Violence In India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes his first remarks on Manipur in Rajya Sabha today, assures Parliament of decline in violence and schools reopening

The BJP and TMC on Tuesday engaged in a verbal duel over arrested TMC leader and Sandeshkhali strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, with the saffron party leveling accusations of human trafficking and drug peddling against Sheikh, and the TMC alleging a conspiracy by the BJP of misusing central agencies against the party. At a press conference, BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay claimed that Sheikh was involved in trafficking drugs from Afghanistan and humans from Myanmar and Bangladesh, with significant financial transactions linked to these activities. Sheikh, suspended by the TMC, was arrested by the state police on February 29. He and his associates are accused of land-grabbing and sexual harassment in Sandeshkhali. Chattopadhyay alleged that Sheikh had connections with several high-ranking TMC leaders, including ministers, and had never faced consequences for his actions until now. "From illegally carving out bheries (private fisheries) to trafficking of human and drug

Special polling stations will be set up at relief camps to enable people displaced due to the ethnic strife in Manipur to cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, an official statement said. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued directions in this regard, the statement issued by the state Chief Electoral Officer on Friday said. "A large number of electors registered in several parts of the state were displaced from their native places during the conflict that started on May 3, 2023. Presently, they are residing in relief camps in various districts. The displaced electors are still enrolled at the places where they were residents before the conflict started," it stated. "The ECI, after due consultation with the central and state governments, has directed that all such displaced persons who had to leave their native places during the conflict shall continue to be borne on the electoral rolls of the assembly and parliamentary constituencies concerned in the ...

The meteoric rise of Shajahan Sheikh from a modest background of a helper in a local transport company to becoming the so-called tiger' of Sandeshkhali is what Bollywood film scripts are made of. And so does his fall. Sheikh, a key accused in sexual assault and land grab in Sandeshkhali, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday after being on the run for 55 days that witnessed large-scale protests by women. He was remanded to 10 days of police custody by a local court. Following his arrest, the TMC also removed Sheikh from all party positions. The rise of Sheikh started towards the fag end of the erstwhile Left Front rule in Bengal. After spending a few years as a helper in passenger vehicle services from Sandeshkhali to Sarberia, he got into the fish business. "One of his maternal uncles was into pisciculture and Shajahan started helping him. After a few years and rapid development in business, they became No. 1 in the trade in Sandeshkhali area," a retired police officer, who

In a separate incident, the United Committee Manipur (UCM) office in Lamphel, Imphal, was set on fire

The West Bengal Police arrested TMC leader Ajit Maiti from the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district on the charges of land grabbing from villagers, an officer said on Monday. Maiti, considered a close aide of absconding TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, was detained on Sunday evening from the residence of a civic volunteer where he had locked himself for over four hours after being chased by villagers, he said. "We have arrested him after getting complaints from villagers regarding land grabbing. We will produce him in the court later in the day," the police officer told PTI. After getting over 70 complaints, the police lodged an FIR against Shajahan Shiekh, he said. Most of the complainants claimed that Shajahan was actively involved in the forcible acquisition of their land and torturing of local women, the police officer said. Angry villagers had attacked Maiti a couple of days back for his alleged ties with Shajahan and his group, accused of land grabbing and

An NHRC team visited trouble-torn Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day on Saturday to investigate into allegations of land-grabbing by some TMC leaders. A CPI(M) delegation led by Minakshi Mukhopadhyay also visited the strife-hit region in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal even as an uneasy calm prevailed with police patrolling the area. Mukhopadhyay, along with party leader Palash Das, visited various households and spoke to the locals. ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar also made a visit to the area. Meanwhile, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari likened the situation in Sandeshkhali to Nandigram, where a movement against "forcible" land acquisition by the then Left Front government in 2007-08 catapulted the TMC to power in 2011. "The situation in Sandeshkhali is like Nandigram... people have brought serious allegations of land-grabbing, vote-looting, sexual harassment and murder of democracy in the area," he told reporters in Kolkata. Prohibitory orders under Section 14

As fresh protests rocked parts of trouble-torn Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Friday morning, West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar rushed to the spot and pledged stern action against the culprits. On Friday morning, enraged locals set fire to properties belonging to TMC leaders accused of sexual abuse of women and forcible land grabbing in the area. The houses of local TMC leaders were also ransacked by the mob. Armed with sticks, they set ablaze thatched structures near a fishing yard in Belmajur area of Sandeshkhali, venting their fury against the elusive TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his brother Siraj. The torched structure, it was revealed, belonged to Siraj. "The police for years did nothing. That is why we are doing everything to get back our land and honour", a protester said. The police later entered the area and tried to pacify the protesters. In the afternoon, Kumar rushed to the troubled riverine area and spoke to the locals. "You register your .

A delegation of BJP women activists was on Friday stopped by the police from visiting restive Sandeshkhali in West Bengal. The BJP team, led by Locket Chatterjee and Agnimitra Paul, both general secretaries of the party's state unit, were stopped by the police, citing prohibitory orders, "We were denied entry to Sandeshkhali by the police citing prohibitory orders. The state government is trying to hide the truth," Paul claimed. A large number of women in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district had accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.

A court here on Thursday rejected the bail plea of an accused charged in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots, saying he could not claim parity with three other co-accused. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing the regular bail application of accused Tasleem Ahmed. The court noted that Ahmed sought parity with the co-accused, Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha who had been granted bail by the Delhi High Court on June 15, 2021. It further noted the submissions of Ahmed's counsel, saying according to the chargesheet, the role of his client and the three other co-accused was similar. The court said that the high court had granted relief to Kalita, Narwal and Tanha after observing that the allegations against them under UAPA provisions were prima facie not true. It said, "The opinion of the high court is with respect to the co-accused persons only and is not general and, therefore, cannot be ...

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) team, which reached trouble-torn Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Thursday morning, has received over 23 complaints of forcible land grabbing and torture during their interaction with locals there, a senior official said. NCST acting vice-chairperson Ananta Nayak said they have also received complaints against a politician, which they would include in their report to the President, the official added. "They (Sandeshkhali residents) have mentioned the name of a political leader. We will include it in our report. We have received more than 23 complaints so far," Nayak told reporters. "We will compare this (their findings) with the ground report and then submit it to the President," he added. The visit by the NCST team comes days after a team of the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes had gone to the area. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday .

West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar on Thursday said that police will listen to the complaints of every individual in Sandeshkhali and strict action will be taken against those found guilty. Kumar, who went to Sandeshkhali on Wednesday and stayed there overnight to assess the situation in the troubled areas in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, assured of strict action against those found involved in torturing women there. "We will listen to the complaints of every individual. If there is any incident we will take strict action against those found guilty. If people are found involved in torturing, we will take appropriate action against them", Kumar told reporters at Dhamakhali this morning. Kumar, in his first visit to the area, since the protests began, held meetings with ADG South Bengal Supratim Sarkar, Basirhat Police District SP Hasan Mehedi Rehman and other police officers and also visited adjoining islands of Situlia, Sardarpara, Manipur on Wednesday evening to understand t

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday pointed fingers at the BJP for instigating the turmoil in Sandeshkhali, eliciting a swift rebuttal from the BJP, which in turn accused the TMC and the state government of complicity in crimes against women. As the situation in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas, gradually returns to normalcy following a week of protests alleging atrocities on villagers and sexual harassment of women by local Trinamool Congress leaders, a TMC delegation including three ministers, visited the area. They pledged zero tolerance against any wrongdoing while questioning the actions of BJP-led governments in states facing similar allegations. Meanwhile, Sukanta Majumdar, West Bengal BJP president, announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a women's rally in Barasat, located in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, on March 7. Addressing a public distribution program in Suri, Banerjee asserted her initiative in directing

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) has urged government employees in Manipur's Churachandpur district to refrain from attending work from Monday over the suspension of a head constable who was allegedly seen with armed men in a video grab. The tribal outfit has made the call to press for its demand for the revocation of the suspension of head constable Siamlalpaul and "immediate replacement" of Superintendent of Police Shivanand Surve and Deputy Commissioner Dharun Kumar. At least two people were killed and 30 injured in firing by security forces after a mob barged into a government complex housing the SP and DC offices, torched vehicles and ransacked government property in Churachandpur, hours after the suspension of the head constable on February 15. "More than 24 hours have passed since the ITLF gave an ultimatum to cancel the suspension order of head constable Siamlalpaul and replace Churachandpur SP and DC but so far, no cancellation or replacement has been done," the .

One of the prime accused in the case of alleged land grab and sexual harassment of women in Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district was arrested on Saturday, police said. Local TMC leader Shibaprasad Hazra, who has been named in police complaints along with party colleagues and other two prime accused Shajahan Sheikh and Uttam Sardar, was nabbed from a hideout in Sandeshkhali. He will be produced before a local court on Sunday. "We have arrested Shibaprasad Hazra from Sandeshkhali this evening. He will be produced before the court tomorrow," an officer of Nazat Police Station told PTI. Earlier, police have also arrested Uttam Sardar but Shajahan Sheikh remains absconding. With the fresh arrest, two of the three prime accused have been nabbed. A total of 18 people have been arrested in the case so far. Meanwhile, the police added IPC sections 376D (gangrape) and 307 (attempt to murder) in the case after a survivor recorded her statement under Section 164 of Code o

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nainital PN Meena also said three cases were registered in which 19 people have been named

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said the state is passing through a difficult phase and it is time for the people to unite and identify who the real enemies are. He said this at the flagging-off ceremony of the Imphal Ring Road project. "We are passing through a difficult phase today. This is not the first time that we are facing a difficult phase. During the 1992-1993 ethnic conflict, more than 1,000 lives were lost. Today we are struggling. We are dealing with elements who want to break up a state with more than 2,000 years of history", Singh said. The state has not slept for more than nine months now, he said. "We will never allow them to win or achieve it. More than 3,000 state forces have been deployed at peripheral areas" Singh said and appealed to the people "not to foment disturbances in Imphal Valley. Let the valley be peaceful. Let the protection of Manipur be our sole duty. No more rallies. Let's identify and face the real enemies of the state". He claime

One state police personnel was killed when suspected Kuki militants attacked a security forces vehicle in the border town of Moreh in Manipur's Tengnoupal district on Wednesday, police said. The deceased was identified as Wangkhem Somorjit an IRB personnel attached to state police commando in Moreh. Somorjit hails from Malom in Imphal West district, they said. The security forces also exchanged fire with suspected Kuki militants in three different locations in Moreh town on Wednesday morning, police said. The militants hurled bombs and fired at a post of security forces near SBI Moreh, police said, adding that the security forces retaliated the fire. The militants had also fired RPG shells at the temporary commando post damaging several vehicles parked in the vicinity. The suspected Kuki militants fired at the security forces post, 48 hours after two suspects in the killing of a police officer were arrested by state forces in the border town, police said. Earlier, following input

Fresh violence erupted in Manipur this week over the brutal killings of two students who went missing on July 6

Blaming the BJP for turning the northeastern state into a 'battlefield', Kharge called Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh 'incompetent' and urged PM Modi to sack him