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Business Standard
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
TMC slams Oppn after HC stays relief scheme for sacked non-teaching staff
The TMC on Friday reiterated its respect for the judiciary but strongly criticised opposition parties for allegedly "denying humanitarian relief" to thousands of non-teaching staff who lost their jobs after the Supreme Court quashed the 2016 recruitment process, calling the move by the opposition parties inhumane. The remarks came immediately after the Calcutta High Court restrained the West Bengal government from implementing a scheme that sought to provide monetary support to sacked Group C and D staff until September 26 or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Justice Amrita Sinha passed the interim order on petitions challenging the state's proposal to pay Rs 25,000 to each affected Group C employee and Rs 20,000 to each Group D staff member. The court had reserved its verdict on June 9. The state government has been asked to file its affidavit in opposition within four weeks, and the petitioners have been given a further two weeks to respond. Responding to the court's order, TMC spokesperson and senior leader Kunal Ghosh alleged that certain political elements were "deriving monstrous glee" from the misfortune of those who lost their livelihoods. "Following the SC directive, over 26,000 people lost their jobs, bringing monstrous glee to some. It was our compassionate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who stood by the affected," Ghosh said. He noted that while a review petition is currently underway in the Supreme Court, a new recruitment process has also been initiated in compliance with the apex court's judgment. "In SC's respect, a recruitment process was also initiated. Additionally, relief was arranged on humanitarian grounds by the CM for Group C and Group D employees who lost their livelihood. There was opposition to that, and Calcutta HC Justice Amrita Sinha issued a stay on that as well," Ghosh added. "We will follow a legal recourse, but we will also identify who moves courts and get these inhumane orders," he said, launching a veiled attack on opposition leaders who have publicly supported the legal challenges to the scheme. The West Bengal government had earlier launched the scheme to provide "limited livelihood, support and social security on humanitarian grounds" on a temporary basis, and made it subject to the orders of any competent court. The initiative came after nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff in government-aided and -sponsored schools were dismissed following a Supreme Court judgment that held the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission to be tainted. The ruling TMC had defended the relief package as a stop-gap measure to support distressed families until fresh appointments could be made.
India.com
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Bengali Freedom Fighters Have Been Insulted In The Film: TMC Leader Kunal Ghosh On Kesari Chapter 2
Kolkata : Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has strongly condemned the makers of the recently released film Kesari Chapter 2, accusing them of "distorting" the facts about Bengal's role in India's freedom struggle. Ghosh claimed that the film "insulted" Bengal's iconic freedom fighters by misrepresenting key historical facts. The controversy began after a scene in the film allegedly changed the name of revolutionary Khudiram Bose to "Khudiram Singh", which sparked outrage. Ghosh did not hold back his anger, calling the portrayal a serious mistake. He said the film had "insulted" legendary revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose and Barindra Kumar Ghosh. "Bengali freedom fighters have been insulted in the film. Khudiram Bose has been changed to Khudiram Singh. What is this? The basic facts and names have been distorted. Bengal's history of the freedom struggle and the history of its freedom fighters have been insulted in a planned manner," Ghosh said. Calling for accountability, Ghosh demanded an apology from Akshay Kumar and the film's team. "We strongly oppose and condemn this. Akshay Kumar and the unit should apologise for this... Some people are talking about taking legal action. This is a normal thing; it will happen," he added. Kesari Chapter 2 is based on the book The Case That Shook The Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. It focuses on the story of lawyer C Sankaran Nair, played by Akshay Kumar, and events following the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The film also stars R. Madhavan and Ananya Panday. The film, produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, performed well at the box office and is currently streaming on JioHotstar.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Kolkata puja committee says police ‘targeted' them over ‘theme of Op Sindoor' by issuing safety notice
Controversy has erupted between a prominent Durga Puja organising committee in Kolkata and the city police, with the organizers alleging harassment over their puja theme of Operation Sindoor and the police citing serious public safety concerns based on last year's experience. BJP leader Sajal Ghosh, one of the organisers of the Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojonin Durgatsav, said on Wednesday that the Muchipara police station sent a two-page letter to the club's secretary after they announced Operation Sindoor as this year's puja theme. 'We did not put up any advertisement or billboard regarding our theme. It was only a Facebook post on Sunday, and we received a two-page letter on Monday. This is nothing but a disturbance,' Ghosh alleged. He questioned whether other puja organizers in West Bengal had received similar notices, suggesting that Santosh Mitra Square was being singled out. 'It is very unfortunate. I don't think any other big puja has got this notice. Those who have an allergy to the term 'sindoor' are the ones sending this notice,' he said. TMC leader Debangshu Bhattacharya defended the police action, stressing the importance of preventive measures to ensure public safety. 'If the police feel there is a possibility of an incident and take preventive action, that too becomes political these days. We saw how people lost their lives at the Kumbh due to a lack of crowd management. We do not want a repeat of what happened during the Kumbh or the RCB celebration,' Bhattacharya said. He added, 'After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came to power, UNESCO recognised Durga Puja. Fortunately, there has been no major incident here despite large-scale celebrations. If the club is being called for a discussion to improve crowd management, it should cooperate instead of criticising.' The letter from Muchipara Police Station to the Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojanin Durgatsav committee, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, outlines specific directives to ensure public safety during the 2025 puja celebrations. It states, 'During last year's celebrations, a massive influx of devotees gathered at the venue. Due to non-compliance with the issued guidelines, public safety was compromised. A near-stampede situation arose, endangering lives.' It also mentions that a case had been registered under various sections including 221 (obstructing public servant), 223 (disobedience to order), 324 (6) (mischief), and 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy). The puja organisers have been asked to submit a detailed mitigation plan covering some directives, and to arrange a meeting with police officials by June 25. These directives include maintaining a proper passage inside the pandal for crowd movement, banning all light and sound shows, laser displays, or similar events inside or outside the pandal, and prohibiting stalls and hawkers near the exit gate. The exit gate must also be wider than the entry gate. Additional safety measures include displaying clear directional signage from BOI More to the pandal, installing a minimum of six CCTV cameras with recording capabilities and a monitoring screen at the Police Control Room, keeping the KMC-adjacent gate inside Santosh Mitra Square open, and deploying at least 250 volunteers during peak hours and 100 during off-peak hours. Other directives include setting up strong barricading from the pandal to BOI More, installing a public address system for police announcements, banning Ferris wheels or amusement rides inside the Mela premises, sharing the puja theme in advance with police for planning, banning any overhead structures between BOI More and the park entrance, and constructing a separate VIP channel between BOI More and the pandal. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
FIR against Kesari Chapter 2, Trinamool says film insults Bengal's freedom struggle
On June 18, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongly condemned the makers of 'Kesari Chapter 2', accusing them of 'distorting' Bengal's contribution to India's freedom struggle. The party described the depiction of prominent Bengali revolutionaries as a 'deliberate insult' to the state's rich historical FIR has been filed against seven of the film's producers at Bidhannagar South police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).advertisementThe controversy flared up after a scene in the film allegedly misrepresented iconic freedom fighters Khudiram Bose and Barindra Kumar Ghosh. According to the TMC, the film refers to Bose as 'Khudiram Singh' and portrays Barindra Ghosh as 'Birendra Kumar' from Amritsar, a move the party has slammed as a 'deliberate distortion of historical facts.' In a recent press conference, senior TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh and Arup Chakraborty spoke about Bengal's contribution to freedom. 'The names of Bengali revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for India's freedom were being distorted. This is not just a mistake, this is a conspiracy to erase Bengal's role in the freedom movement. How did such a film get a censor certificate?' Ghosh Minister Mamata Banerjee also weighed in on the same and said that there are several attempts to downplay Bengal's historical directly naming the film, she said, 'There are attempts to undermine the role played by the Bengali revolutionaries during the independence struggle. We condemn this. The BJP has been targeting Bengal and our cultural heritage.'Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, 'Kesari Chapter 2' is reportedly inspired by the book The Case That Shook the Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. Starring Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, and Ananya Panday, the film has drawn criticism for altering historical facts, most notably for renaming and replacing key revolutionaries. As per Ghosh, the film replaces Hemchandra Kanungo, who trained young revolutionaries in bomb-making, with a fictional character named Kripal party demanded strict action and accountability from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). 'Why didn't the censor board flag these historical distortions? Who allowed such a film to pass certification?' they by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, 'Kesari Chapter 2' earned strong audience approval, translating into a robust box-office run. Since its April 18 release, the film has amassed Rs 142 crore worldwide. It is currently streaming on Watch
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
KP's safety notice to central Kol puja
Kolkata: The Santosh Mitra Square Puja Committee has received a stringent directive from Kolkata Police, days after announcing their Durga Puja theme for this year. The cop directive cited last year's near-stampede incident as the primary reason for the enhanced rules. An officer said: "The violations last year almost led to a stampede. We want to ensure nothing of this sort happens this year. This is for the benefit of pandal-hoppers." Sajal Ghosh, a key official of the puja committee and BJP leader, has raised concerns about what he perceives as discriminatory treatment by law enforcement. The police letter, which Ghosh mockingly termed a "love letter", outlines safety regulations for the festival. "I want to know how many puja committees across Bengal received such a letter? Surely, none. So, are they above the law, or is there a separate law for us?" he asked. The list includes widening entrance and exit paths, installing a minimum of 60 CCTV cameras, deploying 250 volunteers during peak hours, and prohibiting laser/light/sound shows. The committee must also establish a designated police surveillance area within the pandal and ensure there are no stalls near entrances and exits. Other requirements include public address systems, proper barricading, and maintaining clear signage from BOI More to the pandal. Cops have also prohibited Ferris wheel or similar amusement rides on the premises. The police have requested a mitigation plan from the committee by June 25 and mandated a meeting to discuss implementation strategies.
