West Bengal
Capital: Kolkata
Breaking in West Bengal
Bomb threat emails hit Mumbai and Pune civic offices, and the searches find nothing
An email naming Mumbai's mayor office, a bank, a court, Amitabh Bachchan's Jalsa bungalow, Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the airport set off searches on Thursday morning. Pune Municipal Corporation received its own threat soon after. Nothing suspicious was found.
Arrogance of power: Rohit Pawar takes on Fadnavis as the NCP merger formula takes shape
Rohit Pawar accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "arrogance" and of running a politics of blackmail over the NCP merger question. In the party, the formula under discussion gives Sharad Pawar the president post and Sunetra Pawar the working president post.
No eye on Gokul: Fadnavis says the amendment only unties a legal knot
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis defended amending the cooperative societies law, saying the government needed to end a statutory deadlock over the Gokul dairy chairmanship. Congress leader Satej Patil is going ahead with a November 9 protest, calling the move a trampling of the farmers' mandate.
Cancer bills fall from Monday: 137 drugs cut, some by 96%, ₹3,502 crore saved a year
Revised prices for 137 anti-cancer drugs take effect on Monday after the NPPA capped trade margins at 30% of the maximum retail price. Seventy-six companies have cut prices on 1,225 formulations, with 600 brands down more than half and the steepest cut at 96.45%. Estimated annual savings: ₹3,502.31 crore.
Ten thousand flagged land deals later, Telangana CID picks up four over the Dharani portal
Telangana's CID has searched the homes and offices of suspects in the alleged Dharani land records scandal and arrested at least four people, including a Bhu Bharati portal operator. The case turns on three acres in Kollur village, mutated in another man's name.
BREAKINGRs 81.5 crore in two days, and Netflix already has the papers: Suriya's Scene is on a run
Scene, the Tamil crime thriller with Suriya, Nazriya Nazim and Naslen, has grossed Rs 81.5 crore worldwide in two days. Reports say Netflix has bought the digital rights for Rs 88 crore, though no streaming date has been announced.
Latest
Diamond Harbour, 2029: Bengal's chief minister dares Abhishek Banerjee to fight him there
Six months after West Bengal voted, the argument between Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee still sets the state's political weather. Adhikari has dared Banerjee to contest Diamond Harbour against him in 2029, promising a bigger margin than Banerjee's 2024 win.
Draft voter rolls out today in 13 states and 3 UTs; one month to challenge a deletion
The Election Commission's Special Summary Revision begins on Thursday, with draft electoral rolls published in 13 states and three Union Territories and claims and objections open till 11 December. Uttar Pradesh's draft roll has been pushed to 17 November. Final rolls for all these states are due on 4 January 2027.
Beaten 0-2 and still through: the first Indian club in the Asian knockouts
East Bengal lost 0-2 to North Korea's 4.25 SC in Kolkata on Saturday and qualified for the AFC Women's Champions League quarter-finals anyway, as one of the two best third-placed teams. No Indian club had got this far.
He debuted on November 6, he retired on November 6: Shami ends his Test career at 229
Mohammed Shami announced his Test retirement on Friday, 13 years to the day after his debut at Eden Gardens. He finishes with 229 wickets from 64 Tests at 27.71, and the BCCI has denied he was pushed, with vice-president Rajeev Shukla saying the call was the player's own.
Diwali on the border: chief minister to spend the night with BSF jawans at Hingalganj
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari will celebrate Diwali with BSF personnel at a border outpost in Hingalganj, North 24 Parganas, on Sunday, accompanied by DGP Siddharth Nath Gupta. He said the visit is meant to show solidarity with security agencies and push for better coordination on border security.
One iris scan, four identities: court refuses bail in the IBPS impersonation racket
A special CBI court in Mumbai has rejected the bail pleas of a serving GST inspector and a law student arrested in a nationwide bank recruitment racket, in which 46 impersonators allegedly sat exams for 135 candidates. The court noted the probe covers 22 IBPS examinations held between 2020 and 2024.
Rs 53,866 crore for eight warships the Navy designed itself
The Defence Ministry signed contracts with GRSE and Goa Shipyard on Monday for eight Next Generation Corvettes, the first project where the Navy's own design goes to defence PSU yards picked through competition. GRSE shares rose over 4 per cent on Tuesday. The first ship is due in 2030.
₹1,800 tickets, a UNESCO logo and 13 days in police custody
Former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen was remanded to 13 days of police custody in the Durga Puja pass case, a day after Kolkata Police arrested him outside the ED's office. The ED's preliminary estimate of the alleged irregularities in MassArt's ticket sales is ₹50-60 crore.
A third straight loss and a ₹1,333-crore forex hit: IndiGo's quarter in two numbers
InterGlobe Aviation, which runs IndiGo, posted a consolidated loss of ₹1,879.1 crore for the September quarter against ₹2,582.1 crore a year earlier, its third straight quarterly loss, even as revenue rose 25.9% to ₹23,363.8 crore.
ED searches homes of two chartered accountants over a Jharkhand power plant loan that never reached the plant
The Enforcement Directorate searched premises in Kolkata's Lake Town and in Uttarpara on Friday in a ₹290 crore bank fraud and money laundering case. The probe concerns a loan taken for a 66-MW power plant in Jharkhand by Kohinoor Power Private Limited, which investigators allege was routed through shell companies instead of being spent on the project.
₹80,000 crore and 10,000 jobs: Agarwal brings Vedanta's first Bengal bet to Nabanna
Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal said the group is exploring ₹70,000-80,000 crore of investment in West Bengal for power generation and an aluminium smelter, likely at Asansol. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the project could create 10,000 direct jobs. A feasibility study comes first.
Teachers barred from politics, industry policy cleared: what the West Bengal cabinet decided
West Bengal's cabinet approved a new industry policy to be unveiled on November 5, barred future School Service Commission recruits from active politics, and cleared 1,199 new posts. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said farmers will get an extra ₹3,000 under a state scheme on the same day.
Ranji round three: Mumbai, Bengal, Vidarbha and Karnataka close out innings wins
Mumbai beat Haryana by 10 wickets for a third straight bonus-point win, with Tanush Kotian's career-best 8/81. Bengal crushed Kerala by 287 runs, Vidarbha beat Goa by an innings and 27, Karnataka beat Tripura by an innings and 116, and Madhya Pradesh thrashed Bihar by an innings and 174.
Supreme Court reserves order on ED's plea for a CBI probe against Mamata Banerjee
The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on the ED's petition seeking an FIR and a CBI investigation against former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and senior police officers over alleged obstruction of its search at the I-PAC office in Kolkata.
Former Bengal minister Indranil Sen remanded to police custody till November 10 in Durga Puja pass case
A Kolkata court on Thursday sent former West Bengal minister and singer Indranil Sen to police custody till November 10 in the Durga Puja pass sale case. Police detained him on Wednesday evening after he appeared for questioning before the Enforcement Directorate.
Puja treasurer held over stampede-triggering warning that killed 19
Kolkata police have arrested Chorbagan Durga Puja treasurer Sanjib Raha for allegedly warning revellers that the pandal was collapsing, an announcement investigators believe triggered the panic and stampede that killed 19 people and injured 25 last week. CCTV footage identified him among two announcers.
Chatterjee Group arm to build 2GW of AI-ready data centres across India in seven years
Cortex DC, an arm of The Chatterjee Group, has entered India's data centre sector with a plan to build 2 GW of AI-ready capacity over seven years. Its first facility is targeted within 18 months of construction starting, and 51 per cent of its energy will come from green sources.
BJP worker shot dead in Bengal's Malda, six injured as two groups clash
A 35-year-old BJP supporter was shot dead in West Bengal's Malda district on Wednesday evening and at least six people were injured in clashes that followed. Samir Ghosh was attacked with sharp weapons and then shot twice in the Ramkeli area. No arrests have been made.
Adhikari says 275 MLAs would back him in a floor test. Sixty-four of them, he says, are TMC's
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari claimed on Wednesday that the BJP would muster the support of 275 MLAs in the 294-member Assembly if a floor test were held, saying 64 legislators elected on Trinamool Congress tickets were ready to vote with him. The BJP has 209 MLAs; the Opposition called the claim proof of defection engineering.
Ramayana gets tax-free tag in West Bengal ahead of November 5 release
Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana: Part 1' has been declared tax-free in West Bengal. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the decision on Dussehra. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi, and is set for theatrical release on November 5.
Calcutta HC seeks West Bengal reply on PIL over 'fraudulent' stamp papers
The Calcutta High Court has sought the West Bengal government's reply to a PIL alleging police used fraudulently issued stamp papers to coerce TMC workers and citizens into signing affidavits in an Election Commission dispute.
Fake videos from Bangladesh, 135 to be booked: CM on Chorbagan
Nineteen people died and 25 were injured in the October 17 stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata. CM Suvendu Adhikari said fake videos came from Bangladesh and 135 people will be booked, while TMC's Abhishek Banerjee questioned the probe.
Congress candidate gets relief as Calcutta HC extends Nandigram bail to November 25
The Calcutta High Court extended the interim bail of Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate in the recent Nandigram bypoll, till November 25. Separately, Mamata Banerjee called the extension of CJP leaders' custody 'state-sponsored terrorism'.
Rs 25 lakh and a warning: Bengal's stampede response runs into a fight over bookstalls and 'fake' posts
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari handed Rs 25 lakh cheques to families of the Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede victims, warned of action over 'fake' posts traced to Bangladesh, and told Left parties to sell books from their offices rather than outside pandals.
20 rebel MPs, one merger plea: TMC crisis lands on Lok Sabha Speaker's desk
Around 20 rebel TMC MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have proposed merging with the NCPI, a Tripura-based party in the NDA. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is set to decide after hearing the TMC leadership, including floor leader Abhishek Banerjee.
BJP distances itself as Left bookstall vandalism row deepens in Bengal
With Left parties alleging that their Durga Puja bookstalls were vandalised or blocked across West Bengal, BJP leaders, including Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta, have condemned the attacks and denied party involvement, while the Calcutta High Court dismissed a CPI(M) plea over a Jadavpur stall.
INDIA bloc doors: Congress cold to YSRCP, Mamata wants a wider tent
The Congress has ruled out the YSR Congress Party's entry into the INDIA bloc, citing its past support for the BJP, even as the CPI(M) welcomed Jagan Mohan Reddy's stand on electoral issues and the Trinamool Congress said the alliance should be widened to include more parties.
Retired judge, not a sitting one, to head stampede inquiry: Calcutta HC
The Calcutta High Court has told the West Bengal government to set up a commission of inquiry headed by a retired judge into the Chorbagan stampede, rejecting the state's plan for a sitting judge.