Kolkata West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has sought a report from the state government on action taken in response to a mob attack on ED officers, who conducted a raid at TMC leader Sahajahan Sheikh’s house in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam, an official said.

Bose asked the state government to provide a report explaining why Sheikh has not been arrested, and to clarify whether he is still in India.

The governor has also urged the West Bengal government to “hold accountable those responsible for the failure of the law and order machinery, and to take action against police officers who neglected their duties,” the official said.

Bose had held a meeting with top officials of the CRPF and the ED on Sunday, during which he expressed strong displeasure over the police’s “failure” to apprehend Sheikh, he said.

The ED has issued a lookout notice for Sheikh due to concerns that he might flee the country following the incident in which three of its officers were injured and several vehicles damaged by a mob at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, on January 5.

Wajima (Japan) (AP): Thousands of people made homeless overnight are living in weariness and uncertainty on the western coast of Japan a week after a powerful earthquake caused at least 161 deaths and left dozens missing.

The rescue effort since magnitude 7.6 New Year’s Day quake has drawn thousands of troops, firefighters and police who picked through collapsed buildings Monday hoping to find survivors.

Authorities warned of the danger of landslides throughout the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, where the quakes were centered. The risks were worsened by snowfall, which grew heavier over the weekend and continued into the new week.

Fluffy white blanketed a landscape telling the story of the quake dark crumbled houses, ashen blocks of a city, highways with gaping holes and cracks.

Of the deaths, 70 were in Wajima, 70 in Suzu 11 in Anamizu and the rest in smaller numbers spread among four towns. At least 103 people were still unaccounted for, 565 people were listed as injured, and 1,390 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged.

A tsunami of several meters (feet) followed the initial major quake, adding to the damage. Aftershocks have continued daily.

For the residents of Ishikawa, their work has barely started.

Shuji Yoshiura, a fisherman, said he could not get his boats out to sea yet because the seabed was lifted by the quake.

Wajima had featured a shopping street and seafood and traditional crafts that had drawn tourists. Much of the city was destroyed in the fires that broke out after the Jan. 1 quake.

Kentaro Mitsumori, who runs a corner grocery shop, slept in his car with his wife to guard against looting. Their store still stands but has no lock, electricity or running water. Everything sold out in three days. But he plans to close his business.

“Even if I manage to fix up the place, there just aren’t going to be enough customers. I don’t know how Wajima can survive,” he said.

Nearly 30,000 people staying in schools, auditoriums and other evacuation centers worried about infections as cases of COVID-19 and other sicknesses popped up.

In the shelters, people are still sleeping on cold floors, but after initial help provided only a piece of bread and a cup of water for each person a day, the arrival of aid is allowing some facilities to begin serving hot food cooked in huge pots.

People were delighted by the temporary bathing facilities set up by soldiers, sitting in the hot water they had missed for days.

Still, exhaustion and stress are wearing people down. Many are in mourning. The main quake struck on New Year’s Day, a time for families to gather in Japan. Some survivors said they were all alone now.

Mizue Kaba, 79, was lucky she survived, as did her daughter, son-in-law and grandson, who were visiting on New Year’s from Osaka in central Japan.

Kaba is sleeping at a school, and no one is sure what might happen when schools open in a week after the New Year’s break.

Three stoves had strained to heat the school’s big hall, but the arrival of more heaters has the shelter’s inhabitants hopeful it will warm up.

Agartala: Hundreds of Muslims from Tripura’s Ramnagar Assembly constituency on Sunday offered prayers for Surajit Datta, a BJP MLA who passed away on December 28.

Datta, a seven-time MLA, was admired by both the Hindus and Muslims for his generosity, locals said. He died at a hospital in Kolkata after a prolonged illness at age 71.

Abdul Rahim, the imam of South Ramnagar mosque, said, “Datta served both communities equally and always helped us when needed.”

“On Sunday, we held a prayer for the departed soul and for the wellbeing of his family. He was like a guardian to us, supporting us in every step of life,” he added.

Rahim also mentioned that a special prayer will be held in all the mosques of Ramnagar Assembly constituency for Datta next Friday.

Mohan Dutta, the MLA’s younger brother, expressed gratitude to the Muslim community for their support.

“I would like to thank the members of the Muslim community for offering prayers for my elder brother, who worked tirelessly for the wellbeing of both communities in his constituency. Our Muslim brothers came to our residence on Sunday and prayed for my brother. It demonstrates that my brother served the people of his constituency in the best possible way,” he added.

“Although I have lost my brother, our doors will remain open for everyone. Our family does not discriminate people based on their caste, creed, or religion. We serve all people,” he added.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday quashed the Gujarat government’s decision to grant in the case of the gangrape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of seven of her family members during the 2002 riots in the state.

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice B V Nagarathna and also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, who had reserved its verdict on October 12 last year, pronounced the judgement today.

The court refused to answer the point regarding the maintainability of the PILs since Bilkis Bano’s petition is already held to be maintainable.

The Top Court also said that its previous judgement by a separate bench on May 13, 2022, allowed the Gujarat govt to decide on the remission plea of one of the convicts, as a nullity.

It said the State, where an offender is tried and sentenced, is competent to decide the remission plea of convicts.

“The order of remission by the Gujarat government has to be quashed for lacking competence,” Justice Nagarathna said in the verdict.

The Gujarat govt had granted remission of all these 11 convicts following a May 2022 judgment in which the top court held that an application of remission should be considered in line with the policy of the State where the crime was committed and not where the trial was held.

The Gujarat government’s remission to all the 11 convicts of Bilkis and freeing them created a huge public outrage and social activists, lawyers, and civil society termed it a “miscarriage of justice.”

The name of 11 convicts who were set free by the Gujarat govt are Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt and Ramesh Chandana.

Primarily, a bunch of Public Interest Litigations (PIL) were filed in the Supreme Court by private parties, including; Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Subhashini Ali, Professor Rooplekha Verma, journalist Revati Laul, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, former IPS officer Meeran Chadha Borwankar, and National Federation of Indian Women.

Bano had after this, moved the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat government’s order of remission granted to her 11 convicts who gang-raped her and murdered many of her family members in 2002 during the Gujarat riots.

She pointed out that the remission was granted despite the objections raised by the Presiding Judge and the Investigating Officer to the premature release of convicts who have committed grave and heinous offences.

Bano had argued that the release of the prisoners, who committed horrific crimes against herself and her family members, has caused fear and emotional trauma to her.

Eight minors were killed, including Bilkis’ three-and-a-half-year-old child, whose head was smashed into a rock. A pregnant woman was gang-raped. A woman who had just at that time then, delivered a child was raped and murdered. 14 counts of murder in total. It’s heartwrenching to read about the condition in which the bodies were discovered, Gupta said.

The brutal gangrape survivor, Bano’s lawyer, Shobha Gupta, had told the Supreme Court that the factors which are to be considered, as per the SC judgement, while granting remission to her 11 convicts have been given a complete go-by.

She said that these 11 convicts needed to be sent to jail, their original place.

“There is no doubt that the crime was committed brutally. Look at the way, how Bilkis Bano has suffered. The remission is incorrect. The Apex Court should cancel the remission order and all these 11 convicts of Bilkis be sent to jail,” Gupta said.

She also said that the maximum sentence is of 14 years, but for people convicted of murder committed with premeditation and with exceptional violence or brutality, it is 26 years; while for those convicted of crimes with exceptional violence or with brutality or death of victim due to burn and/or murder with rape, it is 28 years.

“Such was public outrage. Public spirited individuals even approached this court challenging the remission,” Gupta had told the Apex Court.

She also questioned if the men who raped her and killed her entire family deserve the leniency they have been given. The answer is no.

Additional Director General of Police, Prisons and Correctional Administration, Gujarat had given a negative opinion and did not recommend the premature release of convict Radheshyam, she told the Apex Court.

“In this case how the leniency has been extended to the convicts,” Gupta questioned.

On the other hand, the Gujarat Government told the Supreme Court that it decided to release the 11 convicts as they completed 14 years of sentence and as their behaviour was found to be good. The Court was also told that the decision was taken with the requisite approval of the Centra Government (as the case was investigated by the CBI).

Opposing the Gujarat government’s arguments, Gupta said that even good behaviour in jail and completion of 14 years are not only factors to be considered when considering remission application in such kind of brutal offences, but she also said. 

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday renamed the Rahul Gandhi-led East to West march as the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,’ set to commence from Manipur on January 14. Previously, the yatra was known as the “Bharat Nyay Yatra.” The party has extended an invitation to all members of the INDIA bloc to join the yatra at any point along its route.

Spanning 6,713 km, the yatra will traverse 15 states, including Arunachal Pradesh. Notably, the 66-day journey will spend its longest duration — 11 days — in Uttar Pradesh, a politically crucial state that contributes the most MPs to Parliament. The Congress aims to improve its performance in Uttar Pradesh, where it secured only one seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The yatra will journey through 1,074km across 20 districts of the state. In Assam, participants will cover 833km in 17 districts over eight days.

Ramesh said, “Gandhi’s Yatra is fundamentally about justice, aiming to achieve political, economic, and social justice for the people of India.” Addressing the participation of INDIA bloc parties in the yatra, Ramesh stated, “The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is open to everyone. We invite INDIA alliance parties, Congress-aligned parties from various states, and civil society organizations to participate.” 

When questioned about the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s involvement, he confirmed that all INDIA bloc members, including AAP and Arvind Kejriwal, have been invited. He further mentioned that the yatra will proceed both by buses and on foot, covering approximately 110 districts, around 100 Lok Sabha constituencies, and 337 assembly segments. Ramesh asserted that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would be as politically transformative as the previous Bharat Jodo Yatra.

“The concept of ‘Nyay’ derives from the preamble of the Indian Constitution, which promises justice—social, economic, and political—to all its citizens,” Ramesh elaborated. He added that liberty, equality, and fraternity are deeply interconnected principles.

Ramesh recalled that during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi highlighted major concerns such as increasing inequality, escalating social polarization, and rising political tyranny and authoritarianism. The solution, he suggested, lies in ensuring justice for the people. The yatris will spend five days in West Bengal and eight days in Jharkhand. The schedule includes a one-day stop in Manipur and four days each in Bihar and Odisha.

‘Solution lies in ensuring justice for the people’
Addressing the participation of INDIA bloc parties in the yatra, Ramesh said, “The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is open to everyone.” He recalled that during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi highlighted major concerns such as increasing inequality, escalating social polarization, and rising political tyranny. The solution, he suggested, lies in ensuring justice for the people. The yatris will spend five days in West Bengal and eight days in Jharkhand. The schedule includes a one-day stop in Manipur and four days each in Bihar and Odisha.

GUWAHATI: Commercial vehicles and other modes of public transport stayed off the roads in most parts of Assam on Friday, owing to a 48-hour strike called by a joint forum of transporters’ unions to protest against the new penal law on hit-and-run cases.

Office-goers had a difficult time reaching their workplaces as buses, taxis and app cabs didn’t ply, abiding by the strike call.

“The government only wants to blame drivers for any unfortunate incident even if they may not have committed the crime. Instead of improving road conditions, they are penalising the poor drivers,” said Ramen Das, the convenor of Assam Motor Worker Associations’ Joint Platform.

“The new law on hit-and-run cases is anti-drivers and is against owners of vehicles. We call for a strike of all vehicles from 5 am on Friday to 5 am on Sunday to press for our demand for withdrawal of the legislation,” Das said.

Talks with officials of the state government on Thursday night failed to make any headway, he added.

Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which is set to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), drivers, who cause serious road accidents due to negligent driving and run away without informing the police or the administration, can face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh. The punishment for such offences was two years in the British-era IPC.

The transporters’ platform has also urged private car owners to join the stir, as the law applies to everyone irrespective of whether someone is driving a commercial vehicle or a small car, Das said.

Meanwhile, long queues were seen at petrol pumps across the state, with people lining up to fill fuel tanks amid fears of supply crunch.

AGARTALA: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maan ki baat more popular among the masses than ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Ramayan’ mega TV serials of the 1980s.

His assertion came after listening to the 108th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ at his home constituency Town Bardowali along with party leaders and workers.

“In the 1980s too, people criticised women rushing to watch TV soaps and even now many criticise those who listen to ‘Mann Ki Baat’. But it makes no difference as people know what is what,” he added.

‘Mahabharat’ (1988) and ‘Ramayan’ (1987), two epic serials created by BR Chopra and Ramananda Sagar respectively, were telecast on Doordarshan and were widely popular.