458 fresh enquiries launched, 181 FIRs registered, 59 cases reopened in 2021 West Bengal post-poll violence probe :::::: TMC ex-MLA Gias Uddin Molla lodges case against Abhishek, blames him for poll debacle :::: Ready to give land for fencing, but villagers demand resolution of legal tangle first

458 fresh enquiries launched, 181 FIRs registered, 59 cases reopened in 2021 West Bengal post-poll violence probe

TMC ex-MLA Gias Uddin Molla lodges case against Abhishek, blames him for poll debacle

The former junior minister for minority affairs and madrasah education alleged that Mithun Kumar Dey, the former sub-divisional police officer of Diamond Harbour, took unwarranted punitive action against sections of Trinamool rank and file who were 'unwilling to accept the autocratic manner in which Abhishek Banerjee ran the party'

Molla’s complaints were filed at a local police station under the Magrahat Paschim constituency.

He said he did not protest before Suvendu Adhikari became chief minister, fearing retribution from his own party.

“I can do this now (go to the police) because I have full faith in the administration under the new chief minister,” said Molla, who was once Suvendu’s cabinet colleague.

He also said he confidentially raised the issues with both Mamata and Abhishek, but in vain.

Molla is among the dozens in the middle to lower tiers of the Trinamool leadership who have publicly criticised Abhishek and his management of the party, as well as Mamata’s inability or unwillingness to rein him in. They have largely blamed him for the electoral debacle that has raised serious questions about the party’s very existence in the near future.

Multiple senior leaders, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Mamata’s refusal to accommodate or even acknowledge such views has exacerbated the problems.

Arrests

Moumita Bhattacharya, a Group D employee of Dinhata municipality, known to be close to Trinamool Congress leader and former minister Udayan Guha, was arrested on Saturday evening for allegedly approving fake building plans.

Gouri Shankar Maheswari, the former chairman of the municipality, who was allegedly involved in the same racket, remains at large.

Cooch Behar welcomes Speaker Rathindra Bose with rousing reception

A first-time MLA from the Cooch Behar Dakshin Assembly seat, Bose is regarded as one of the BJP’s key organisational faces in north Bengal. He has also been associated with the RSS since his early days.

An alumnus of Cooch Behar B.T. & Evening College, Bose has an impressive academic background. Apart from being a successful chartered accountant, he had secured fifth position in the all-India cost accountancy examinations. He lived in London for a few years before returning to India.

Bose settled in Siliguri and began practising as a chartered accountant, though he remained closely connected to his ancestral home in the Debibari area of Cooch Behar.

Fresh from being elected Speaker after his name was proposed by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, Bose took out a gratitude rally through Cooch Behar town, standing atop a hoodless vehicle before offering puja at the Madan Mohan Temple, greeting people with folded hands

Fresh from being elected Speaker after his name was proposed by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, Bose took out a gratitude rally through Cooch Behar town, standing atop a hoodless vehicle before offering puja at the Madan Mohan Temple, greeting people with folded hands.  

“North Bengal is quite a favourite place of the leader of the nation, Narendra Modi. The BJP government has a number of development plans for north Bengal. Our party will strive to develop north Bengal unprecedentedly,” Bose said, thanking people for the warm reception accorded to him.

People gathered in large numbers on both sides of the roads as Bose's rally passed through different parts of the town.

Ready to give land for fencing, but villagers demand resolution of legal tangle first

These South Berubari villages — Chilahati, Boroshoshi, Nawtori-Debottar and Kajaldighi — fall under the Jalpaiguri Assembly constituency  Residents of four villages in South Berubari of Jalpaiguri district have welcomed the state government’s decision to expedite land acquisition for fencing and road construction along the India-Bangladesh border, but demanded that decades-old land mutation issues be resolved first.

These South Berubari villages — Chilahati, Boroshoshi, Nawtori-Debottar and Kajaldighi — fall under the Jalpaiguri Assembly constituency.