lives with children in Imphal: PTI
PTI, Imphal, Churachandpur, 02.05.24 : Monthly dates in Mizoram or maybe Assam if at all, single parenting and the constant fear of abandonment. For Manipur’s Meitei-Kuki couples forced to live apart in ‘community’ enclaves, this is how life has been since ethnic clashes broke out in the state last May.
As crisis continues in the polarised state, where the Meitis are concentrated in Imphal Valley and the Kukis have moved to the hills around, inter-tribe couples are facing the cruel brunt of a conflict that has claimed more than 200 lives and displaced many thousands since May 3, 2023.
If a mother gets to see her children maybe once a month, there is a father who hasn’t seen his daughter since she was born. And then there is the constant fear of family bonds being strained perhaps to breaking point with a wife wondering if her husband will abandon her and a couple contemplating what lies ahead for them as a unit. The future stretches uncertain.
Irene Haokip, for instance, is a Kuki who moved to Imphal after she got married. One year on, the 42-year-old has moved to Churachandpur, a Kuki dominated area, to be with her family while her husband and their children, a five-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, stay on in Imphal.
“My husband used to work as a construction contractor. I met him when a neighbour’s house in Bishnupur was getting constructed. We fell in love and he would come to the area to meet me often. We got married in 2018 and have two children,” Haokip told PTI.
Bishnupur is between Meitei dominated Imphal and Kuki dominated Churachandpur. It earlier housed people from both communities and is now considered a buffer zone.
“My husband sent me to my parents’ home last year fearing for my safety in the valley when clashes broke out. There has been no going back since. The children are with him because we fear that they might not be safe in Churachandpur since they are Meitei children,” Haokip added.
She meets her family once a month in neighbouring Mizoram, travelling 15 hours each way.
“He brings the children there too. Many other couples also do that. We meet once a month and come back to our respective houses. My children miss me but it feels like a choice between being alive and mothers’ love.” As Manipuris count their losses, many say that this was not always so. Meitei-Kuki marriages were not uncommon and never a source of societal trouble with the two communities mingling easily. It changed on May 3 when trouble broke out after after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
A month later, Laishram Singh, a Kuki, became a father.
He wanted to be the best father when he got to know about his wife’s pregnancy in 2022. They were expecting their first child in June and were shopping for clothes and toys.
But destiny had other plans.
Singh moved to the hills where Kukis live and his wife Achanba, a Meitei, stayed back. She had lost her parents five years ago and had to move to a relief camp in Imphal Valley in May last year where she gave birth to a girl in June.
Eleven months later, Singh hasn’t yet met his daughter.
Achanba worries the distance might just end her marriage.
“I have a husband but I am still forced to live life as a single mother… he calls me sometimes and I send him pictures but the communication is gradually dropping. I fear that if this goes on for long, his family might pressure him into marrying a Kuki girl and he will abandon me. This also causes us to fight.” “I am not a widow, I am not a divorcee…I don’t know what kind of separation is this,” Achanba added helplessly.
Nirmala, a Kuki, who ran a shop in all women market Ima Keithel till last year, now lives in the hills and has no stable means of livelihood. She also fears being abandoned.
Her husband, a Meitei, who lives with their son and his parents in Sugnu area in Meitei dominated Imphal, initially used to send her money but has stopped.
“We have been married for 15 years. My shop was a good contributor to our household income that has stopped now. Here I live with my brother and sister-in-law and take up odd jobs but there is no stable income. I feel like I am a burden on them..if this continues I will have to move to a relief camp,” 45-year-old Nirmala told PTI.
Others such as Pema Dimpu and her Kuki husband say they are constantly discussing whether they should move to another state. Dimpu, a Meitei, stays in Imphal Valley while her husband has gone to the hills.
“That seems to be the only way out now that we move somewhere else and start a new life. It has been a year and there is no peace in sight… no idea when we can coexist like before without the threat of life constantly looming over us,” Dimpu said.
The hill state has witnessed sporadic, sometime intense, ethnic clashes since May 3 last year between the majority Meitei community and the Kukis.
