Bengal has reported 303 cases of “political clashes” since the model code of conduct came into effect on March 15, but only 149 arrests have been made so far, according to police sources.On Thursday, all police commissionerates and district ...
18 April 2026 TelegraphIncome tax personnel searched properties linked to Debasish Kumar, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Rashbehari; Miraj D. Shah, one of the four proposers for chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s candidature from Bhabanipur; and Kumar Saha, a party leader in Kalighat, ...
18 April 2026 TelegraphInside SPM-NIWAS in Joka, retired judges sat in tribunals deciding who qualified as a voter and who did not. Outside, hundreds of disenfranchised voters from across Bengal gathered through the day, hoping for a chance to present their cases ...
18 April 2026 TelegraphThe fourth edition of Poila Baisakh Bird Count, a citizen-science initiative to document birds across Bengal during this time of the year, kicked off on Friday. It will continue till Sunday.Birdwatchers can register by logging into the eBird mobile ...
18 April 2026 TelegraphThe Calcutta High Court on Friday set aside the Election Commission’s order directing assistant and associate professors of government colleges to be deployed as presiding officers for the Bengal Assembly elections to be held on April 23 and April ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphChief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law in Parliament as a front for the Delimitation Bill that would "break the country into ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphSuvendu Adhikari on Friday alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress was issuing "fake press identification cards" to its workers to gain access to polling stations and influence the election process.The Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing West Bengal ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphMetalled thoroughfares have replaced the murram roads in the erstwhile Maoist hotbed of Lalgarh, Dalilpur Chowk, around 170 km west of Kolkata.Back in 2008, it was at a nondescript road intersection here that the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphFor the first time in six decades, no member of Malda’s influential Khan Choudhury family in Kotowali is contesting from their traditional Congress bastion, the Sujapur Assembly constituency this year, disappointing party workers and supporters in the area.Sujapur, around ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphGautam Deb, the Trinamool candidate from the Siliguri Assembly constituency, on Thursday unveiled an ambitious roadmap aimed at transforming Siliguri into a “world-class city,” with a strong emphasis on infrastructure, urban planning and upgrading administration.Deb, who also serves as ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphDrive down Major Arterial Road from Action Area 1 as Biswa Bangla Gate approaches and your attention will be riveted by a work of art to the left. The facade of one of the highrises, Sankalpa 2, has come ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphIf you want to understand the true spirit of Poila Baisakh in Salt Lake, don’t look for it in almanacs, temple rituals or even Rabindra sangeet playlists. Look instead at the morning walkers, the jewellery shops, the sari counters, ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphBharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s annual day at Science City auditorium brought together excited students, proud parents, and distinguished guests. Themed “Manjari: bunch of buds,” the event commenced with Guru vandana – prothomo adi tobo followed by an orchestra performance.The stage ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphSalt Lake Point School, that celebrates 50 years in 2026, organised a colourful exhibition roping in students from nursery to Class XII.The event, at the CD Block school, was inaugurated by Kalpana Sen Barat, a former college principal and ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphNewtown Daycare hosted its annual sports day, without any picking winners. The school, in New Town’s CE Block, caters to children who are neurotypical as well as those with special needs.“This event is not about competition,” said Sharmili Shah, ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphFire services minister and local MLA in the outgoing government Sujit Bose was hospitalised for three days. He fell ill on April 9, three days after submitting his nomination. “I was feeling uneasy since the morning and in the ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphWith elections just days away, Poila Baisakh proved to be a ripe opportunity for political leaders to connect with voters. Several Left Front leaders were seen at a probhat pheri on the first day of the Bengali New Year, ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphIt was Gulzar saab who had suggested my name — or so I was told when filmmaker Prakash Jha called me out of the blue sometime around 1993-94. He was then working on a film titled Didi, with Rajit ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe world calls him Rocket; Asha Bhosle called him Rocky.Guitarist-arranger-composer Rocket Mondal has shared both stage and studio space with the legendary singer, even directing her during recordings. Even today, the memories feel vivid.A resident of the Metropolitan area ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphFor years, cars have taken much of the blame for air pollution due to their emissions. But a study of 31 junctions across the city shows that seemingly innocuous factors — such as the mix of vehicles on the ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphWhat is the marker of the health of a river? Clear-looking waters? Fresh breeze? Lack of human activity? Apparently, it is the presence of dolphins.“Dolphins are at the top of the food chain; sensitive to pollution, habitat disruption, and ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphA major fire at a Border Security Force fuel storage facility in North 24-Parganas on Thursday claimed the life of an assistant sub-inspector, triggering concern over safety protocols at sensitive installations.The incident occurred at the strategically significant BSF camp ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphCPM state secretary Md Salim on Thursday called upon voters to reject the BJP and the Trinamool Congress in the Assembly elections, alleging that the two parties contributed to the harassment and hardships faced by common people.Addressing an election ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphChief minister Mamata Banerjee addressed three public meetings in north Bengal — one in Alipurduar district and two in Cooch Behar district — with an apparent aim to woo the Rajbanshi community and tea garden dwellers. “We have paid ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphAssam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday stepped up the BJP's campaign in north Bengal, raising issues of alleged infiltration, border security, welfare schemes and governance, while drawing comparisons with his state.Addressing public meetings in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe Supreme Court has dismissed a petition challenging the mass transfer of IAS/IPS and other officers in Bengal by the Election Commission, observing that such shifts are “common and routine”, but kept “open” the issue relating to the “question ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphFive youths died in two separate incidents under the Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency, Cooch Behar, during the 2021 Assembly elections. As Bengal prepares to vote again, the bereaved families still battle raw grief and await justice.In Jorpatki village, four young ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe Supreme Court's Thursday order allowing persons whose names are cleared by appellate tribunals by specific cut-off dates — April 21 and 27 — to vote in this year's Assembly elections on April 23 and 29, has put polling ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe Kamtapur State Demand Council (KSDC), which has been carrying out peace talks with the Centre along with Jibon Singha, the self-styled chief of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), over the demand of a separate Kamtapur state, has announced ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphSenior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday challenged Union home minister Amit Shah to be present in the city on the day of counting, even as he accused the BJP of intimidating party workers ahead of West Bengal polls."If ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphA single Judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday observed that the Election Commission was changing its rules again and again. “It has been seen that the Election Commission is changing its position again and again. According ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphTwenty three per cent of the 1,475 candidates contesting the first phase of the Bengal Assembly polls have declared criminal cases in their affidavits, according to a report by Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe Supreme Court on Thursday invoked Article 142 of the Constitution of India to direct the Election Commission to ensure deleted voters who are cleared by the appellate tribunals be included in the electoral rolls before the first and ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphFlagging the lack of trust between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea challenging the transfer of more than 1,000 administrative and police officers by the poll panel in the ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphA thunderstorm on Thursday morning brought brief respite from the searing heat that had gripped the city over the past few days.Rainfall, however, remained negligible, with the spell mainly marked by flashes of lightning and frequent claps of thunder. ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphPolice have begun compiling a list of polling stations located in narrow lanes and streets, where bike-borne quick response teams (QRTs) could be more effective than four-wheel patrol units.Such polling premises are also likely to receive additional CCTV coverage ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphSeveral college principals have told Calcutta University that undergraduate students will struggle to write their exams unless they have at least three months of classes in each semester.They said the number of class days has fallen to 40 to ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe district election officers (DEOs) of Calcutta North and Calcutta South toured their respective Assembly constituencies on Thursday as part of a confidence-building exercise to encourage residents to cast their votes.Smita Pandey, DEO, Calcutta North, visited parts of Tiljala ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in 2025-26 marks a new trajectory for the Indian state in a post-CAA and NRC regime, aiming to determine the authenticity of citizens through bureaucratic infrastructure.Much like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphA flicker of hope for a few. Too little, too late for others.The Supreme Court has ordered that individuals cleared by appellate tribunals for inclusion in the electoral rolls at least two days before the Assembly elections will be ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThey are remarkable performers not just in the Class X board exams, but in the larger test called life.Metro highlights four CBSE students whose marks tell only part of their stories — shaped as much by courage and conviction ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphThe number of Parsis in Calcutta has dwindled to 347 — the lowest since the 1980s — mirroring a trend across the country.The Parsis had settled in Calcutta in the mid-18th century and there were about 1,600 Parsis in ...
17 April 2026 TelegraphIn an innovative strategy to highlight the “anti-industry policies” of the ruling Trinamool Congress government, Raiganj Assembly constituency’s CPM candidate Jibananda Singha has turned his personal Tata Nano car into a campaign tool.Singha, a 60-year-old businessman and a veteran ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphUnion home minster Amit Shah missed addressing a political meeting in Darjeeling on Wednesday, but addressed the hill audience virtually from Malda, around 300km from the hill town.In political rallies Shah has addressed so far in the rest of ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphUnion home minister Amit Shah played the regional development card as he extensively campaigned on Wednesday in north Bengal, where the BJP had won more seats than the Trinamool Congress in the 2021 Assembly elections.Throughout the day, Shah addressed ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphThe Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned till May 6 the hearing on the compliance of its February 5 judgment by which it had ordered the Mamata Banerjee government to pay the first tranche of DA arrears of government staff ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphChief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the BJP of violating the model code of conduct (MCC) currently in force in poll-bound Bengal for launching the “Matrishakti Bharosa Card” as a part of its promise to introduce a monthly ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphFormer Union minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday launched the Matrishakti Bharosa Card on behalf of the BJP, promising each woman in Bengal monthly financial assistance of ₹3,000.A source said the BJP had planned a hurried door-to-door outreach drive in ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphChief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday threw a fierce challenge to the allegedly compromised Election Commission, demanding that it extend its zealous vehicular inspection drive, apparently intended only for those affiliated to the Trinamool Congress, to the convoys of ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphAlmost one year back, 500-odd residents of Chamakdangi and Laltong — two forest villages of Dabgram-Fulbari Assembly constituency located within the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Siliguri — were shifted to their new refuge at Majhua, named ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphA predominantly Muslim Nadia village whose literacy rate is as high as 96 per cent and which boasts several doctors, engineers and civil servants has seen 821 residents struck off the electoral rolls after the SIR. Beneath a bamboo ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphThe Election Commission has directed police to intensify raids to seize illegal arms, ammunition and crude bombs that could be used to intimidate voters before or during elections, sources said.All police stations have been told that failure to make ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphUnion home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that while the Election Commission has only removed infiltrators from the electoral rolls of West Bengal, the larger task would be to drive them out of the country’s borders.Sharpening his anti-infiltration ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphThe day begins before sunrise in the tea gardens of Rajganj in north Bengal, nearly 450 km from Kolkata, for political workers of the state’s ruling party. By first light, small groups of Trinamool Congress workers gather under tin ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphPoila Baisakh arrived with stifling conditions across Kolkata and much of south Bengal, where temperatures hovered around 35°C on Wednesday afternoon and humidity levels ranged between 62 and 82 per cent at Alipore and Dum Dum stations.Despite the prevailing ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphFish returned to the centre of the Bengal Assembly election plate on Wednesday as both the ruling Trinamool and challenger BJP upheld the dietary staple to woo the voters on Poila Biashakh, or Bengali New Year’s Day.Senior state minister ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphTwo state-aided schools in Alipurduar district have replaced the traditional school bell with an AI-based automated announcement system in a new initiative in north Bengal. The AI-enabled system has been introduced at the Jateswar Higher Secondary School and the ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphDeepak Barman, the sitting MLA and BJP’s candidate from the Falakata Assembly constituency, was attacked allegedly by a group of Trinamool Congress workers on Tuesday, a day ahead of the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah.Barman was attacked ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphMore than ₹15 lakh in allegedly unaccounted cash was seized from different parts of the city during naka checks on Wednesday.Police said a static surveillance team posted on JL Nehru Road intercepted a car and found the occupant to ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphCBSE Class X results were announced on Wednesday evening, taking students and schools by surprise, as it was a holiday in the city. Several principals said the results were declared at least two weeks earlier than usual to facilitate ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphTwo individuals in their 40s are quietly proving that a diagnosis isn’t a dead end. Despite living with conditions like schizophrenia, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities, they are successfully managing their own lives—handling everything from grocery runs and finances to ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphThree trams, decorated with flowers and Poila Baisakh motifs, rolled between Gariahat and Shyambazar on Wednesday, making a quiet yet compelling case for expanding the city’s tram network at a time when the world grapples with an energy crisis ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphAll deputy commissioners of Kolkata Police have been directed to post “action taken” responses to complaints raised on social media, as a confidence-building measure among voters, sources said.Hundreds of people are taking to social media to voice grievances about ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphPolice commissioner Ajay Nand and Calcutta North district election officer Smita Pandey on Wednesday visited several pockets of Ultadanga identified as having numerous “super sensitive” booths.In Basanti Colony and parts of Muraripukur in Ultadanga, at least four polling stations ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphA law firm in central Calcutta is offering pro bono assistance and filing appeals with SIR tribunals on behalf of disenfranchised citizens.The applicants include daily wage earners, a leading leather exporter and a well-heeled food connoisseur. In the past ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphWhile the city feasted to celebrate Poila Baisakh, a 68-year-old Calcuttan in Metiabruz observed a 12-hour fast without even a drop of water.Jitendra Nath Nandi, a former editor of a local magazine and social worker, was on a symbolic ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphPresiding officers and polling personnel have been directed not to share their phone numbers with unknown individuals or accept any help or gifts from anyone, as part of instructions issued by the Election Commission to district election officers (DEOs).In ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphDays ahead of an election where Bengali identity has emerged as a key poll plank, both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP camps worked overtime on Poila Baisakh to showcase their admiration for all things Bengali.In Tollygunge, Trinamool candidate ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphA day after the TMC alleged that the Election Commission had ordered 'intrusive checks' of vehicles of its leaders, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed that central forces tried to search her car when she was ...
16 April 2026 TelegraphElections in the Darjeeling hills are unfolding to a different beat this time, and the beat is unmistakably rap.From hilltop hamlets to bustling towns, campaign trails are echoing with rhymes and basslines as political messaging finds a new voice ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphAchievements by sportspersons in and around Siliguri have prompted prominent politicians to make sports a key issue in their campaigns for the Assembly elections, the first phase of which is scheduled for April 23.This renewed focus on sports infrastructure ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphTension gripped the Jalpaiguri Assembly constituency after posters of Trinamool Congress candidate Krishna Das were allegedly torn down on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town on Tuesday.The party accused BJP-backed goons of vandalism. In protest, Trinamool workers and supporters blocked ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphTrinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, the Election Commission and central investigating agencies, a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Vinesh Chandel, the co-founder of I-PAC that works as ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe Election Commission is likely to requisition a large number of buses, pool cars and other vehicles for poll duty, raising the possibility of a transport shortage in the city and its adjoining districts ahead of the second phase ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe National Investigation Agency team probing the attack on judicial officers in Mothabari of Malda in north Bengal has informed a special court that a section of the protesters were forced to participate in the agitation.Sources said the NIA ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army, headquartered in Sukna on the outskirts of Siliguri, has recently launched the first community radio at a border village in Sikkim, near the India-China border.An army source said they have established 88.4 ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphMamata Banerjee on Monday declared she was fighting a winning battle, despite being alone, against the might of the BJP election juggernaut comprising the full force of the Centre and 19 NDA-led states and mocked Narendra Modi’s alleged chief ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphSuvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, played the polarisation card on Monday in three public rallies in Malda and North Dinajpur, districts with at least 50 per cent Muslim population.“Earlier, there were three districts in ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphA 75-year-old woman died of suspected cardiac arrest in North Dinajpur district on Monday following a verbal duel between her family members and a polling team during a postal ballot exercise.The incident took place in Viti, Maraikura panchayat, in ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphCandidates from all major political parties in the Madarihat Assembly seat in Alipurduar met tea garden workers on Sunday.The programme was organised under the banner of the “My Vote, My Right” campaign by the Paschimbanga Chai Mazdoor Samiti at ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphDilip Singh, the CPM candidate of the Dabgram-Fulbari Assembly segment, on Monday released his election manifesto, outlining a range of development-focused promises for his constituency.While speaking at a news conference at the Darjeeling district CPM office here, Singh highlighted ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested three of the four individuals summoned for questioning on Sunday in connection with the incident of seven judicial officers held hostage in Malda's Mothabari on April 1.Those arrested are Golam Rabbani, ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe Supreme Court on Monday directed that the “enhanced security” measures provided to judicial officers in Bengal be continued until further orders, even as it asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to file a status report to explain whether ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe helipad at the Raiganj Stadium turned out to be the centre of political tension in the town on Monday, a day ahead of the visit of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.On Tuesday, Rahul is scheduled to address a public ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphPrime Minister Narendra Modi and his lieutenant Amit Shah emphasised the need to implement the uniform civil code (UCC) in Bengal during their rallies over the past few days, aiming to consolidate Hindu votes.In recent rallies, the two top ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphA 68-year-old man from Bagda in North 24-Parganas has discovered that official records have credited him with three “sons” he claims he never fathered — an anomaly that has now cost his daughter her name on the voters’ list.Nitya ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphAn outgoing BJP MLA, who is also contesting in these Assembly elections, received an appointment letter tasking him with election duty, followed by a showcause notice for failing to attend training.Deepak Barman, the BJP candidate and sitting MLA from ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested Vinesh Chandel, one of the co-founders of I-PAC, the political consultancy firm of which Bengal's ruling Trinamool is a key client, in connection with an alleged coal scam. Chandel was arrested in Delhi, ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphCalcutta: On the birth anniversary of the architect of the Constitution, a protest at Esplanade condemned what speakers called a “brazen violation” of the founding document in the contentious revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bengal.“Our vote is not ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphAs multiple communities marked their New Year and harvest festivals, the city came alive with prayers, rituals and celebrations, reflecting its enduring spirit of cultural harmony on Tuesday.The Sikh and Punjabi communities marked Khalsa Sajna Diwas, which coincides with ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphVinesh Chandel, one of the three co-founders of I-PAC, the political consultancy working with the Trinamool Congress, has been accused of splitting alleged proceeds of crime into legal funds through banks, and unaccounted cash.Chandel, a graduate from the National ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has introduced a six-month course on artificial intelligence (AI) for physics teachers at the ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) levels. The course on “AI-Native and Entrepreneurial Education” is ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphPriyanka Tibrewal, the BJP candidate from Entally, alleged on Tuesday that she was stopped from campaigning in a pocket of eastern Calcutta’s Pragati Maidan area after a mob attacked her supporters.According to police, Tibrewal had the necessary permission to ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe Election Commission of India has asked the state government to put on hold the interviews and aptitude tests conducted to shortlist candidates for teaching jobs in government-aided primary schools until the model code of conduct remains in force, ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphA city-based cardiologist’s offer of a ₹500 discount to patients who chant “Jai Shree Ram” is “discriminatory” and “contrary to the ethics of the medical profession,” several doctors said on Tuesday.PK Hazra, the cardiologist, has offered the discount at ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphA city-based research institute that has been analysing SIR numbers and highlighting the unfair burden of exclusion on minorities has now prepared a guide on how to file appeals with tribunals tasked with deciding the fate of disenfranchised voters.Sabar ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphA young woman had applied as early as November 2025 for the right to vote. Her application hasn’t received a response yet.Srijita Adhikari, 19, a resident of New Garia, said her disappointment may be less than those who have ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe father of the first-year NUJS student found dead outside the boys’ hostel on Monday said his son may have slipped and fallen from a water reservoir atop the seven-storey building while trying to take a photograph.Jevin Joss, father ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphAs many as 597 non-bailable arrest warrants were pending across Calcutta police’s jurisdiction as of Monday.About a fortnight before the elections, all police units have been asked to execute the warrants at the earliest. Calcutta police commissioner Ajay Nand ...
15 April 2026 TelegraphThe Supreme Court’s order on Monday effectively closed the door on lakhs of disenfranchised voters hoping to participate in the upcoming Assembly elections. Many such voters said they were “hurt” by the way the Election Commission sidelined them.Instead of ...
15 April 2026 Telegraph