West Bengal

Digha (WB), Dec 11 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said unity in diversity is the ethos of the state and people here are not divided on the basis of caste, creed and religion.

Her statement came when the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is being debated in Rajya Sabha. The contentious Bill that seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan after facing religious persecution there, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Kolkata, Dec 10 (PTI) The spiralling prices of onions have partially affected restaurant business in the city, with owners apprehensive that customers might skip eating out during Christmas and New Year festivities, if they hike the rate of food items.

With the kitchen staple still hovering between Rs 150 and Rs 170 a kilo, several restaurants are feeling the pinch, some of them even mulling to pass on the burden to customers if the situation does not stabilise.

Suri (WB), Dec 9 (PTI) Around 20 kg onion was allegedly looted from a state-run store in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Monday, an official said.

The incident happened at a Sufal Bangla store at the Bolpur bus stand area of the district, where onions at subsidised price were being sold, he said.

Kolkata, Dec 9 (PTI) West Bengal has emerged as one of the least corrupt states in the country, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday citing a recent survey conducted in 20 states.

Banerjee said this on the International Anti- Corruption Day citing the 'India Corruption Survey 2019' which was conducted by the Transparency International India and Local Circles.

Kolkata, Dec 6 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the NRC and the CAB are two sides of the same coin and the TMC will oppose it till the end.

Speaking at a party programme here, Banerjee said the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill were being taken up by the Centre to divert attention of the people from the economic slowdown.

"If you give citizenship to all the communities, we will accept it. But if you discriminate on the basis of religion, we will oppose it and also fight against it," the chief minister said.

Kolkata, Nov 29 (PTI) Two minor girls, who beg outside the Kalighat temple in south Kolkata, were allegedly abducted and gangraped on the banks of Adi Ganga by three teenage boys, a senior police officer said on Friday.

While two of the three accused have been arrested following a complaint lodged by the girls with Kalighat police station, a search was on for the third teenager, he said.

Kolkata, Nov 28 (PTI) West Bengal's ruling TMC on Thursday looked set to win all the three assembly seats bypolls which were held on Monday, bagging Kaliaganj and Kharagpur Sadar, and establishing an unassailable lead in Karimpur.

Tapan Deb Sinha of the Trinamool Congress won the Kaliaganj seat in a close contest, defeating his nearest BJP rival Kamal Chandra Sarkar by 2,418 votes, EC officials said.

Kolkata, Nov 25 (PTI) Around 75.34 per cent of over 7 lakh electorate on Monday cast votes in the by-polls to three Assembly seats in West Bengal, amid allegations that TMC activists orchestrated an attack on the BJP candidate from Karimpur segment, Jay Prakash Majumdar.

Besides Karimpur, by-polls were also held in Kharagpur Sadar and Kaliaganj Assembly seats.

Kolkata, Nov 22 (PTI) Virat Kohli on Friday became the fastest to 5000 runs as captain, completing the feat in 86 innings during day one of the Day/Night Test between India and Bangladesh here.

As captain, Kohli was also the quickest to 4000 Tests runs (65 innings). He is the sixth captain to reach the 5000-run mark.

Coochbehar (WB), Nov 22 (PTI) Two persons have been lynched over suspicion of cattle theft in Coochbehar district and 14 persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident, police said.

It took place on Thursday in Mathabanga area when Rabiul Islam and Prakash Das were ferrying two cows in a van.