Former CPI-M legislator shot in West Bengal

October 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - The Maoists on Thursday released abducted West Bengal police officer Attendranth Dutta at Domohini forest. The Maoists had abducted Dutta, when they had attacked Sankrail Police Station in West Bengal's West Midnapore district on October 20.

October 8th, 2009 KOLKATA - Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Thursday described West Bengal as an "university of Maoist activities" where the ultras get training and launch armed strikes in other parts of the country. "West Bengal is a university of Maoist activities.

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.

July 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - A Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activist was shot dead Wednesday by suspected Maoists in West Bengal's Belpahari region, police said. "Phagu Baskey was working in the fields this (Wednesday) morning near Belpahari area in West Midnapore district when a group of Maoist rebels killed him," police superintendent M.K Verma told IANS.

June 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Friday said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which had alleged "semi-fascist" attacks on its cadres in West Bengal, has been the real perpetrator of unprecedented violence in the state for more than two decades. "If at all violence has been perpetrated in West Bengal, it has been by the left party and the workers of the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have been at the receiving end of the this violence," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters.

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 11th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Communist Party has slammed the Trinamool Congress of West Bengal for allegedly attacking a woman legislator during an election meeting. Chandana Ghoshdastidar, a legislator of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was seriously injured when alleged supporters of the Trinamool Congress, attacked her at Falta, 30 km from Kolkata during an election meeting.

April 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - Suspected Maoists have shot dead two local CPI (M) leaders at Supurdih village in Balarampur area, about 40 from Purulia in West Bengal, on Thursday night. Both identified as Bibhuti Singh Sardar and Baikuntha Mahato.

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.

April 13th, 2009 BHOPAL - A Congress party legislator was shot at by unidentified assailants in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh Monday evening, police said. Makhan Singh Jatav is a legislator from Gohad assembly constituency 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.

February 1st, 2009 KOLKATA - Two tribals were killed in a clash with activists of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in West Bengal, the police said Monday. The clash broke out between the CPI-M activists and Maoist-backed tribals over the death of CPI-M leader Nandalal Pal.

January 20th, 2009 KOLKATA - A local Congress leader was killed Wednesday after being stabbed from behind as he took his morning walk in a village in West Bengal's Malda district, a party legislator said. Wahid Ali of Sujapur village, 365 km from here, was attacked by criminals, Sujapur's Congress legislator Mausam Benazir Nur said.