Kolkata, Sep 18 (IANS) A protest erupted at a school in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on Thursday, a day after its teacher was arrested in connection with the murder of a girl student. The situation turned so violent at Shyampahari Sri Ramakrishna Shikshapeeth in Rampurhat that policemen were called to disperse the irate parents and bring the situation under control.The protestors thrashed the headmaster, who was rescued and sent to a hospital for treatment.As soon as the headmaster entered the…

Kolkata, Sep 18 (IANS) The fate of West Bengal Minister Chandranath Sinha will hinge on his clarifications regarding the alleged fictitious financial transactions of Rs 12.73 crore identified by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the state’s primary teacher recruitment irregularities.The matter is set for a crucial hearing at a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata this Saturday.Sinha, through his counsel, is expected to respond to the Enforcement …

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Hours after Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and the Election Commission of “vote deletion” in Karnataka’s Aland constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched a sharp counterattack on Thursday, calling the Congress leader’s charges “habitual, baseless allegations”.Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Thakur said the Congress has repeatedly been rejected by the peopl…

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 (IANS) Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday reacted to the first-ever Kerala-European Union (EU) Blue Economy Conclave, saying that the state’s future is intrinsically tied to the seas.“Kerala has always looked to the oceans not only for sustenance but also for innovation, resilience, and growth. This conclave is an opportunity to shape a global alliance for a sustainable and equitable blue economy, with Kerala as a bridge between India and Europe,” said C…

Aizawl/Imphal, Sep 18 (IANS) In a major haul, the security forces have seized drugs valued over Rs 143 crore and arrested three persons in Mizoram and Manipur over the past 24 hours, officials said on Thursday. A defence spokesman said that in a major strike against cross-border narco-trafficking, Assam Rifles, based on specific intelligence, conducted a search operation on Wednesday night near Zote village in Mizoram’s Champhai District, which shares an unfenced border with Myanmar.During the o…

Chennai, Sep 18 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday launched extensive searches in Chennai and Hyderabad in connection with a money laundering probe into an alleged Rs 200 crore bank fraud and benami property dealings linked to V. K. Sasikala, the confidante of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Officials confirmed that the searches covered at least ten locations across the two cities.The premises, according to the source, are connected to a businessman who has been …

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to urgently list on September 19 a petition seeking a stay on the Congress-led Karnataka government’s decision to have Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurate the historic and world-famous Dussehra festival in Mysuru city.There is a tradition of offering floral tributes to Goddess Chamundeshwari during the inauguration of Dussehra, and opposition has arisen to Banu Mushtaq inaugurating the festival.After the matter was mentioned, …

Raipur, Sep 18 (IANS) In a dramatic turn of events, Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh — long considered one of India’s most persistent internal security threats — have begun laying down arms and expressing a desire to join mainstream politics.Reportedly, a letter purportedly issued by a banned Maoist organisation hints at a willingness to abandon armed struggle and engage in peace talks, even suggesting a move towards active political participation.This shift, hailed by many as a historic …

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) India’s Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran on Thursday hailed the country’s growth story, saying nowhere in the world, a nation of this sheer size and diversity is attempting an economic and social transformation at a massive scale, and “we are capable of overcoming all kinds of challenges”. Speaking to IANS, Nageswaran said that India has always been an exciting story.”Nowhere in the world, a country of this size and diversity is attempting an economic and soc…

Hyderabad, Sep 18 (IANS) A Congress MLA in Telangana cancelled the wedding reception of his son to donate Rs 2 crore to the government for distributing urea to farmers. Bathula Laxma Reddy, the MLA from Miryalaguda, met Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for giving him the cheque on Thursday.The MLA requested that the money be spent to give a bag of urea to one lakh farmers in his constituency.The MLA was accompanied by his son, Sai Prasanna and other family members. Prasanna’s wedding took place r…