Blog

The measure was being taken to ensure the safety and security of passengers, it said.

The Kolkata Metro on Monday said it will fine people who unnecessarily cross the ‘yellow’ safety line on platforms of the Dakshineswar-New Garia corridor from June 1.

Those crossing the ‘yellow’ line will be fined Rs 250, it said in a statement.

The measure was being taken to ensure the safety and security of passengers, it said.

“It has been found that a section of the commuters unnecessarily cross the yellow line when there is no train at the station in spite of repeated requests. In order to curb this tendency, Metro Railway authorities have now decided to launch a special drive against the erring commuters,” it said.

“Unnecessarily crossing the yellow line will be considered a nuisance activity in the Metro station premises and will attract a penalty of Rs 250 from June 1,” it added.

Those crossing the ‘yellow’ line will be fined Rs 250, it said in a statement.

The measure was being taken to ensure the safety and security of passengers, it said.

“It has been found that a section of the commuters unnecessarily cross the yellow line when there is no train at the station in spite of repeated requests. In order to curb this tendency, Metro Railway authorities have now decided to launch a special drive against the erring commuters,” it said.

“Unnecessarily crossing the yellow line will be considered a nuisance activity in the Metro station premises and will attract a penalty of Rs 250 from June 1,” it added.

The Congress has repeatedly accused the BJP of wanting to alter fundamental tenets of the Constitution, a charge it made into a poll issue before last year’s federal election.

Rahul Gandhi weighed in Friday on the row over the words ‘secular‘ and ‘socialist‘ in the Preamble to the Constitution. The Congress MP attacked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party – after it called for a ‘debate’ over retaining the terms.

“The mask of the RSS has come off again,” Mr Gandhi said on X, picking up where party comms chief Jairam Ramesh left off this morning. “The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism, and justice. The RSS-BJP don’t want the Constitution… they want the Manusmriti.”

“They aim to strip the marginalised and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda.”

“The RSS should stop dreaming this dream – we will never let them succeed…”

This chapter in the row over the terms ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’ – added to the Preamble in 1976 – began after Mr Hosabale’s comments Thursday, and as the BJP upped attacks on the Congress over the Emergency imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi a year earlier, i.e., 1975.

Critics of these terms’ inclusion believe the political background – Mrs Gandhi’s Congress government curtailed Parliament’s powers – mean there are questions over the legitimacy of the amendment itself.

RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, demanded a ‘debate’ be held on retaining the terms.

Jairam Ramesh responded first for the Congress, drawing the RSS leader’s attention to a Supreme Court judgement quashing a petition to remove the terms from the Preamble.

“The Chief Justice of India himself delivered a judgment on November 25, 2024, on the issue now being raised by the leading RSS functionary. Would it be asking too much to request him to take the trouble to read it?” the Congress leader posted on X.

The reference was to a ruling by a two-judge bench in November last year; then-Chief Justice Sanjiv Kumar noted that past decisions by the court, including the landmark 1973 Kesavananda Bharti and 1994 SR Bommai cases observed “secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution”.

The court similarly defended inclusion of ‘socialist’ in the Preamble. Its interpretation, it said, “should not be restricted to the economic policies… rather ‘socialist’ denotes the State’s commitment to be a Welfare state… ensuring equality of opportunity and social justice.”

The court also pointed out the petitions had been filed in 2020, “… 44 years after the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ became integral to the Preamble”, and that made the plea “particularly questionable”.

The Congress has repeatedly accused the BJP of wanting to alter fundamental tenets of the Constitution, a charge it made into a poll issue before last year’s federal election.

Mr Gandhi, in fact, began appearing at public events with a small, red-bound copy of the Constitution, which he would wave for emphasis during campaign speeches.

The BJP also issued equally repeated denials; Home Minister Amit Shah told NDTV the party had no intention of ever doing that, and pointed out it had already won two consecutive elections.

Each time the party had an overwhelming majority and could have changed the Constitution at will, but did not, Mr Shah told NDTV

The fresh clash comes ahead of next year’s state elections, and the Trinamool Congress is not ready to cede any space to the BJP.

The Centre’s plan to observe “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” on June 25 has drawn a sharp rejoinder from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress has decided not to observe the event, sparking another standoff with the Centre.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held up the Centre’s official communication to the Chief Secretary, saying she has objections to the name of the event and will not observe it. 

“The Centre has sent a letter to observe “Samvidhan Hatya diwas” day on June 25. I totally oppose it. If they had to protest Emergency, then they should have used that term. If we see the current scenario in the country, there is “Murder of Constitution” every day,” said Ms Banerjee. 

Taking a dig at the Centre, she cited the alleged toppling of multiple state governments – including Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh. She also questioned the amount of freedom enjoyed by the media or the Election Commission.

It has been 50 years since Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency in the country in 1975.  The BJP plans to observe the “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” programme across the state in every block as instructed during Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Kolkata last month.

The fresh clash comes ahead of next year’s state elections, and the Trinamool Congress is not ready to cede any space to the BJP.  

Mamata Banerjee has said that she also opposed Emergency and will announce an alternate programme which will be observed by the Trinamool Congress.

“I was in the Congress when the Emergency was imposed. I was part of student politics, and the citizens did not accept the decision to impose Emergency,” she said. 

Pointing out that Rahul Gandhi could be the Leader of Opposition, but smaller parties should also be allowed to express their stand before such decisions to observe such events are announced. 

The Trinamool Congress has been carving its own path within the INDIA-bloc as the party continues the state-level battle with the Congress.

Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, said he was not surprised by the stand taken by the Trinamool chief.

“Emergency was a black dot on our democracy. What does Mamata Banerjee follow? This day has been observed every year and her opposing it comes as no surprise,” he said.

Appealing to the teachers who lost their jobs to take part in the fresh process, CM Banerjee said they will be given the benefit of their experience and age relaxation.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her government will start a fresh process for recruiting teachers following the Supreme Court directive, while simultaneously pursuing the review petition seeking reinstatement of those who lost their jobs.

Appealing to the teachers who lost their jobs to take part in the fresh process, CM Banerjee said they will be given the benefit of their experience and age relaxation.

The teachers, who have been agitating after their appointments were invalidated by the Supreme Court on April 3, said they felt “disappointed and shattered” by the announcements made by the CM.

“We want all those teachers who lost their jobs to get their jobs back. But we also have to follow the Supreme Court directive on issuing the notification by May 31. I want to tell you that we have been compelled to do this (the fresh recruitment). Do not think we are agreeably doing this,” she said, addressing a press conference.

“Both the review petition and the process of issuing the notification will go on simultaneously,” she said.

CM Banerjee said the state government has been waiting for days for the Supreme Court to take up the review petition.

“But, summer vacation is going on at the Supreme Court, due to which it could not be heard. In our petition, we have mentioned that we do not want those who were working to lose their jobs. If there is an order based on the review petition that the jobs will not be cancelled, and those who were working can continue, then we will follow that,” she said.

CM Banerjee’s statement came amid massive protests by the teaching and non-teaching staff of state-backed schools, who lost their jobs because of the SC order in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam.

Announcing relief in the fresh recruitment process for the teachers who lost their jobs, the CM said, “Age will not be a barrier. Those who lost their jobs will be allowed to sit for the exam even if they have crossed the usual age limit. They will also receive the benefit of their experience.” She said the notification will be issued on May 30, and the online applications for the fresh recruitment will begin on June 16. It will continue till July 14, and the panel will be published on November 15.

CM Banerjee said the government was aiming to complete the process by November-end.

“Written test, scrutiny, challenge, result publication and interview shall be completed in the meantime, if we do not get any result in the review petition,” she said.

The recruitment process will be conducted for 24,203 posts deemed to be vacant, she said.

Appealing to the teachers who lost their jobs to take part in the process, CM Banerjee said, “It will not be right for you to say that you will not take part in it, then you will not have the job. This is not our order. Some selfish people are behind this. The government did not go to court.” “Sit for the examinations and save yourself. Use the opportunity to the fullest,” CM Banerjee said.

The appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff of state-aided schools were invalidated by the Supreme Court on April 3, describing the recruitment process conducted in 2016 as “vitiated and tainted”.

It had mandated the SSC to start a fresh recruitment process by issuing a notification before May 31 and complete the process by December 31.

The teachers who lost their jobs said that by asking to participate in the fresh recruitment process, the state government has virtually signed the death warrant for eligible teaching and non-teaching staff whose appointments were invalidated by the SC.

“We had apprehension that the government is forcing us to sit for the test again, and our apprehensions turned out to be true,” said Brindaban Ghosh, a member of the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum.

Another member of the forum, Habibur Rahman, said the government should make a serious attempt to expedite the process of hearing of the review petition.

“The government has the role and responsibility to protect the interests of untainted jobless teaching and non-teaching staff. We did not find the words of the CM reassuring enough,” he said.

“If we have to sit for competitive exams and qualify, what will be the syllabus for it? Will we have to sit along with our students of the 2018-19 and later batches who will also apply for exams?” he asked.

Rahman said the age relaxation and weightage to working experience “don’t cut much ice as we cannot start the process after all these years”.

Another teacher, Poulomi Dey, who had been sitting on dharna outside the Education Department’s office for the last 21 days, told PTI, “It is not clear why we are being asked to sit for the exams to prove our abilities for the second time.”

The accused ran a film production house where “soft pornographic reels” were shot and used to lure young girls looking for job, said sources.

Howrah Police have launched a search for a man and his mother who allegedly detained and assaulted a woman in their residence in Domjur in Howrah district for refusing to act in a pornographic film, an officer said on Sunday. The 23-year-old woman, a resident of Sodepur in North 24 Parganas district, is undergoing treatment at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital, the officer of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate said.

“The accused woman and her son are absconding and a search for them has been launched. We are trying to probe whether they were running any pornography film racket in the veil of running an event management agency,” an officer of Howrah City Police said.

Sources in the police said that the accused woman, along with her son, was also running a film production house where “soft pornographic reels” were shot.

“Initial probe has revealed that they used to lure young girls looking for employment under the pretext of a good salary and then force them to take part in films with pornographic content,” the officer said.

The accused woman was also allegedly running a sex racket in the area, he said, adding that it was also being probed.

The victim alleged that, more than the son, his mother used to torture her during her “captivity” at their Domjur residence. “I want the police to arrest the woman. She used to torture me the most. She used to beat me while this guy, her son, used to watch that from a distance,” she said.

The victim had come in contact with the man from Howrah’s Domjur on Facebook last year. He had promised her a job if she came to his residence, a police officer said.

When she visited his Domjur residence to discuss the job, the youth, along with his mother, allegedly assaulted her after failing to lure her into the profession of a bar dancer and forced her to do domestic chores, the woman’s parents said in the police complaint lodged at Khardah police station.

The victim has also claimed that her mobile phone was taken away by the two accused

Neeraj Chopra surprised a fan on Friday by offering him a “full VVIP experience” and accommodation for the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic.

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra surprised a fan on Friday by offering him a “full VVIP experience” and accommodation for the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic on July 5 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Ahead of the much-anticipated athletic event of the season on Indian soil, Chopra’s fan named Ranjith, from Coimbatore, asked for money on social media to attend next month’s showpiece event. “If anyone sponsor me 2000 rupees, I can go to watch this from Coimbatore,” he posted on X on June 25.

Initially scheduled for May 24, the event was deferred due to India-Pakistan conflict, keeping security in mind, and to show solidarity with the nation.

As a World Athletics-sanctioned Gold event, the Neeraj Chopra Classic promises to elevate India’s status on the global athletics map. It will feature a stellar line-up of elite javelin throwers, including The event will see the participation of several Olympic medallists, including Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Chopra, Thomas Rohler, Anderson Peters and others.

Chopra played a pivotal role in the staging of the event in India and sending invitations to global stars of the game to participate.

Chopra won the javelin throw title in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 meet with a best throw of 85.29 metres on Tuesday.

He had clinched victory in the prestigious meet with one throw remaining as his best effort of 85.29m remained unbeaten after six rounds, securing him yet another top podium finish this season.

It was the second title for Chopra within a month after he triumphed in the Paris Diamond League meet last week.

Admitting that the main accused is linked to its student wing, the party condemned attempts to politicise the issue.

After the rape of a law student in Kolkata triggered a political firestorm, the Trinamool Congress has admitted that the main accused is linked to the party’s student wing but insisted that this would not come in the way of him getting the strictest possible punishment.

The alleged gang rape of a law student from West Bengal’s Kolkata – months after the horrific RG Kar rape-murder case – has triggered a fresh and (furious) showdown between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Assembly election next year.

Three men – including Manojit Mishra, a 31-year-old former student of the South Calcutta Law College -in Kolkata’s Kasba area – have been arrested and charged with rape. The other two men – Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, according to news agency ANI – are believed to be current students.

According to the police, mobile phones with videos of the rape – videos used to threaten and bully the 24-year-old survivor into staying silent about the attack – were seized from the accused.

A practicing lawyer, Mishra is the primary accused and the BJP – on the warpath with one eye firmly on the forthcoming election – has shared photographs showing him with senior leaders from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool, including her nephew and second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee.

The BJP has also raked up the RG Kar case to highlight the ‘sinking into lawlessness’.

BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari and the party’s IT chief, Amit Malviya posted images that seem to show Mishra standing next to Trinamool leaders including Abhishek Banerjee; Health Minister Chandrima 

The RG Kar Rape, Murder

This comes 10 months after a rape and murder at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The RG Kar case, as that came to be called, made national headlines for its brutality; the woman’s body was found in a seminar room on the college premises and the autopsy concluded she had been raped and possibly tortured – there were injuries to her genitals, the left leg and right hand, and face.

The cause of death was strangulation.

Sanjay Roy, a 33-year-old civic volunteer for Kolkata Police, was arrested and convicted for the rape and murder of the woman, and was sentenced to life in prison, a punishment seen by many as lenient.

Many, including the family, had demanded the death sentence.

A Maryland woman won $50,000 by using numbers from her horoscope to play the lottery and plans to keep manifesting bigger wins.

In an extraordinary stroke of luck, a woman from Laurel, Maryland, won a $50,000 (Rs 42,78,125) lottery prize after using numbers from her horoscope, . The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, told Maryland Lottery officials that she felt a strong intuition to play the numbers 25569 revealed to her through her daily horoscope.

Acting on her hunch, she purchased a Pick 5 ticket from the Sandy Spring Exxon located on Sandy Spring Road in Laurel. To her amazement, the numbers aligned perfectly, earning her a $50,000 windfall, according to UPI News.

“I had a hunch and followed it,” she told Maryland Lottery officials. “Pay my bills and save. I want to be responsible with it,” she added, sharing her plans to use the prize money wisely. But she’s not stopping there.

The lucky winner revealed that she’s already manifesting her next big win: “I’m manifesting $1 million. And you better believe I’ll be back to claim a bigger prize!”

This is not the only incident when somebody has won a huge amount in the lottery. A few days back a man from Washington County, Maryland, won $100,000 (about Rs 86 lakh) by sticking to his usual lottery strategy – buying scratch-off tickets in pairs. The lucky winner told Maryland Lottery officials he was tempted to break his habit when he spotted a $50 $5,000,000 Fortune ticket at Wooden Keg Liquors in Hagerstown.

The most I usually spend on a scratch-off is 20, but I decided to splurge,” he said. “The problem is that I always, always, always buy two of the same game. Every time.”

With 100 in hand, he followed his instinct and bought two tickets.

“I’d been thinking about it for a couple of days, so I was ready,” he said.

He won his money back on the first ticket, but it was the second that brought the real surprise.

“I kept uncovering 5,000 matches. There were so many of them. They just kept adding up,” he recalled.

The second ticket ended up winning him a total of $100,000.

“Any financial questions I had about my retirement were answered, with enough left over to share,” he added. 

Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but it is struggling to maintain its grip due to Israel.

Short of commanders, deprived of much of its tunnel network and unsure of support from its ally Iran, Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure.

Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the Islamist group is struggling to maintain its grip as Israel openly backs tribes opposing it, three sources close to Hamas said.

With a humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifying international pressure for a ceasefire, Hamas badly needs a pause in the fighting, one of the people said.

Not only would a ceasefire offer respite to weary Gazans, who are growing increasingly critical of Hamas, but it would also allow the Islamist group to crush rogue elements, including some clans and looters who have been stealing aid, the person said.

To counter the immediate threat, Hamas has sent some of its top fighters to kill one rebellious leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, but so far he has remained beyond their reach in the Rafah area held by Israeli troops, according to two Hamas sources and two other sources familiar with the situation.

Reuters spoke to 16 sources including people close to Hamas, Israeli security sources and diplomats who painted a picture of a severely weakened group, retaining some sway and operational capacity in Gaza despite its setbacks, but facing stiff challenges.

Hamas is still capable of landing blows: it killed seven Israeli soldiers in an attack in southern Gaza on Tuesday. But three diplomats in the Middle East said intelligence assessments showed it had lost its centralised command and control and was reduced to limited, surprise attacks.

An Israeli military official estimated Israel had killed 20,000 or more Hamas fighters and destroyed or rendered unusable hundreds of miles of tunnels under the coastal strip. Much of Gaza has been turned to rubble in 20 months of conflict.

One Israeli security source said the average age of Hamas fighters was “getting lower by the day”. Israeli security sources say Hamas is recruiting from hundreds of thousands of impoverished, unemployed, displaced young men.

Hamas does not disclose how many of its fighters have died.

“They’re hiding because they are being instantly hit by planes but they appear here and there, organising queues in front of bakeries, protecting aid trucks, or punishing criminals,” said Essam, 57 a construction worker in Gaza City.

“They’re not like before the war, but they exist.”

Asked for comment for this story, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was working for an agreement to end the war with Israel but “surrender is not an option”.

Hamas remained committed to negotiations and was “ready to release all prisoners at once”, he said, referring to Israeli hostages, but it wanted the killing to stop and Israel to withdraw.

‘It Doesn’t Look Good’

Hamas is a shadow of the group that attacked Israel in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking another 253 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 56,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

The damage inflicted by Israel is unlike anything Hamas has suffered since its creation, with most of its top military commanders in Gaza killed. Founded in 1987, Hamas had gradually established itself as the main rival of the Fatah faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas and finally seized Gaza from his control in 2007.

With a U.S.-brokered truce in the Iran-Israel war holding, attention has switched back to the possibility of a Gaza deal that might end the conflict and release the remaining hostages.

One of the people close to Hamas told Reuters it would welcome a truce, even for a couple of months, to confront the local clans that are gaining influence.

But he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s terms for ending the war – including Hamas leaders leaving Gaza – would amount to total defeat, and Hamas would never surrender.

“We keep the faith, but in reality it doesn’t look good,” the source said.

Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said he believed Hamas was simply trying to survive. That was not just a physical challenge of holding out militarily, he said, but above all a political one.

“They face being eliminated on the ground in Gaza if the war doesn’t stop, but they also face being erased from any governing formula that ends the war in Gaza (if such a thing can be found),” he wrote in response to Reuters’ questions.

Palestinian tribes have emerged as part of Israel’s strategy to counter Hamas. Netanyahu has said publicly that Israel has been arming clans that oppose Hamas, but has not said which.

One of the most prominent challenges has come from Abu Shabab, a Palestinian Bedouin based in the Rafah area, which is under Israeli control.

Hamas wants Abu Shabab captured, dead or alive, accusing him of collaboration with Israel and planning attacks on the Islamist group, three Hamas sources told Reuters.

Abu Shabab controls eastern Rafah and his group is believed to have freedom of movement in the wider Rafah area. Images on their Facebook page show their armed men organising the entry of aid trucks from the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Announcements by his group indicate that it is trying to build an independent administration in the area, though they deny trying to become a governing authority. The group has called on people from Rafah now in other areas of Gaza to return home, promising food and shelter.

In response to Reuters’ questions, Abu Shabab’s group denied getting support from Israel or contacts with the Israeli army, describing itself as a popular force protecting humanitarian aid from looting by escorting aid trucks.

It accused Hamas of violence and muzzling dissent.

A Hamas security official said the Palestinian security services would “strike with an iron fist to uproot the gangs of the collaborator Yasser Abu Shabab”, saying they would show no mercy or hesitation and accusing him of being part of “an effort to create chaos and lawlessness”.

Not all of Gaza’s clans are at odds with Hamas, however.

On Thursday, a tribal alliance said its men had protected aid trucks from looters in northern Gaza. Sources close to Hamas said the group had approved of the alliance’s involvement.

Two attackers on a motorcycle opened fire on Deepak, firing multiple rounds.

A 30-year-old man named Deepak, the nephew of notorious Delhi gangster Manjit Mahal, was shot dead while on a morning walk in the Bawana area of Delhi. The incident took place between 7 and 8 AM in Nagal Thakran village. According to Delhi Police sources, the murder is suspected to be the handiwork of the Kapil Sangwan gang, led by gangster Kapil Sangwan, also known as Nandu, who is currently based in London.

Two attackers on a motorcycle opened fire on Deepak, firing multiple rounds. Deepak died on the spot, and his daughter, who was accompanying him, sustained a gunshot injury to her hand. She is currently out of danger. Deepak’s parents, who were also walking behind him, reported that the attackers even issued death threats to them.

Preliminary investigation reveals that after the initial firing, the shooters returned to the spot and shot Deepak again before fleeing. Deepak reportedly suffered 7-8 bullet wounds, though the exact number will be confirmed after the post-mortem.

Police sources confirm that Deepak had no criminal background, despite being related to gangster Manjit Mahal. Locals and villagers told NDTV that Deepak was a simple, well-behaved man with no involvement in crime.

CCTV footage shows the two attackers on a bike around 6:12 AM, shortly after Deepak left his house for his walk. According to residents, the attackers had been conducting reconnaissance in the area for the past 3-4 days.

Family members suspect the murder may be linked to Deepak’s mother visiting Manjit Mahal’s home last month during a family wedding and mourning ceremony. Deepak is survived by his wife and two children, aged 8 and 11. His family has not yet informed his wife of his death.

Police have identified one of the attackers and are continuing their investigation, including analysis of CCTV footage. They say the motive will only become clear once the accused are arrested. Notably, the long-standing rivalry between Manjit Mahal and Nandu has claimed multiple lives over the years, including the killing of a BJP leader allegedly by Nandu’s gang two years ago. A Red Corner Notice has been issued against Nandu, but he remains missing