Eight killed in lorry-trekker collision in West Bengal

September 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - Two villagers, believed to be supporters of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), were abducted and killed by suspected Maoist guerrillas late Wednesday night near Maoist-hit Lalgarh area in West Bengal, police said Thursday. The incident took place at Goaltor area in West Midnapore district where Nemai Bishayi, 60, and Samir Singha Mahapatra, 50, were abducted and then killed by the Maoists when they were returning to their village.

September 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - Leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) have charged "imperialist forces" of masterminding the elimination of their party cadres and also dividing the poor people. This was voiced at a mass rally of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the two youth wings of the CPI-M, here on Tuesday.

August 24th, 2009 Indo-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA - A two-day shutdown called by the Maoists in five states beginning Monday, to demand the release of two of its arrested members, had negligible impact in West Bengal, police said. "The shutdown hardly (had an) impact on the normal life in three West Bengal districts - Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore - which are considered as Maoist strongholds in the state," Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Surajit Kar Purakayastha told IANS.

August 17th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Maoists have called an indefinite shutdown in three tribal-dominated districts of West Bengal from Tuesday, police said here Monday. "An indefinite shutdown has been called by the Maoists in three districts -- Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore from tomorrow (Tuesday)," West Bengal Inspector General (Law and Order) Surajit Kar Purkayastha told IANS.

August 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Minister for Transport, Sports and Youth Affairs Subhas Chakraborty passed away at a private hospital in Salt Lake on Monday. Sixty-eight-year-old Chakraborty is survived by his wife and a son.

August 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - A worker each of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the opposition Congress were killed in a clash Sunday in Burdwan district of West Bengal, police said. The incident took place at Ketugram village of Burdwan district when two groups clashed.

July 19th, 2009 KOLKATA - Union Finance Minister and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday ruled out any possibility of further division of West Bengal. Mukherjee said this while commenting on the indefinite bandh that has been called by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha(GJM) in the Darjeeling Hills, which has been demanding for creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland.

June 9th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - At least nine people were killed and several others injured when a truck rammed into a passenger-loaded trekker wagon in Orissa's Mayurbhanj district Tuesday, police said. The accident took place near Baripada town in Mayurbhanj, 270 km from here, at around 11.45 a.m.

June 2nd, 2009 AGARTALA - Tripura Tuesday decided to give Rs.5 million to cyclone-hit West Bengal to help in the relief relief efforts. "The people of Tripura are confident that with the resilience of the people and the adequate support of the central government, the West Bengal government would come out of this situation," Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said in a letter to his West Bengal counterpart Bhudhadeb Bhattacharjee.

May 25th, 2009 KOLKATA - Three people were killed here Monday as cyclone Aila crossed the coast into West Bengal. There was no information from the coastal districts, where extensive damage was feared.

May 17th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is likely to skip the CPI (M) politburo meeting on Monday in Delhi. The reason for the West Bengal Chief Minister skipping the politburo meeting is that he wants to "oversee the law and order situation in the state".

April 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) faces a tough fight in the Lok Sabha elections but would get a majority of seats in West Bengal, the party's general secretary Prakash Karat said here Tuesday. 'We will have a tough battle in the elections, but we have faced situations in the past when the opposition had virtually come together without an alliance,' Karat told reporters in response to the Congress and Trinamool Congress joining hands in the state.

March 18th, 2009 KOLKATA - Activists of Trinamool Congress and Congress party organised a yagna here for the success of the alliance of these two parties in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha. This was consequent to the finalisation of the tie-up and sharing of seats between the two parties in West Bengal.

March 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal's main opposition party Trinamool Congress Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the state's voting schedule announced by the Election Commission. The poll panel Monday declared that the Lok Sabha election in northern Bengal will be held April 30.

February 10th, 2009 KOLKATA - Eight people, including five returning from a crematorium, were killed in two road accidents in West Bengal Wednesday, police said. Five people were killed on the spot when the mini-van they were travelling in overturned at Dubrajpur of Birbhum district.