The Indian Army withdrew&nbsp;today from Bengal toll plazas after its 72-hour exercise came to an end.

&quot;As 72-hour exercise got over, we withdrew deployment from Palhit toll plaza and other areas yesterday night,&quot; chief public relations officer (defence) SS Birdi said.

West Bengal&nbsp;chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the army deployment at two toll plazas was made without any prior information to the state government. She also called it a &#39;black day&#39;&nbsp;and said that such a deployment takes place only during disasters.

The army, however, clarified on the issue by releasing a series of letters and said it informed state capital Kolkata&#39;s police. It was a routine exercise that is carried out every few years.

&quot;This is an exercise carried out for operational purposes. They are only collecting data of heavy vehicles&nbsp;which is an annual exercise being carried out every year. Similar exercises are also being carried out in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar from September 26 to October 1 this year,&quot; said Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), (Headquarters), Bengal Area, Major General Sunil Yadav.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress legislators staged a&nbsp;protest outside Raj Bhavan in Bengal, demanding the&nbsp;withdrawal of the army deployed at toll plazas.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is in power&nbsp;at the Centre lashed out at Banerjee for dragging the army into politics and sought an apology from her and her party. BJP spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said, &quot;It&#39;s very unfortunate, the kind of politics Mamata Banerjee has been doing after demonetisation. BJP is of the opinion that the issue of army deployment in Bengal has been politicised.&quot;

(WION with inputs from ANI)

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said army was deployed without informing the state which was 'unprecedented and a serious matter'

The Indian Army withdrew today from Bengal toll plazas after its 72-hour exercise came to an end. "As 72-hour exercise got over, we withdrew deployment from Palhit toll plaza and other areas yesterday night," chief public relations officer (defence) SS Birdi said. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the army deployment at two toll plazas was made without any prior information to the state government. She also called it a 'black day' and said that such a deployment takes place only during disasters. The army, however, clarified on the issue by releasing a series of letters and said it informed state capital Kolkata's police. It was a routine exercise that is carried out every few years. "This is an exercise carried out for operational purposes. They are only collecting data of heavy vehicles which is an annual exercise being carried out every year. Similar exercises are also being carried out in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar from September 26 to October 1 this year," said Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), (Headquarters), Bengal Area, Major General Sunil Yadav. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress legislators staged a protest outside Raj Bhavan in Bengal, demanding the withdrawal of the army deployed at toll plazas. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is in power at the Centre lashed out at Banerjee for dragging the army into politics and sought an apology from her and her party. BJP spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said, "It's very unfortunate, the kind of politics Mamata Banerjee has been doing after demonetisation. BJP is of the opinion that the issue of army deployment in Bengal has been politicised." (WION with inputs from ANI)

India: Army withdrawn from Bengal toll plazas after 72-hour exercise

Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee has alleged that the Indian Army that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money from vehicles.

&quot;This is unprecedented and a very serious matter,&quot;&nbsp;she said.

The army strongly rebutted to this comment saying that the exercise was being carried out in coordination with the Kolkata police.

&quot;The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata police due to Bharat Bandh called on&nbsp;November 28,&quot; said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Major Gen Sunil Yadav.

However, the TMC in the Rajya Sabha accused that it was being misled by MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre and says that no conclusive answer was being given by the Centre on army deployment.

The officiating GOC Bengal Area reacted to Chief Minister&#39;s allegations by saying, &quot;We deny all charges with all contempt. Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless.&quot;

Maj Gen Yadav said a similar exercise in Eastern Command was carried out in November 2015 at the same places. The Major Gen also said that a recce was conducted with two inspectors of the Kolkata Police at toll plaza on November 27.

He said, &quot;The issues raised by the police were addressed and were telephonically informed to the police.&quot;

He further added that the exercise will continue as planned earlier and will end tonight.

The army also released letters written to the state government on the exercise. &quot;It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations. We have our specific targets for data collection. After doing the work for 36 hours our work was done and&nbsp; 
we had left the toll plaza near Nabanna,&quot; he said.

Yesterday a defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts biennial exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency.&nbsp;

Wing Commander SS Birdi of the Indian Air Force said, &quot;There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders.&quot;

He also said that&nbsp;the exercise gives an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations.

(WION&nbsp;inputs from DNA)

Mamata had yesterday alleged that the army had been deployed without informing the state government

Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee has alleged that the Indian Army that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money from vehicles. "This is unprecedented and a very serious matter," she said. The army strongly rebutted to this comment saying that the exercise was being carried out in coordination with the Kolkata police. "The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28," said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Major Gen Sunil Yadav. However, the TMC in the Rajya Sabha accused that it was being misled by MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre and says that no conclusive answer was being given by the Centre on army deployment. The officiating GOC Bengal Area reacted to Chief Minister's allegations by saying, "We deny all charges with all contempt. Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless." Maj Gen Yadav said a similar exercise in Eastern Command was carried out in November 2015 at the same places. The Major Gen also said that a recce was conducted with two inspectors of the Kolkata Police at toll plaza on November 27. He said, "The issues raised by the police were addressed and were telephonically informed to the police." He further added that the exercise will continue as planned earlier and will end tonight. The army also released letters written to the state government on the exercise. "It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations. We have our specific targets for data collection. After doing the work for 36 hours our work was done and we had left the toll plaza near Nabanna," he said. Yesterday a defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts biennial exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. Wing Commander SS Birdi of the Indian Air Force said, "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders." He also said that the exercise gives an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations. (WION inputs from DNA)

Indian Army refutes Mamata Banerjee's charges, says exercise done with Bengal police

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said that the army deployment in West Bengal was a &ldquo;part of routine exercise&rdquo;, PTI reported.&nbsp;

He was speaking at Lok Sabha after the Trinamool Congress&#39; MPs (Members of Parliament) raised the issue in Parliament.&nbsp;

Alleging that the Union government breached the authority of West Bengal government by deploying army at the toll plazas, Banerjee had refused to leave her office in a protest against the army presence.&nbsp;

Parrikar said that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was creating controversies out of &ldquo;political frustration&rdquo;, PTI reported.&nbsp;

Banerjee refused to leave and sources at the state secretariat revealed that she decided to stay on the night as the army was still carrying their exercise in other parts of Bengal.&nbsp;

According to the Army Eastern Command Headquarters, it was a routine exercise where the Army gathers data on load carriers. A tweet from the official Twitter handle of Army Eastern.&nbsp;

Command Headquarters highlighted that the exercise was undertaken with full knowledge of the police and the administration. It also added that the same exercise was being carried out at other North-Eastern states of India.&nbsp;

&ldquo;The army conducts annual exercise throughout the county with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the Army in case of a contingency. For this purpose vehicles are spotted to get basic parameters like make load capacity. The vehicle is then marked so that the next checkpoint knows that the vehicle had already been checked for the parameters. There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders,&rdquo; read the statement, adding, &ldquo;This gives an estimate about the number of vehicles that are passing a certain area that could be tapped during operations.&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

However, the defence CPRO, Kolkata Wing Commander SS Birdi claimed that the exercises was undertaken after informing the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police.&nbsp;

&ldquo;This is not a deployment. This exercise is taking place under the laid down rules of the Central Government. The police and the administration are kept in the loop. There is nothing to get alarmed about,&rdquo; said Birdi.

He further clarified that the exercise will continue today at the designated toll booths across Bengal as it is being done in accordance with the Indian law.

(WION with inputs from PTI/DNA)

West Bengal CM Banerjee had protested the army's toll plaza presence by remaining in her office all night

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said that the army deployment in West Bengal was a “part of routine exercise”, PTI reported. He was speaking at Lok Sabha after the Trinamool Congress' MPs (Members of Parliament) raised the issue in Parliament. Alleging that the Union government breached the authority of West Bengal government by deploying army at the toll plazas, Banerjee had refused to leave her office in a protest against the army presence. Parrikar said that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was creating controversies out of “political frustration”, PTI reported. Banerjee refused to leave and sources at the state secretariat revealed that she decided to stay on the night as the army was still carrying their exercise in other parts of Bengal. According to the Army Eastern Command Headquarters, it was a routine exercise where the Army gathers data on load carriers. A tweet from the official Twitter handle of Army Eastern. Command Headquarters highlighted that the exercise was undertaken with full knowledge of the police and the administration. It also added that the same exercise was being carried out at other North-Eastern states of India. “The army conducts annual exercise throughout the county with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the Army in case of a contingency. For this purpose vehicles are spotted to get basic parameters like make load capacity. The vehicle is then marked so that the next checkpoint knows that the vehicle had already been checked for the parameters. There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders,” read the statement, adding, “This gives an estimate about the number of vehicles that are passing a certain area that could be tapped during operations.” However, the defence CPRO, Kolkata Wing Commander SS Birdi claimed that the exercises was undertaken after informing the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police. “This is not a deployment. This exercise is taking place under the laid down rules of the Central Government. The police and the administration are kept in the loop. There is nothing to get alarmed about,” said Birdi. He further clarified that the exercise will continue today at the designated toll booths across Bengal as it is being done in accordance with the Indian law. (WION with inputs from PTI/DNA)

India: Defence minister addresses Mamata's coup claim, calls military presence 'routine exercise'

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, finally left the secretariat office after 36 hours, threatening to take legal action against the government if army deployment was not removed from certain areas across the state.

Her comments that the Narendra Modi-led government was &quot;using force to stifle her voice and was hatching a conspiracy&quot; has further fuelled the controversy.&nbsp;

She had accused the central government of &quot;deploying the Army&quot; along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat.&nbsp;

Responding to Mamata Banerjee&#39;s ultimatum, wing commander S S Birdi of the eastern command CPRO said &quot;the Army deployment in the state won&#39;t be called off as it is a routine exercise and will continue till midnight today.&quot;

Earlier in the day, the army had rebutted her claims, saying the exercise was being carried out in coordination with the Kolkata police.&nbsp;

&quot;This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28,&quot; said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav.

Leaving after an overnight stay at the state secretariat protesting against the presence of army personnel, Mamata accused the government of making a &quot;wrong and concoted&quot; statement in Parliament.&nbsp;

Her party, Trinamool Congress, asserted that there was no such document proving that her government gave the green signal for the Army deployment.&nbsp;

Banerjee said only Bengal was targetted for raising voice against demonetisation and such an exercise was not done in any other state.

&quot;They are doing whatever they like by force. The people are suffering. They cannot even withdraw their salary. The people&#39;s fight will continue. It cannot be stopped by hatching conspiracy and showing force&quot;, she said.

&quot;Two more persons died today facing hardship to withdraw money&quot;, she said.

Banerjee said that Modi government has failed to bring Rs 50 lakh crore black money stashed abroad.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Leaving secretariat after 36 hours, Banerjee said they will 'legally fight' the government if it did not withdraw the army from the state

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, finally left the secretariat office after 36 hours, threatening to take legal action against the government if army deployment was not removed from certain areas across the state. Her comments that the Narendra Modi-led government was "using force to stifle her voice and was hatching a conspiracy" has further fuelled the controversy. She had accused the central government of "deploying the Army" along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat. Responding to Mamata Banerjee's ultimatum, wing commander S S Birdi of the eastern command CPRO said "the Army deployment in the state won't be called off as it is a routine exercise and will continue till midnight today." Earlier in the day, the army had rebutted her claims, saying the exercise was being carried out in coordination with the Kolkata police. "This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28," said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav. Leaving after an overnight stay at the state secretariat protesting against the presence of army personnel, Mamata accused the government of making a "wrong and concoted" statement in Parliament. Her party, Trinamool Congress, asserted that there was no such document proving that her government gave the green signal for the Army deployment. Banerjee said only Bengal was targetted for raising voice against demonetisation and such an exercise was not done in any other state. "They are doing whatever they like by force. The people are suffering. They cannot even withdraw their salary. The people's fight will continue. It cannot be stopped by hatching conspiracy and showing force", she said. "Two more persons died today facing hardship to withdraw money", she said. Banerjee said that Modi government has failed to bring Rs 50 lakh crore black money stashed abroad. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Bengal chief minister warns 'legal action' over army deployment at toll plazas

West Bengal

The state-wide 12-hour strike called by the Left Parties to protest the demonetisation of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes began in West Bengal today, with normal life visibly unaffected in the first few hours. Government buses and other private vehicles were seen plying on the road. 
 
&quot;So far there has been no major incident, except a few small ones in the districts,&quot; a senior police official said. The strike call by the Left Front has been opposed by the ruling TMC in West Bengal. &quot;We oppose bandhs. We will take out a protest march (against demonetisation) on Monday,&quot; state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said. 
 
The TMC said it was against putting people to more hardship when they are &quot;already facing a lot of problems owing to the scarcity of cash&quot;. Instead, the TMC will take out a rally from College Square to Esplanade today to protest against demonetisation, TMC general secretary Subrata Bakshi had said. 
 
The state government has ordered all its employees to attend offices today and tomorrow. Exceptions would be made only in case of bereavement, maternity leave, hospitalisation and other &quot;genuine reasons&quot;, a circular issued by the state finance department said. 
 
Over 3,000 police personnel have been deployed in the metropolis to tackle any untoward incident, Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner of Police (III) Supratim Sarkar had said.

&nbsp;

Kerala

The 12-hour strike called by the Communist Party of India (CPI(M))-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala, as part of the nationwide agitation by opposition parties against demonetisation and the resultant crisis being faced by the cooperative sector in the state, began this morning. 
 
In the early hours of the strike which started at 6 AM, autorickshaws were seen occassionally, providing some relief to people. Police vehicles were used to transport railway passengers and patients coming from far off places to the Regional Cancer Centre. 
 
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private buses are keeping off roads in most places. Some Sabarimala pilgrims who arrived at Kottayam by train complained that they were unable to leave for the Ayyappa temple as buses were not running. &quot;We have been waiting for hours. Though some private taxis are available, we cannot afford them as the fares are exorbitant,&quot; a man from Andhra Pradesh said. 
 
The tourism sector and vehicles of Sabarimala pilgrims have been exempted from the strike. Keeping in mind the peak tourist season, the government had decided to exempt tourists from the strike. It has issued instructions to all departments concerned, including police to take all possible steps to ensure that the tourism sector was not hit by the strike. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran had also requested for exemption of tourists and tourist vehicles from the strike. 
 
German Cruise liner AIDAbella which had arrived in Kochi made a turnaround call at the Kochi port yesterday. At least 1000 tourists would be arriving at the airport today to embark the vessel, while some would be leaving it to explore various places. 
 
Tour operators were assured by Tourism Principal Secretary V Venu that the hartal would not affect the visitors. The opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) would be taking out a march to the Raj Bhavan here at 11 AM on the crisis being faced by the cooperative sector. 
 
Banks, newspapers, milk supply, hospitals and marriage functions would be exempted from the shutdown, LDF convener Vaikom Viswam had said in a statement. 
 
The LDF had announced the strike as part of the nationwide protest against the Centre&#39;s move of scrapping Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

(PTI)

&nbsp;

Left parties in both states have ordered strikes in response to the various hardships imposed by demonetisation

West Bengal The state-wide 12-hour strike called by the Left Parties to protest the demonetisation of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes began in West Bengal today, with normal life visibly unaffected in the first few hours. Government buses and other private vehicles were seen plying on the road. "So far there has been no major incident, except a few small ones in the districts," a senior police official said. The strike call by the Left Front has been opposed by the ruling TMC in West Bengal. "We oppose bandhs. We will take out a protest march (against demonetisation) on Monday," state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said. The TMC said it was against putting people to more hardship when they are "already facing a lot of problems owing to the scarcity of cash". Instead, the TMC will take out a rally from College Square to Esplanade today to protest against demonetisation, TMC general secretary Subrata Bakshi had said. The state government has ordered all its employees to attend offices today and tomorrow. Exceptions would be made only in case of bereavement, maternity leave, hospitalisation and other "genuine reasons", a circular issued by the state finance department said. Over 3,000 police personnel have been deployed in the metropolis to tackle any untoward incident, Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner of Police (III) Supratim Sarkar had said. Kerala The 12-hour strike called by the Communist Party of India (CPI(M))-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala, as part of the nationwide agitation by opposition parties against demonetisation and the resultant crisis being faced by the cooperative sector in the state, began this morning. In the early hours of the strike which started at 6 AM, autorickshaws were seen occassionally, providing some relief to people. Police vehicles were used to transport railway passengers and patients coming from far off places to the Regional Cancer Centre. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private buses are keeping off roads in most places. Some Sabarimala pilgrims who arrived at Kottayam by train complained that they were unable to leave for the Ayyappa temple as buses were not running. "We have been waiting for hours. Though some private taxis are available, we cannot afford them as the fares are exorbitant," a man from Andhra Pradesh said. The tourism sector and vehicles of Sabarimala pilgrims have been exempted from the strike. Keeping in mind the peak tourist season, the government had decided to exempt tourists from the strike. It has issued instructions to all departments concerned, including police to take all possible steps to ensure that the tourism sector was not hit by the strike. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran had also requested for exemption of tourists and tourist vehicles from the strike. German Cruise liner AIDAbella which had arrived in Kochi made a turnaround call at the Kochi port yesterday. At least 1000 tourists would be arriving at the airport today to embark the vessel, while some would be leaving it to explore various places. Tour operators were assured by Tourism Principal Secretary V Venu that the hartal would not affect the visitors. The opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) would be taking out a march to the Raj Bhavan here at 11 AM on the crisis being faced by the cooperative sector. Banks, newspapers, milk supply, hospitals and marriage functions would be exempted from the shutdown, LDF convener Vaikom Viswam had said in a statement. The LDF had announced the strike as part of the nationwide protest against the Centre's move of scrapping Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. (PTI)

Demonetisation: Strikes begin today in West Bengal and Kerala

Friday morning brought to light yet another startling revelation in the newborn baby trafficking racket in India&#39;s West Bengal. Officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recovered skeletons and bones of infants from the compound of an NGO in the eastern state of India. 
 
A raid by CID officials with the prime accused in the trafficking case, Utpala Byapari, lead them to the compound of the Sujit Dutta Memorial Welfare Trust, an NGO in Bengal&rsquo;s North 24 Parganas district.

The skeletons and bones of infants were dug deep in the soil around the NGO. The NGO would sell the newborns&nbsp;to childless couples, sources in CID told WION. However, they would bury stillborn babies in&nbsp;the compound itself.

&quot;So far we have found bones and skeletons from this particular compound. We are going to carry out more such searches in the next couple of days,&quot; said a senior official of CID. 
&nbsp; 
The investigators also recovered as many as 10 infants from an old-age home in the southern fringes of West Bengal, Thakurpukur, in connection with the existing racket. 
&nbsp; 
Acting on a tip-off, CID officials raided an old-age home-cum-asylum for the elderly, Purbasha Centre, and found as many as 10 infants. All of them are aged between one and 10 months. The accused had abandoned the infants at this centre and fled.

All the infants have now been shifted to the ESI hospital for treatment. 
&nbsp; 
The police arrested Reena Banerjee, the fourteenth accused, who was closely associated with the NGO. Investigators reveal that this is one of the biggest trafficking rackets existing in eastern India. 
&nbsp; 
The incident came to light on Tuesday, November 24,&nbsp;when <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/officials-bust-baby-trafficking-racket-in-indias-west-bengal-9276" target="_blank">CID officials raided a nursing home in Baduria </a>in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal and recovered two infants wrapped in cotton inside a biscuit carton and uncovered a huge racket involving the trafficking of infants.

(WION)

The skeletons and bones of infants were dug deep in the soil around the NGO that would sell newborn babies?to childless couples

Friday morning brought to light yet another startling revelation in the newborn baby trafficking racket in India's West Bengal. Officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recovered skeletons and bones of infants from the compound of an NGO in the eastern state of India. A raid by CID officials with the prime accused in the trafficking case, Utpala Byapari, lead them to the compound of the Sujit Dutta Memorial Welfare Trust, an NGO in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. The skeletons and bones of infants were dug deep in the soil around the NGO. The NGO would sell the newborns to childless couples, sources in CID told WION. However, they would bury stillborn babies in the compound itself. "So far we have found bones and skeletons from this particular compound. We are going to carry out more such searches in the next couple of days," said a senior official of CID. The investigators also recovered as many as 10 infants from an old-age home in the southern fringes of West Bengal, Thakurpukur, in connection with the existing racket. Acting on a tip-off, CID officials raided an old-age home-cum-asylum for the elderly, Purbasha Centre, and found as many as 10 infants. All of them are aged between one and 10 months. The accused had abandoned the infants at this centre and fled. All the infants have now been shifted to the ESI hospital for treatment. The police arrested Reena Banerjee, the fourteenth accused, who was closely associated with the NGO. Investigators reveal that this is one of the biggest trafficking rackets existing in eastern India. The incident came to light on Tuesday, November 24, when CID officials raided a nursing home in Baduria in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal and recovered two infants wrapped in cotton inside a biscuit carton and uncovered a huge racket involving the trafficking of infants. (WION)

India baby trafficking racket: CID officials recover skeletons of infants in West Bengal

By-elections were held in six Indian states and one union territory today, the first since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government&#39;s move to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The elections were held for four Parliament and 10 assembly constituencies in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP won both the Nepanagar assembly seat and the Shahdol (reserved constituency) Lok Sabha seat with its candidate Gyan Singh defeating Cong rival Himadri Singh by a margin of over 60,000 votes.

Around 66 per cent people voted in the by-polls in Shahdol constituency while the turnout in Nepanagar was about 73 per cent.

In BJP-ruled Assam, the party is leading by a huge margin in the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat vacated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal. It is also leading by 4,835 votes in Baithalangso assembly seat, where an ex-Congress candidate fought.

In West Bengal, where by-elections were held for one assembly seat - Monteswar - and two Parliament seats - Coochbehar and Tamluk - all the seats were held by the Trinamool Congress of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Trinamool Congress candidates were way ahead of rivals in the vote count on Tuesday where by-polls were held on Saturday. Dibyendu Adhikari was declared elected from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat defeating his nearest rival CPM&rsquo;s Mandira Panda by 497,000 votes.

In Tamil Nadu, by-elections were held for three assembly seats which are all won by AIADMK candidates, who were in direct contest with rival DMK.

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy of the Congress has won the Nellithope Assembly seat.

In Tripura, the CPI-M won both the assembly seats in Barjala and Khowai.

These were the first elections after the currency ban, over which the opposition has attacked the government.

(WION)

The BJP won all seats in Madhya Pradesh, Trinamool in West Bengal, CPI (M) in Tripura, and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu

By-elections were held in six Indian states and one union territory today, the first since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government's move to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The elections were held for four Parliament and 10 assembly constituencies in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP won both the Nepanagar assembly seat and the Shahdol (reserved constituency) Lok Sabha seat with its candidate Gyan Singh defeating Cong rival Himadri Singh by a margin of over 60,000 votes. Around 66 per cent people voted in the by-polls in Shahdol constituency while the turnout in Nepanagar was about 73 per cent. In BJP-ruled Assam, the party is leading by a huge margin in the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat vacated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal. It is also leading by 4,835 votes in Baithalangso assembly seat, where an ex-Congress candidate fought. In West Bengal, where by-elections were held for one assembly seat - Monteswar - and two Parliament seats - Coochbehar and Tamluk - all the seats were held by the Trinamool Congress of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool Congress candidates were way ahead of rivals in the vote count on Tuesday where by-polls were held on Saturday. Dibyendu Adhikari was declared elected from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat defeating his nearest rival CPM’s Mandira Panda by 497,000 votes. In Tamil Nadu, by-elections were held for three assembly seats which are all won by AIADMK candidates, who were in direct contest with rival DMK. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy of the Congress has won the Nellithope Assembly seat. In Tripura, the CPI-M won both the assembly seats in Barjala and Khowai. These were the first elections after the currency ban, over which the opposition has attacked the government. (WION)

By-polls in 6 Indian states: Ruling parties retain most seats

India&rsquo;s own Afghanistan, Malda &ndash; a district in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal &ndash; known for its illicit opium trade has taken a hit following demonetisation.

Malda is also a hub for illegal arms, cow smuggling and is referred to as India&rsquo;s fake currency capital.

The National Investigating Agency (NIA) came up with a report last year that 90 per cent of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) pushed into the country from Pakistan are routed through Bangladesh. Since Malda shares a porous border with Bangladesh, carriers from Malda smuggle the FICN into the country and release it into circulation.

&ldquo;Malda works as a landing point for agents, who circulate fake currency into the country. Malda shares its border with Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the south. Agents who come from Bangladesh can easily sneak into our country as most of the International Border does not have fencing. Some agents even produce fake documents while entering our country,&rdquo; said a senior official of NIA.

While the Bengal government has banned cultivation of opium poppy, illicit opium trade has become rampant in the district and is partially dependent on the fake currency in circulation.

Opium is a derivative of the poppy seed pod. Its cultivation takes place across three months &ndash; November, December and January &ndash; in Malda. Agents from Bangladesh smuggle the poppy seeds and give it to the farmers for sowing it around October. Farmers are increasingly cultivating the poppy seeds for better returns compared to the cultivation of other crops.

&ldquo;A bigha (0.4005 acres) of cultivable land yields 4 kgs of opium latex. The farmers scrape the latex before the poppy seeds mature and the latex is dried. For one kg of opium latex, a farmer is offered anywhere between Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000 (USD 877 to USD 950) by the agent. Later, the villagers deliver the consignment from one point to another and receive a handsome amount of money, mostly fake currency notes. A carrier is supposed to cover a distance of 100 metres, which makes it difficult for the security agencies to keep track as the entire village is engaged in it,&rdquo; said a carrier, adding, &ldquo;The final carrier hands it over to the agent and he deals with the drug mafias and the agents are paid Rs 1 lakh (USD 1,462) for one kg of opium. The drug mafias later, send the consignment to other districts of Bengal like Birbhum and Murshidabad for processing. The opium latex is further processed into heroine and smuggled across the International Border into Bangladesh,&rdquo; the official added.

He added, &ldquo;The money that we received so far also contained fake currency notes, but we did not mind as the fake notes were accepted anywhere in the district. Thousands of fake notes are in circulation in the district and no one denies accepting it, hence we did not mind accepting those notes in the form of payment.&rdquo;

However, following demonetisation, the farmers are being offered Rs 30,000 (USD 438) for a kg of opium latex since it is now difficult to include fake currency in the payment. &ldquo;It is one of the most lucrative businesses these days. If we cultivate other crops, it depends on the rainfall that we receive that particular year. But cultivation of poppy is a great deal as it only takes three months to grow. It does not destroy the quality of the soil and keeps it ready for the cultivation of any other crop that we want to besides these three months. But, following the demonetisation, we are being offered only half the amount to what was promised,&rdquo; said a farmer who refused to be named.

In the last five years, cultivation has increased many folds. While the Kaliachawk-III was known for its poppy cultivation, it has now spread across Kaliachawk-I, II and Chachol-I, II besides blocks like Gajol, Bamongola and Habibpur.

While the local police is taking up modern techniques like use of drone to identify poppy fields and destroy them, farmers grow crops like sugarcane and maize to camouflage on the periphery, making it difficult for identification. Last year, police destroyed several hundreds of acres of poppy fields.

However, officials of the security agency reveal that some local police officials are hand in glove with the drug mafias and are often paid a commission to prevent destruction of their fields.

(WION)

West Bengal's Malda, called India's fake currency capital, has been majorly affected by the move, reports WION's Pooja Mehta

India’s own Afghanistan, Malda – a district in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal – known for its illicit opium trade has taken a hit following demonetisation. Malda is also a hub for illegal arms, cow smuggling and is referred to as India’s fake currency capital. The National Investigating Agency (NIA) came up with a report last year that 90 per cent of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) pushed into the country from Pakistan are routed through Bangladesh. Since Malda shares a porous border with Bangladesh, carriers from Malda smuggle the FICN into the country and release it into circulation. “Malda works as a landing point for agents, who circulate fake currency into the country. Malda shares its border with Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the south. Agents who come from Bangladesh can easily sneak into our country as most of the International Border does not have fencing. Some agents even produce fake documents while entering our country,” said a senior official of NIA. While the Bengal government has banned cultivation of opium poppy, illicit opium trade has become rampant in the district and is partially dependent on the fake currency in circulation. Opium is a derivative of the poppy seed pod. Its cultivation takes place across three months – November, December and January – in Malda. Agents from Bangladesh smuggle the poppy seeds and give it to the farmers for sowing it around October. Farmers are increasingly cultivating the poppy seeds for better returns compared to the cultivation of other crops. “A bigha (0.4005 acres) of cultivable land yields 4 kgs of opium latex. The farmers scrape the latex before the poppy seeds mature and the latex is dried. For one kg of opium latex, a farmer is offered anywhere between Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000 (USD 877 to USD 950) by the agent. Later, the villagers deliver the consignment from one point to another and receive a handsome amount of money, mostly fake currency notes. A carrier is supposed to cover a distance of 100 metres, which makes it difficult for the security agencies to keep track as the entire village is engaged in it,” said a carrier, adding, “The final carrier hands it over to the agent and he deals with the drug mafias and the agents are paid Rs 1 lakh (USD 1,462) for one kg of opium. The drug mafias later, send the consignment to other districts of Bengal like Birbhum and Murshidabad for processing. The opium latex is further processed into heroine and smuggled across the International Border into Bangladesh,” the official added. He added, “The money that we received so far also contained fake currency notes, but we did not mind as the fake notes were accepted anywhere in the district. Thousands of fake notes are in circulation in the district and no one denies accepting it, hence we did not mind accepting those notes in the form of payment.” However, following demonetisation, the farmers are being offered Rs 30,000 (USD 438) for a kg of opium latex since it is now difficult to include fake currency in the payment. “It is one of the most lucrative businesses these days. If we cultivate other crops, it depends on the rainfall that we receive that particular year. But cultivation of poppy is a great deal as it only takes three months to grow. It does not destroy the quality of the soil and keeps it ready for the cultivation of any other crop that we want to besides these three months. But, following the demonetisation, we are being offered only half the amount to what was promised,” said a farmer who refused to be named. In the last five years, cultivation has increased many folds. While the Kaliachawk-III was known for its poppy cultivation, it has now spread across Kaliachawk-I, II and Chachol-I, II besides blocks like Gajol, Bamongola and Habibpur. While the local police is taking up modern techniques like use of drone to identify poppy fields and destroy them, farmers grow crops like sugarcane and maize to camouflage on the periphery, making it difficult for identification. Last year, police destroyed several hundreds of acres of poppy fields. However, officials of the security agency reveal that some local police officials are hand in glove with the drug mafias and are often paid a commission to prevent destruction of their fields. (WION)

Demonetisation hits illegal opium trade in India?s own Afghanistan

Garden Reach Shipbuilders &amp; Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata is India&rsquo;s first shipyard to produce 100 warships. While GRSE has successfully delivered 98 warships to India&rsquo;s Defence Wing, two more ships are almost ready for delivery, which will take the count to the production of warships to 100.&nbsp;

&ldquo;The 98th ship is a Landing Craft Utility and the 100th ship is a Fast Attack Craft which will be handed over to the Indian Navy by the end of this year. While the trial on the 98th ship is done, the trial on the 100th ship is due in the month of December,&rdquo; said Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, Rear Admiral, Anil Kumar Verma, VSM, IN (Retired)

GRSE is one of the major shipyards in India, besides the Mumbai, Goa, Cochin and Vizag that produce warships for the Indian Navy, however, they are yet to reach the count of 100.&nbsp;

&ldquo;GRSE is one of the most important PSUs of the Defence Wing and has delivered first two anti-submarine warfare corvettes INS &lsquo;Kamorta&rsquo; and INS &lsquo;Kadmatt&rsquo; to the Indian Navy. We have produced a first-ever export warship CGS &lsquo;Barracuda&rsquo; for the Republic of Mauritius,&rdquo; added Verma.&nbsp;

GRSE since 1960, has built several ships like - Frigate, Anti Submarine Warfare Corvette, Missile Corvette, Landing Ship Tank, Landing Craft Utility, Survey Vessel, Fleet Replenishment Tanker, Fast Patrol Vessel, Offshore Patrol Vessel, Inshore Patrol Vessel, Fast Attack Craft, Hover Craft, Fast Interceptor Boat and several others.&nbsp;

Besides shipbuilding, it also carries out ship repairs.

On Wednesday, GRSE paid dividend to the government for the 23rd consecutive year. A cheque for Rs 53.22 crore towards dividend for the financial year 2015-16 was handed over to Defence Minister, Government of India, Manohar Parrikar by Verma.&nbsp;

(WION)

This West Bengal shipyard is one of the major producers of warships for the Indian Navy

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata is India’s first shipyard to produce 100 warships. While GRSE has successfully delivered 98 warships to India’s Defence Wing, two more ships are almost ready for delivery, which will take the count to the production of warships to 100. “The 98th ship is a Landing Craft Utility and the 100th ship is a Fast Attack Craft which will be handed over to the Indian Navy by the end of this year. While the trial on the 98th ship is done, the trial on the 100th ship is due in the month of December,” said Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, Rear Admiral, Anil Kumar Verma, VSM, IN (Retired) GRSE is one of the major shipyards in India, besides the Mumbai, Goa, Cochin and Vizag that produce warships for the Indian Navy, however, they are yet to reach the count of 100. “GRSE is one of the most important PSUs of the Defence Wing and has delivered first two anti-submarine warfare corvettes INS ‘Kamorta’ and INS ‘Kadmatt’ to the Indian Navy. We have produced a first-ever export warship CGS ‘Barracuda’ for the Republic of Mauritius,” added Verma. GRSE since 1960, has built several ships like - Frigate, Anti Submarine Warfare Corvette, Missile Corvette, Landing Ship Tank, Landing Craft Utility, Survey Vessel, Fleet Replenishment Tanker, Fast Patrol Vessel, Offshore Patrol Vessel, Inshore Patrol Vessel, Fast Attack Craft, Hover Craft, Fast Interceptor Boat and several others. Besides shipbuilding, it also carries out ship repairs. On Wednesday, GRSE paid dividend to the government for the 23rd consecutive year. A cheque for Rs 53.22 crore towards dividend for the financial year 2015-16 was handed over to Defence Minister, Government of India, Manohar Parrikar by Verma. (WION)

Garden Reach shipyard to become India?s first to produce 100 warships

In a horrific incident, a group of young men on Thursday ran over three girls in a hamlet in the eastern state of West Bengal, killing one and seriously injuring other two. &nbsp;

It was around 5 pm (IST) when three girls &nbsp;&ndash; Madhumita Bag, Pinki Nayak and Sunita Bag &ndash; were cycling on the National Highway 41 near Tajpur in Tamluk village when three young men started chasing the girls on a Swift DZire car.&nbsp;

Eyewitnesses claim that the men in the car were hurling lewd comments at the girls. A few minutes later, the girls were seen running for their life when the vehicle started chasing them in full speed, eyewitnesses say.&nbsp;

The vehicle ran over the three girls, killing Madhumita and leaving Pinki and Sunita seriously injured. Pinki and Sunita were immediately shifted to the local Tamluk hospital where they are currently undergoing treatment.&nbsp;

Immediately after running over the girls, the car lost control and fell in&nbsp;a roadside ditch, according to eyewitnesses. Later, the men tried to flee from the spot but the locals, who caught hold of them, handed them over to the police.

The deceased and the two injured girls are students of the Tajpur Higher Secondary School. &nbsp;

&quot;We have lodged a case of attempt to murder. Such instances will not be taken lightly. We are going to take strict action against the accused,&quot; said Anuj Sharma, Inspector General of West Bengal Police (Law and Order).

According to the sources in the district police, all the accused hail from&nbsp;affluent families based out of Haldia city. None of them had a valid driver&rsquo;s license, official sources confirmed.&nbsp;

 
(WION)&nbsp;

Eyewitnesses claim that the men in the car were hurling lewd comments at the girls

In a horrific incident, a group of young men on Thursday ran over three girls in a hamlet in the eastern state of West Bengal, killing one and seriously injuring other two. It was around 5 pm (IST) when three girls – Madhumita Bag, Pinki Nayak and Sunita Bag – were cycling on the National Highway 41 near Tajpur in Tamluk village when three young men started chasing the girls on a Swift DZire car. Eyewitnesses claim that the men in the car were hurling lewd comments at the girls. A few minutes later, the girls were seen running for their life when the vehicle started chasing them in full speed, eyewitnesses say. The vehicle ran over the three girls, killing Madhumita and leaving Pinki and Sunita seriously injured. Pinki and Sunita were immediately shifted to the local Tamluk hospital where they are currently undergoing treatment. Immediately after running over the girls, the car lost control and fell in a roadside ditch, according to eyewitnesses. Later, the men tried to flee from the spot but the locals, who caught hold of them, handed them over to the police. The deceased and the two injured girls are students of the Tajpur Higher Secondary School. "We have lodged a case of attempt to murder. Such instances will not be taken lightly. We are going to take strict action against the accused," said Anuj Sharma, Inspector General of West Bengal Police (Law and Order). According to the sources in the district police, all the accused hail from affluent families based out of Haldia city. None of them had a valid driver’s license, official sources confirmed. (WION)

India harassment nightmare: Men in car run over girls in West Bengal, one dead

Communal clashes marked the culmination of Durga Puja celebrations and Muharram processions this year in several parts of eastern Indian state of West Bengal.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to locals, clashes&nbsp;erupted in several parts of the state on Tuesday as five-day Durga Puja festivity (observed by the Bengali community to honour Hindu goddess Durga) came to an end. Several people including some police personnel were injured in the clashes, sources said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Clashes in Naihati town&nbsp;

In Naihati town of North 24 Parganas district, eyewitnesses allege&nbsp;that they saw hundreds of outsiders entering the area, who claimed they had come to &lsquo;protect&rsquo; members of their community.

&nbsp;

Reportedly provoked by the leaders of a right-wing group, these outsiders hurled bombs at a Muharram procession (where members of the Muslim community mourn the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad). &nbsp;The participants of the procession hurled bombs in return and clashes ensued. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

&ldquo;The situation is still tense here. While it is usually peaceful around the daytime, as soon as darkness descends, the anti-social elements from both the communities start hurling bombs at each other. Cops turn mute spectators and they do not do anything to bring the situation under control. It&rsquo;s been close to a week that the situation continues to worsen&nbsp;but little has been done to bring back normalcy in the town,&rdquo; a local told WION pleading anonymity.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&ldquo;The leaders of&nbsp;the ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC), &nbsp;who are protesting against the current situation and are trying to avert such clashes are also coming under fire. Several bombs were hurled in front of the Trinamool Congress party office to foil their attempts,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

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<h5>As darkness descends, the anti-social elements from both the communities start hurling bombs at each other. Cops turn mute spectators and they do not do anything to bring the situation under control,&quot; a local told WION.</h5>
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&nbsp;

Some reports also suggest that when the Muharram procession was advancing in Naihati, members from the&nbsp;community requested for lowering the volume of loudspeakers playing devotional songs near a mosque, but were refused, which resulted&nbsp;in the&nbsp;breakout of clashes.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the local administration discontinued the ferry services on Friday evening to prevent any movement of outsiders into the Naihati area. It is being suspected that the outsiders, who initally instigated the clashes, entered the town through ferry and small boats.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The ferry services on the Ghola Ghat in the area, however, are yet to be suspended. Meanwhile, the police has imposed section 144 of the Indian code of criminal procedure (CrPC) that prohibits gathering of more than four people in a public place.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

As WION spoke to the inspector general (IG) of West Bengal police (Law &amp; Order), Anuj Sharma, regarding the matter, he assured that the situation is peaceful now.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&ldquo;We did receive few complaints of several groups clashing with each other. But, the situation is normal now. Police pickets have been put in place, wherever such incidents were reported,&rdquo; Sharma said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&#39;Provocation by hardliners&#39;

In the industrial city of Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district and Chandannagar city of Hooghly district, it is being reported that several shops were burnt down and houses were looted by some members of the procession as it was on its way. Several parts of Chandannagar are still on a boil, sources informed WION.

&nbsp;

Eyewitnesses claim that they have been hearing the noises of firing and bombing during the night hours. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

&ldquo;Last night, we could hear sounds of firing and bombs going off at regular intervals. The trouble began on Friday evening as two armed groups charged each other with countrymade bombs. All the shops immediately closed down. We are living in a state of constant terror. The situation is beyond the control of the administration,&rdquo; a local from the area told this correspondent on conditions anonymity.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Similar incidents have been reported in several districts of the state &mdash; West Midnapore, Murshidabad, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan and North 24 Parganas and Malda.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Locals claim that these groups are being provoked by hardliners and the administration has failed to maintain peace.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In Malda district, Rapid Action Force, a specialised wing of the Indian CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), has been deployed in areas where clashes erupted. According to locals, the areas continue to be tense.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In several areas of North 24 Parganas, locals have come together for night-vigil in a bid to prevent further clashes.

&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Several parts of the eastern state remain tense and administration has failed to bring back normalcy, locals say

Communal clashes marked the culmination of Durga Puja celebrations and Muharram processions this year in several parts of eastern Indian state of West Bengal. According to locals, clashes erupted in several parts of the state on Tuesday as five-day Durga Puja festivity (observed by the Bengali community to honour Hindu goddess Durga) came to an end. Several people including some police personnel were injured in the clashes, sources said. Clashes in Naihati town In Naihati town of North 24 Parganas district, eyewitnesses allege that they saw hundreds of outsiders entering the area, who claimed they had come to ‘protect’ members of their community. Reportedly provoked by the leaders of a right-wing group, these outsiders hurled bombs at a Muharram procession (where members of the Muslim community mourn the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad). The participants of the procession hurled bombs in return and clashes ensued. “The situation is still tense here. While it is usually peaceful around the daytime, as soon as darkness descends, the anti-social elements from both the communities start hurling bombs at each other. Cops turn mute spectators and they do not do anything to bring the situation under control. It’s been close to a week that the situation continues to worsen but little has been done to bring back normalcy in the town,” a local told WION pleading anonymity. “The leaders of the ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC), who are protesting against the current situation and are trying to avert such clashes are also coming under fire. Several bombs were hurled in front of the Trinamool Congress party office to foil their attempts," he added. As darkness descends, the anti-social elements from both the communities start hurling bombs at each other. Cops turn mute spectators and they do not do anything to bring the situation under control," a local told WION. × Some reports also suggest that when the Muharram procession was advancing in Naihati, members from the community requested for lowering the volume of loudspeakers playing devotional songs near a mosque, but were refused, which resulted in the breakout of clashes. Meanwhile, the local administration discontinued the ferry services on Friday evening to prevent any movement of outsiders into the Naihati area. It is being suspected that the outsiders, who initally instigated the clashes, entered the town through ferry and small boats. The ferry services on the Ghola Ghat in the area, however, are yet to be suspended. Meanwhile, the police has imposed section 144 of the Indian code of criminal procedure (CrPC) that prohibits gathering of more than four people in a public place. As WION spoke to the inspector general (IG) of West Bengal police (Law & Order), Anuj Sharma, regarding the matter, he assured that the situation is peaceful now. “We did receive few complaints of several groups clashing with each other. But, the situation is normal now. Police pickets have been put in place, wherever such incidents were reported,” Sharma said. 'Provocation by hardliners' In the industrial city of Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district and Chandannagar city of Hooghly district, it is being reported that several shops were burnt down and houses were looted by some members of the procession as it was on its way. Several parts of Chandannagar are still on a boil, sources informed WION. Eyewitnesses claim that they have been hearing the noises of firing and bombing during the night hours. “Last night, we could hear sounds of firing and bombs going off at regular intervals. The trouble began on Friday evening as two armed groups charged each other with countrymade bombs. All the shops immediately closed down. We are living in a state of constant terror. The situation is beyond the control of the administration,” a local from the area told this correspondent on conditions anonymity. Similar incidents have been reported in several districts of the state — West Midnapore, Murshidabad, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan and North 24 Parganas and Malda. Locals claim that these groups are being provoked by hardliners and the administration has failed to maintain peace. In Malda district, Rapid Action Force, a specialised wing of the Indian CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), has been deployed in areas where clashes erupted. According to locals, the areas continue to be tense. In several areas of North 24 Parganas, locals have come together for night-vigil in a bid to prevent further clashes. (WION)

Communal clashes erupt in India's West Bengal after Muharram processions, Durga Puja celebrations?

Hundreds of tourists and locals were stranded today in eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim following landslides due to heavy rains.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

While most highways remained cut off from the cities and towns, tourists were stranded on several arterial roads for several hours as they waited for the debris to get cleared. Normal life remained&nbsp;paralysed as locals could not step out of their homes due to waterlogging.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Landslides were reported in West Bengal&#39;s Alipurduar and Darjeeling districts. A portion of an arterial road between Siliguri and Sevok in Jalpaiguri district caved in due to landslip, sources informed WION. Another hill road&nbsp;in the district of Darjeeling also collapsed.

&nbsp;

Incessant rains over the last 48 hours, however,&nbsp;affected the repair work of these hill roads, official sources said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb said that the tourists are safe and the government will ensure all arrangements are being made for smooth movement of traffic. &ldquo;Repair work is&nbsp;going on the highways and the roads, where landslides have occurred. Meanwhile, all vehicles are being diverted to other routes till the time all roads are repaired. All tourists are safe,&rdquo; said Deb.

&nbsp;

In the eastern Indian state of Siliguri, services on National Highway 10, which connects Siliguri with Sikkim and Kalimpong (a hill station in West Bengal), remained disrupted due to the landslides. Another landslide was reported at Legship town, near Pelling town in Sikkim, severely affecting road traffic movement between Darjeeling and Legship.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Teesta and Jaldhaka rivers that flow through Jalpaiguri city of West Bengal, Mahananda river in Darjeeling, Santosh and Kaljani river in Alipurduar district have been overflowing in the wake of incessant rains. &nbsp;Several low-lying areas of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri have been inundated after the lock-gates on the Teesta river were opened. Weather office has predicted that these areas will receive more rainfall over the next 24 hours.

&nbsp;

West Bengal and Sikkim witness a steep surge in tourist footfalls during this time of the year. Locals and tourists participate in massive Durga Puja celebrations, a festival observed by the Bengali community.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

While most highways remained cut off from the cities and towns, tourists were stranded on several arterial roads for several hours

Hundreds of tourists and locals were stranded today in eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim following landslides due to heavy rains. While most highways remained cut off from the cities and towns, tourists were stranded on several arterial roads for several hours as they waited for the debris to get cleared. Normal life remained paralysed as locals could not step out of their homes due to waterlogging. Landslides were reported in West Bengal's Alipurduar and Darjeeling districts. A portion of an arterial road between Siliguri and Sevok in Jalpaiguri district caved in due to landslip, sources informed WION. Another hill road in the district of Darjeeling also collapsed. Incessant rains over the last 48 hours, however, affected the repair work of these hill roads, official sources said. North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb said that the tourists are safe and the government will ensure all arrangements are being made for smooth movement of traffic. “Repair work is going on the highways and the roads, where landslides have occurred. Meanwhile, all vehicles are being diverted to other routes till the time all roads are repaired. All tourists are safe,” said Deb. In the eastern Indian state of Siliguri, services on National Highway 10, which connects Siliguri with Sikkim and Kalimpong (a hill station in West Bengal), remained disrupted due to the landslides. Another landslide was reported at Legship town, near Pelling town in Sikkim, severely affecting road traffic movement between Darjeeling and Legship. Teesta and Jaldhaka rivers that flow through Jalpaiguri city of West Bengal, Mahananda river in Darjeeling, Santosh and Kaljani river in Alipurduar district have been overflowing in the wake of incessant rains. Several low-lying areas of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri have been inundated after the lock-gates on the Teesta river were opened. Weather office has predicted that these areas will receive more rainfall over the next 24 hours. West Bengal and Sikkim witness a steep surge in tourist footfalls during this time of the year. Locals and tourists participate in massive Durga Puja celebrations, a festival observed by the Bengali community. (WION)

India: Hundreds stranded in West Bengal, Sikkim after landslides

The sex workers of Sonagachi have said they will not be celebrating Durga puja&nbsp;&ndash; the biggest Bengali festival&nbsp;of the year; in which people commemorate the goddess Durga&#39;s slaying of the demon Mahishasura &ndash; this year.

This is especially surprising since the sex workers play an integral part in the festivities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the Indian state of Bengal, it is believed&nbsp;that an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga is incomplete if earth from the doorstep of a prostitute&nbsp;is not mixed into the clay that goes into moulding&nbsp;it.

The old (and it must be said troubling) thinking was that a man who visited&nbsp;a prostitute&nbsp;left his purity at her doorstep;&nbsp;hence the earth at a prostitute&#39;s&nbsp;doorstep is called &quot;punya mati&quot;&nbsp;or pure soil in Bengali.&nbsp;

Potters will therefore collect earth from the &quot;nishiddho palli&quot;&nbsp;or&nbsp;the forbidden territory (read red-light districts). This earth, believed to be a blessing from the prostitutes,&nbsp;is then mixed into the clay used in the making of the&nbsp;Durga idols.&nbsp;

It is no surprise then that two of the largest potters&#39; colonies&nbsp;in Bengal&#39;s capital city Kolkata are found next to red-light districts. One of the biggest potters&#39;&nbsp;colonies, Kumartulli,&nbsp;lies next to Sonagachi &ndash; which is&nbsp;one of Asia&#39;s&nbsp;largest red-light districts&nbsp;&ndash; while Potuapara is found&nbsp;next to the Kalighat&nbsp;red-light district.&nbsp;

It is believed the ritual was made part of Durga puja so as to allow the sex workers,&nbsp;generally thought of&nbsp;as outcastes,&nbsp;to take part in the festivities.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
But of course things are different this year, with the sex workers of Sonagachi saying they will not be taking part in the festivities. They say celebrating&nbsp;it entails too much harassment. 
&nbsp; 
Bharati Dey, the secretary of the Durbar Mahila Sammanaya Committee,&nbsp;the NGO&nbsp;that works with&nbsp;sex workers in the Sonagachi area, says, &ldquo;We have been harassed for the past three years. In our bid to celebrate Durga puja, we had to run from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to the police station seeking permission. Sometimes we were not allowed to organise the Durga puja within our district at all. We had to even approach Calcutta High Court for permission the past couple of years.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We cannot be doing that every year. We are tired of going to the corporation and the High Court just to be a part of the puja revelry. Hence, we have decided to give up this time and not celebrate the festival,&rdquo; she adds. 
&nbsp; 
Others in the area&nbsp;say&nbsp;they have been harassed so much in the past that they are left with little inclintation to celebrate the puja this year. &ldquo;No one from the state government comes forward to make us a part of the festival. No political leaders or representatives of the government want us to celebrate the puja, hence it is best to give up on the celebrations. It&rsquo;s sad that they do not think that we are humans, too. We live with the taboo (of being sex workers) all our life, but the governments do little to make our lives better,&rdquo; said a sex worker&nbsp;who did not wish to be named. 
&nbsp; 
Trouble began in 2013 as the sex workers and members of the Durbar Mahila Sammanaya Committee planned&nbsp;the puja. 
&nbsp; 
The police and the municipal corporation refused to give them permission,&nbsp;saying they could not hold the puja on the pavement. They finally had to conduct&nbsp;the puja&nbsp;inside the clinic run by the NGO. 
&nbsp; 
In 2015, they were again&nbsp;refused permission and had to approach the high court, which ordered the authorities to allow them to celebrate the puja and to allot them a community hall for the purpose. 
&nbsp; 
(WION)

The sex workers are an integral part of the festivities but they say celebrating it entails too much harassment

The sex workers of Sonagachi have said they will not be celebrating Durga puja – the biggest Bengali festival of the year; in which people commemorate the goddess Durga's slaying of the demon Mahishasura – this year. This is especially surprising since the sex workers play an integral part in the festivities. In the Indian state of Bengal, it is believed that an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga is incomplete if earth from the doorstep of a prostitute is not mixed into the clay that goes into moulding it. The old (and it must be said troubling) thinking was that a man who visited a prostitute left his purity at her doorstep; hence the earth at a prostitute's doorstep is called "punya mati" or pure soil in Bengali. Potters will therefore collect earth from the "nishiddho palli" or the forbidden territory (read red-light districts). This earth, believed to be a blessing from the prostitutes, is then mixed into the clay used in the making of the Durga idols. It is no surprise then that two of the largest potters' colonies in Bengal's capital city Kolkata are found next to red-light districts. One of the biggest potters' colonies, Kumartulli, lies next to Sonagachi – which is one of Asia's largest red-light districts – while Potuapara is found next to the Kalighat red-light district. It is believed the ritual was made part of Durga puja so as to allow the sex workers, generally thought of as outcastes, to take part in the festivities. But of course things are different this year, with the sex workers of Sonagachi saying they will not be taking part in the festivities. They say celebrating it entails too much harassment. Bharati Dey, the secretary of the Durbar Mahila Sammanaya Committee, the NGO that works with sex workers in the Sonagachi area, says, “We have been harassed for the past three years. In our bid to celebrate Durga puja, we had to run from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to the police station seeking permission. Sometimes we were not allowed to organise the Durga puja within our district at all. We had to even approach Calcutta High Court for permission the past couple of years.” “We cannot be doing that every year. We are tired of going to the corporation and the High Court just to be a part of the puja revelry. Hence, we have decided to give up this time and not celebrate the festival,” she adds. Others in the area say they have been harassed so much in the past that they are left with little inclintation to celebrate the puja this year. “No one from the state government comes forward to make us a part of the festival. No political leaders or representatives of the government want us to celebrate the puja, hence it is best to give up on the celebrations. It’s sad that they do not think that we are humans, too. We live with the taboo (of being sex workers) all our life, but the governments do little to make our lives better,” said a sex worker who did not wish to be named. Trouble began in 2013 as the sex workers and members of the Durbar Mahila Sammanaya Committee planned the puja. The police and the municipal corporation refused to give them permission, saying they could not hold the puja on the pavement. They finally had to conduct the puja inside the clinic run by the NGO. In 2015, they were again refused permission and had to approach the high court, which ordered the authorities to allow them to celebrate the puja and to allot them a community hall for the purpose. (WION)

India: Bengal's sex workers say they won't celebrate Durga puja this year

A&nbsp;blogger from India&rsquo;s eastern West Bengal state, Tarak Biswas, who was arrested on September 15 for allegedly criticising Islam on social media, was granted bail today.

&nbsp;

Biswas has been granted bail after serving 21 days in jail. His bail plea was earlier rejected twice on grounds that his comments had spread communal tension. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

The blogger&rsquo;s release comes after&nbsp;two rights organisations&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Association For Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) and Hindu Samhati&ndash;&nbsp;took up his case.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

While APDR&#39;s lawyer, Abhijit Dutta, fought Tarak&#39;s case at the Howrah court, Hindu Samhati&#39;s &nbsp;lawyer, Tirthankar Ghosh, fought the case at the Calcutta High Court.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He was granted bail by the Calcutta High Court. However, he is yet to walk out of the jail as the proceedings are pending at two other courts in Bengal - Howrah and Tamluk. Once the copy of the bail order will reach these courts, Tarak will be able to step out of the jail.

&nbsp;

Earlier, a delegation comprising APDR members had even met the police commissioner of Howrah city police, Devendra Prakash Singh, and submitted a memorandum.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Biswas has been accused of&nbsp;posting&nbsp;a message on the social media criticising the Islam religion and hurting religious sentiments. One Sanaullah Khan had registered a complaint with the cyber police station of the Howrah Police Commissionerate demanding his arrest. According to locals,&nbsp;Khan is&nbsp;leader from the ruling- Trinamool Congress Party (TMC).&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&ldquo;Sanaullah Khan had registered an FIR against Biswas for hurting religious sentiments. Based on the complaint filed, we arrested him. Presently he is in police custody,&rdquo; said a senior police officer of the Howrah police commissionerate.

&nbsp;

Soon after the complaint was registered, he was arrested by the police. However, his arrest had triggered widespread condemnation on social media.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Locals had alleged that the police had picked up Biswas from his residence in the wee hours of September 15. According to the police, Tarak was arrested under section&nbsp;295 A, 298 of the Indian Penal Code (hurting religious sentiments and hate speech), besides section 66, 67 and 67A of the IT Act (posting, sending offensive messages through communication services).

&nbsp;

(WION)

His bail plea was earlier rejected twice on grounds that his comments had spread communal tension

A blogger from India’s eastern West Bengal state, Tarak Biswas, who was arrested on September 15 for allegedly criticising Islam on social media, was granted bail today. Biswas has been granted bail after serving 21 days in jail. His bail plea was earlier rejected twice on grounds that his comments had spread communal tension. The blogger’s release comes after two rights organisations – Association For Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) and Hindu Samhati– took up his case. While APDR's lawyer, Abhijit Dutta, fought Tarak's case at the Howrah court, Hindu Samhati's lawyer, Tirthankar Ghosh, fought the case at the Calcutta High Court. He was granted bail by the Calcutta High Court. However, he is yet to walk out of the jail as the proceedings are pending at two other courts in Bengal - Howrah and Tamluk. Once the copy of the bail order will reach these courts, Tarak will be able to step out of the jail. Earlier, a delegation comprising APDR members had even met the police commissioner of Howrah city police, Devendra Prakash Singh, and submitted a memorandum. Biswas has been accused of posting a message on the social media criticising the Islam religion and hurting religious sentiments. One Sanaullah Khan had registered a complaint with the cyber police station of the Howrah Police Commissionerate demanding his arrest. According to locals, Khan is leader from the ruling- Trinamool Congress Party (TMC). “Sanaullah Khan had registered an FIR against Biswas for hurting religious sentiments. Based on the complaint filed, we arrested him. Presently he is in police custody,” said a senior police officer of the Howrah police commissionerate. Soon after the complaint was registered, he was arrested by the police. However, his arrest had triggered widespread condemnation on social media. Locals had alleged that the police had picked up Biswas from his residence in the wee hours of September 15. According to the police, Tarak was arrested under section 295 A, 298 of the Indian Penal Code (hurting religious sentiments and hate speech), besides section 66, 67 and 67A of the IT Act (posting, sending offensive messages through communication services). (WION)

India: Blogger arrested for criticising Islam on social media granted bail after 21 days in jail

Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa, the celebrated nun, has been proclaimed a saint of the Roman Catholic Church today. 
 
Tens of thousands of people gathered to attend a service led by Pope Francis in St Peter&#39;s Square at the Vatican to honour the nun, also known as the &#39;Saint of the Gutters&#39;, who worked with the poorest of the poor in eastern Indian city of Kolkata for about four decades.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;For the honour of the Blessed Trinity... we declare and define Blessed&nbsp;Teresa&nbsp;of Calcutta (Kolkata) to be a Saint and we enroll her among the Saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church,&quot; Pope Francis said in Lation as he&nbsp;declared the revered nun a&nbsp;a saint.&nbsp; 
 
From India, a 12-member central delegation led by Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and two state government-level delegations from northern Delhi and eastern state of West Bengal, led by chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee, respectively, are attending the function. 
 
The sainthood ceremony, for which the Vatican could easily have issued twice as many tickets, comes one day short of the 19th anniversary of Teresa&#39;s death, at 87, in the Indian city where she spent her adult life, first teaching, then tending to the dying poor. 
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<h5>The sainthood ceremony, for which the Vatican could easily have issued twice as many tickets, comes one day short of the 19th anniversary of Teresa&#39;s death.&nbsp;</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" death="" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The sainthood ceremony, for which the Vatican could easily have issued twice as many tickets, comes one day short of the 19th anniversary of Teresa" s="">&nbsp;</a></div>
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&#39;Pope had no doubt about her eligibility for sainthood&#39; 
 
Mother Teresa&#39;s legacy fits neatly with Francis&#39;s vision of a poor church that strives to serve the poor. The canonisation ceremony is the highlight of his Holy Year of Mercy which runs until November 8. 
 
However, Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity (MoC) order have been criticised both during her life and since her death in 1997, but many Catholics revere her as a model of compassion. 
 
The debate over the nun&#39;s legacy has continued after her death with researchers uncovering financial irregularities in the running of her Order and evidence mounting of patients&#39; neglect, insalubrious conditions and questionable conversions of the vulnerable in her missions. 
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<h5>The debate over the nun&#39;s legacy has continued after her death with researchers uncovering financial irregularities in the running of her Order.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a after="" class="twitter popup" continued="" death="" financial="" has="" her="" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The debate over the nun" in="" irregularities="" legacy="" of="" order.="" researchers="" running="" s="" the="" uncovering="" with="">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Critics say she did little to alleviate the pain of the terminally ill and nothing to tackle the root causes of poverty. Atheist writer Christopher Hitchens made a documentary about her called &quot;Hell&#39;s Angel&quot;. 
 
She was also accused of trying to convert the destitute in predominantly-Hindu India to Christianity, a charge her mission has repeatedly denied. 
 
But Pope John Paul II, who met her often, had no doubt about her eligibility for sainthood, and put her on a fast track to elevation two years after her death instead of the usual five. 
 
The miracles&nbsp; 
 
By historical standards, Teresa has been fast-tracked to sainthood, thanks largely to one of the few people to have achieved canonisation faster, John Paul II. 
 
The Polish cleric was a personal friend of Teresa and as the pope at the time of her death, he was responsible for her being beatified in 2003. 
 
Achieving sainthood requires the Vatican to approve accounts of two miracles occurring as a result of prayers for Teresa&#39;s intercession. 
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The first one, ratified in 2002, was of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, who says she recovered from ovarian cancer a year after Teresa&#39;s death, something local health officials have put down to medical advances rather than the power of prayer. 
 
In the second, approved last year, Brazilian Marcilio Haddad Andrino says his wife&#39;s prayers to Teresa led to brain tumours disappearing. Eight years later, Andrino and his wife Fernanda will be in the congregation on Sunday. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters, AFP)&nbsp;

Teresa, also known as the 'saint of the gutters', worked with the poorest of the poor in Indian city of Kolkata for nearly four decades

Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa, the celebrated nun, has been proclaimed a saint of the Roman Catholic Church today. Tens of thousands of people gathered to attend a service led by Pope Francis in St Peter's Square at the Vatican to honour the nun, also known as the 'Saint of the Gutters', who worked with the poorest of the poor in eastern Indian city of Kolkata for about four decades. "For the honour of the Blessed Trinity... we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (Kolkata) to be a Saint and we enroll her among the Saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church," Pope Francis said in Lation as he declared the revered nun a a saint. From India, a 12-member central delegation led by Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and two state government-level delegations from northern Delhi and eastern state of West Bengal, led by chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee, respectively, are attending the function. The sainthood ceremony, for which the Vatican could easily have issued twice as many tickets, comes one day short of the 19th anniversary of Teresa's death, at 87, in the Indian city where she spent her adult life, first teaching, then tending to the dying poor. The sainthood ceremony, for which the Vatican could easily have issued twice as many tickets, comes one day short of the 19th anniversary of Teresa's death. 'Pope had no doubt about her eligibility for sainthood' Mother Teresa's legacy fits neatly with Francis's vision of a poor church that strives to serve the poor. The canonisation ceremony is the highlight of his Holy Year of Mercy which runs until November 8. However, Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity (MoC) order have been criticised both during her life and since her death in 1997, but many Catholics revere her as a model of compassion. The debate over the nun's legacy has continued after her death with researchers uncovering financial irregularities in the running of her Order and evidence mounting of patients' neglect, insalubrious conditions and questionable conversions of the vulnerable in her missions. The debate over the nun's legacy has continued after her death with researchers uncovering financial irregularities in the running of her Order. Critics say she did little to alleviate the pain of the terminally ill and nothing to tackle the root causes of poverty. Atheist writer Christopher Hitchens made a documentary about her called "Hell's Angel". She was also accused of trying to convert the destitute in predominantly-Hindu India to Christianity, a charge her mission has repeatedly denied. But Pope John Paul II, who met her often, had no doubt about her eligibility for sainthood, and put her on a fast track to elevation two years after her death instead of the usual five. The miracles By historical standards, Teresa has been fast-tracked to sainthood, thanks largely to one of the few people to have achieved canonisation faster, John Paul II. The Polish cleric was a personal friend of Teresa and as the pope at the time of her death, he was responsible for her being beatified in 2003. Achieving sainthood requires the Vatican to approve accounts of two miracles occurring as a result of prayers for Teresa's intercession. Achieving sainthood requires the Vatican to approve accounts of two miracles occurring as a result of prayers for Teresa's intercession. The first one, ratified in 2002, was of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, who says she recovered from ovarian cancer a year after Teresa's death, something local health officials have put down to medical advances rather than the power of prayer. In the second, approved last year, Brazilian Marcilio Haddad Andrino says his wife's prayers to Teresa led to brain tumours disappearing. Eight years later, Andrino and his wife Fernanda will be in the congregation on Sunday. (WION with inputs from Reuters, AFP)

Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa elevated to sainthood

Eight more deaths were reported from the flooded region of India&#39;s&nbsp;Bihar, even as the waters from major rivers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh are&nbsp;receding. 
 
One person died in West Bengal&#39;s Malda and another in Uttarakhand&#39;s&nbsp;Uttarkashi district due to the deluge. 
 
The death toll in Bihas has now touched 37, with 12 from Bhojpur district&nbsp;alone. 
 
The Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers have&nbsp;been overflowing for the last many days, affecting 31.33 lakh people in 1,934&nbsp;villages across 12 districts. 
 
Around 3.44 lakh people have been rescued so far, an official statement said. 
 
A Central Water Commission report said that relatively less amount of rainfall&nbsp;has made the situation slightly better now. 
 
Both the Ganga and Yamuna are seeing receding water levels in several&nbsp;districts now but they are still above the danger mark. 
 
The capital region of Delhi is experiencing light to heavy showers with high&nbsp;humidity. 
 
The flood waters have disrupted vehicular traffic and communication across&nbsp;several regions in the country. Boats were being pressed into service in the&nbsp;submerged areas to ferry the stranded people. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

While river water levels in some regions is receding, they are still above the danger mark

Eight more deaths were reported from the flooded region of India's Bihar, even as the waters from major rivers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh are receding. One person died in West Bengal's Malda and another in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district due to the deluge. The death toll in Bihas has now touched 37, with 12 from Bhojpur district alone. The Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers have been overflowing for the last many days, affecting 31.33 lakh people in 1,934 villages across 12 districts. Around 3.44 lakh people have been rescued so far, an official statement said. A Central Water Commission report said that relatively less amount of rainfall has made the situation slightly better now. Both the Ganga and Yamuna are seeing receding water levels in several districts now but they are still above the danger mark. The capital region of Delhi is experiencing light to heavy showers with high humidity. The flood waters have disrupted vehicular traffic and communication across several regions in the country. Boats were being pressed into service in the submerged areas to ferry the stranded people. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Floods claim 8 more lives in India's Bihar, water receding in some parts

Hundreds of children were taken ill in northeastern Tripura and eastern West Bengal state in India following deworming programme held in government schools on Wednesday to mark National Deworming Day.&nbsp; 
 
In Tripura, more than 250 children reported discomfort after consuming deworming tablets. Children complained of respiratory problems, nausea and dizziness.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;More than 250 students across different schools in Kadamtala block of Tripura were administered deworming tablets as part of National Deworming Day programme. However, many students complained of pain in abdomen and respiratory trouble after consuming the tablets,&rdquo; Pradip Acharya, sub-divisional magistrate of Dharmanagar district, said. 
 
The children were immediately rushed to the local hospital where they were treated and discharged later. Ruckus broke out in the hospital after anxious parents started pouring in with their sick children in large numbers. 
 
&quot;Subsequently students from nearby schools like South Fulbari School, Kadamtala Higher Secondary School and colony (other) schools (rushed to the hospital). Students from around six-seven schools rushed in the hospital. There is a total panic, there is a total chaos. Doctors are trying their best to treat the patients,&quot; said chief medical officer, north Tripura, Shankar Das. 
 
The state had a target of administering de-worming medicine among 1.1 million students aged 1-19 years across all schools in the state,&nbsp;Reuters reported.&nbsp; 
 
In West Bengal, several children in the North 24 Parganas district reportedly fainted after consuming the deworming tablets. The children were rushed to the nearby medical centre for treatment. Similar reports were recieved from other parts of West Bengal also. 
 
As a part of the National Deworming Day, a flagship initiative of the ministry of health and family welfare, deworming programmes were conducted across India on Wednesday.&nbsp; 
 
The nationwide initiative involves free distribution of Albendazole 400 mg chewable tablets among preschool and primary schools.&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

As a part of the National Deworming Day, deworming programmes were conducted in government schools across India on Wednesday

Hundreds of children were taken ill in northeastern Tripura and eastern West Bengal state in India following deworming programme held in government schools on Wednesday to mark National Deworming Day. In Tripura, more than 250 children reported discomfort after consuming deworming tablets. Children complained of respiratory problems, nausea and dizziness. “More than 250 students across different schools in Kadamtala block of Tripura were administered deworming tablets as part of National Deworming Day programme. However, many students complained of pain in abdomen and respiratory trouble after consuming the tablets,” Pradip Acharya, sub-divisional magistrate of Dharmanagar district, said. The children were immediately rushed to the local hospital where they were treated and discharged later. Ruckus broke out in the hospital after anxious parents started pouring in with their sick children in large numbers. "Subsequently students from nearby schools like South Fulbari School, Kadamtala Higher Secondary School and colony (other) schools (rushed to the hospital). Students from around six-seven schools rushed in the hospital. There is a total panic, there is a total chaos. Doctors are trying their best to treat the patients," said chief medical officer, north Tripura, Shankar Das. The state had a target of administering de-worming medicine among 1.1 million students aged 1-19 years across all schools in the state, Reuters reported. In West Bengal, several children in the North 24 Parganas district reportedly fainted after consuming the deworming tablets. The children were rushed to the nearby medical centre for treatment. Similar reports were recieved from other parts of West Bengal also. As a part of the National Deworming Day, a flagship initiative of the ministry of health and family welfare, deworming programmes were conducted across India on Wednesday. The nationwide initiative involves free distribution of Albendazole 400 mg chewable tablets among preschool and primary schools. (With inputs from Reuters)

Hundreds of children taken ill in Tripura after consuming deworming tablets

As many as seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by police in Indian state of West Bengal for trespassing into the Indian territory on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
The seven persons were arrested from the Indo-Bangla international border in Bongaon&rsquo;s RS Math area of West Bengal after they failed to produce valid documents.&nbsp; 
 
Officials said three persons, among the seven trespassers, were carrying Indian voter identity card with the same picture but different names and particulars&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We have arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals for illegally trespassing into India. The arrested have been identified as Kamal Sheikh, Rubia Begum, Iqbal Mollah, Md Nasir, Jahidul Sarif, Md Mir Amir, Pannu Sikder. The seven arrested comprise six men and one woman with an infant. All are residents of Faridpur in Bangladesh and their ages range between 19 and 35. We have lodged a case against them,&rdquo; said a senior police of the Bongaon Police Station.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We had intelligence inputs about some people who had come to India from Bangladesh in the last couple days. We have tightened vigil along the border and police stations across the border area have been kept on high alert,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Security arrangements across the border areas have been tightened by the Indian security agencies. The Border Security Force (BSF) and state police have beefed up security to prevent any illegal migration or trespassing into the Indian territory from Bangladesh.&nbsp; 
 
Besides West Bengal, four more states -- &nbsp;Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya --- that share border with the neighbouring country have been kept on high alert following the Dhaka attack last month.&nbsp; 
 
The Indo-Bangla border is 4,096 Kilometre with West Bengal having the highest length with 2,217 Kilometre. 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

The seven were arrested in the Indo-Bangla international border region after they failed to produce valid documents

As many as seven Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by police in Indian state of West Bengal for trespassing into the Indian territory on Thursday. The seven persons were arrested from the Indo-Bangla international border in Bongaon’s RS Math area of West Bengal after they failed to produce valid documents. Officials said three persons, among the seven trespassers, were carrying Indian voter identity card with the same picture but different names and particulars “We have arrested seven Bangladeshi nationals for illegally trespassing into India. The arrested have been identified as Kamal Sheikh, Rubia Begum, Iqbal Mollah, Md Nasir, Jahidul Sarif, Md Mir Amir, Pannu Sikder. The seven arrested comprise six men and one woman with an infant. All are residents of Faridpur in Bangladesh and their ages range between 19 and 35. We have lodged a case against them,” said a senior police of the Bongaon Police Station. “We had intelligence inputs about some people who had come to India from Bangladesh in the last couple days. We have tightened vigil along the border and police stations across the border area have been kept on high alert," he added. Security arrangements across the border areas have been tightened by the Indian security agencies. The Border Security Force (BSF) and state police have beefed up security to prevent any illegal migration or trespassing into the Indian territory from Bangladesh. Besides West Bengal, four more states -- Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya --- that share border with the neighbouring country have been kept on high alert following the Dhaka attack last month. The Indo-Bangla border is 4,096 Kilometre with West Bengal having the highest length with 2,217 Kilometre. (WION)

Seven Bangladeshi nationals arrested for illegally trespassing into India

As India&rsquo;s national capital struggles with dengue outbreak, a spike in dengue cases has also been reported from eastern parts of India.&nbsp; 
 
Besides the national capital, the vector-borner disease is spreading rapidly across several states in the eastern region of India including Odisha and West Bengal.&nbsp; 
 
As many as 3,000 cases of dengue have been reported in the last few weeks alone in Odisha, health officials inform. Dengue has spread across 25 districts in the state; while 2,400 cases have been reported from silver city Cuttack and Barbil area of Keonjhar district.&nbsp; 
 
About 1,216 dengue patients have been identified from Keonjhar district alone, the state health department observed.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, in West Bengal, over 1,000 cases have been reported in the last few weeks, according to health officials, and as many as seven people have died in the last five days.&nbsp; 
 
The deceased dengue victims included eight and nine year old students of a renowned school in West Bengal. Also, many children have been admitted to hospitals across the state with high fever and other symptoms of dengue.&nbsp; 
 
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee chaired a high-level meeting with state officials yesterday in a bid to combat the rising cases of dengue being reported across the state. Banerjee said besides dengue, measures have been taken to combat all the other vector-borne diseases.&nbsp; 
 
In north-eastern state of Assam too, more than 180 cases of dengue have been reported from different parts of the state in the last few weeks, health officials say.&nbsp;Officials further observe a recent spurt in cases of dengue being reported from across the north-eastern states of India.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Thousands of cases have been reported from eastern states, West Bengal and Odisha, in recent weeks

As India’s national capital struggles with dengue outbreak, a spike in dengue cases has also been reported from eastern parts of India. Besides the national capital, the vector-borner disease is spreading rapidly across several states in the eastern region of India including Odisha and West Bengal. As many as 3,000 cases of dengue have been reported in the last few weeks alone in Odisha, health officials inform. Dengue has spread across 25 districts in the state; while 2,400 cases have been reported from silver city Cuttack and Barbil area of Keonjhar district. About 1,216 dengue patients have been identified from Keonjhar district alone, the state health department observed. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, over 1,000 cases have been reported in the last few weeks, according to health officials, and as many as seven people have died in the last five days. The deceased dengue victims included eight and nine year old students of a renowned school in West Bengal. Also, many children have been admitted to hospitals across the state with high fever and other symptoms of dengue. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee chaired a high-level meeting with state officials yesterday in a bid to combat the rising cases of dengue being reported across the state. Banerjee said besides dengue, measures have been taken to combat all the other vector-borne diseases. In north-eastern state of Assam too, more than 180 cases of dengue have been reported from different parts of the state in the last few weeks, health officials say. Officials further observe a recent spurt in cases of dengue being reported from across the north-eastern states of India. (WION)

Spike in dengue cases observed in eastern parts of India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;on Thursday jointly inaugurated a border check post with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh&nbsp;Hasina&nbsp;through video conferencing and iterated the country&#39;s support to its neighbour in its anti-terror fight.

The Petrapole Integrated Check Post (ICP) in India&#39;s eastern West Bengal state is the second ICP on the India-Bangladesh border after one at the Agartala - Akhaura border. It is also the biggest land port in South Asia.

Inaugurating the ICP,&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;pitched for concerted efforts to curb militancy.

&quot;You (Bangladesh) shouldn&#39;t consider yourself alone in the fight against militancy. India completely supports you. I also want to assure Prime Minister Sheikh&nbsp;Hasina&nbsp;that India is always ready for all possible support in the fight against militancy,&quot;&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;said. 
 
Bangladeshi newpaper The Daily Star quoted Modi as saying&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It&#39;s a matter of pain for me as well as for the people of my country that there were two terror incidents in Dhaka and Kishoreganj during the holy month of Ramadan. It&#39;s a sad moment when temples and their priests as also civilians were subjected to inhumane torture.&quot; 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s security forces arrested four members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) on Thursday, including a regional leader of the banned group blamed for the Islamist attack on a cafe in Dhaka in which at least 20 people were killed.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided an apartment on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka and arrested the group&#39;s southern region leader and three other members, including a medical student.

Modi&nbsp;also assured more check posts to check cross-border terrorism.

&quot;We will soon complete eight such integrated check posts on the border. Excellency, I firmly believe that economic development and connectivity are closely linked,&quot; he said.

Hasina&nbsp;added that the ICP would boost trade and people-to-people contacts.

&quot;As business between the two countries grows, the economic well-being of the people will also improve substantially. So after congratulating everybody, I wish business and trade will get a fillip through Petrapole Integrated Check Post,&quot; she said. 
 
According to the Daily Star, West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee-&nbsp;who was also a part of the videoconference-&nbsp;said that West Bengal is the gateway to Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.&nbsp;

Petrapole-Benapole is an important land border crossing as more than 50 per cent of India-Bangladesh trade passes through Petrapole.

The Petrapole ICP will provide better facilities for effective and efficient discharge of functions such as security, immigration, customs, quarantine, etc. while also providing support facilities for smooth cross-border movement of persons, goods and transport.

It will also serve to foster greater economic integration and connectivity between India and Bangladesh. 
 
(Others)

The two ministers spoke to each other while jointly inaugurating a border check post over videoconferencing on Thursday

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday jointly inaugurated a border check post with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina through video conferencing and iterated the country's support to its neighbour in its anti-terror fight. The Petrapole Integrated Check Post (ICP) in India's eastern West Bengal state is the second ICP on the India-Bangladesh border after one at the Agartala - Akhaura border. It is also the biggest land port in South Asia. Inaugurating the ICP, Modi pitched for concerted efforts to curb militancy. "You (Bangladesh) shouldn't consider yourself alone in the fight against militancy. India completely supports you. I also want to assure Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that India is always ready for all possible support in the fight against militancy," Modi said. Bangladeshi newpaper The Daily Star quoted Modi as saying “It's a matter of pain for me as well as for the people of my country that there were two terror incidents in Dhaka and Kishoreganj during the holy month of Ramadan. It's a sad moment when temples and their priests as also civilians were subjected to inhumane torture." Bangladesh's security forces arrested four members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) on Thursday, including a regional leader of the banned group blamed for the Islamist attack on a cafe in Dhaka in which at least 20 people were killed. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided an apartment on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka and arrested the group's southern region leader and three other members, including a medical student. Modi also assured more check posts to check cross-border terrorism. "We will soon complete eight such integrated check posts on the border. Excellency, I firmly believe that economic development and connectivity are closely linked," he said. Hasina added that the ICP would boost trade and people-to-people contacts. "As business between the two countries grows, the economic well-being of the people will also improve substantially. So after congratulating everybody, I wish business and trade will get a fillip through Petrapole Integrated Check Post," she said. According to the Daily Star, West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee- who was also a part of the videoconference- said that West Bengal is the gateway to Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Petrapole-Benapole is an important land border crossing as more than 50 per cent of India-Bangladesh trade passes through Petrapole. The Petrapole ICP will provide better facilities for effective and efficient discharge of functions such as security, immigration, customs, quarantine, etc. while also providing support facilities for smooth cross-border movement of persons, goods and transport. It will also serve to foster greater economic integration and connectivity between India and Bangladesh. (Others)

Do not consider yourself alone in fight against militancy: Modi to Hasina

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