On a quiet Sunday afternoon in Baranagar, a 78‑year‑old widow, Basabi Chakraborty, stood in a queue at the local SIR office clutching a 1983 marriage certificate, determined to resolve a bureaucratic quagmire that has haunted her family for years. The document, signed by poet Joy Goswami, was presented to prove the marriage of her late husband, the celebrated poet Bhaskar Chakraborty, whose official records had long listed him under a pseudonym that differed from his birth name. Background / Context Bhaskar Chakraborty, born Bishnumoy Chakraborty in 1945, was a prominent figure in Bengali literature. He chose the pen name “Bhaskar” for his literary works…
Author: Map of Netherlands
Twin black leopards captured on camera in Kurseong – a first in Indian wild In a stunning breakthrough for wildlife conservation, two melanistic leopards were photographed together by a camera trap in the Kurseong forest division of North Bengal. The images, released by the Forest Department of West Bengal, mark the first documented instance of black leopards appearing side‑by‑side in the Indian subcontinent. Background / Context Melanism, the genetic condition that gives animals a darker coat, has long fascinated scientists and wildlife enthusiasts alike. While black leopards have been reported in Southeast Asia, sightings in India have been sporadic and…
In a startling discovery that could rewrite the narrative of wildlife in India, two melanistic leopards were captured on camera together in the Kurseong forest division of North Bengal. The footage, released by the Forest Department, shows the black-coated big cats side by side, a sight that experts say may be the first of its kind in the Indian wild. Background/Context The Kurseong region, part of the Dooars and Terai forests, has long been a hotspot for biodiversity. Over the past decade, conservationists have deployed more than 20 camera traps across the division to monitor elusive species and assess the…
In a stark reminder of the volatility that can lurk in Kolkata’s bustling streets, a seasoned patty seller, Sk Riyajul, has returned to the city after a brutal assault at a mass Gita recital in the Maidan, yet he has chosen to steer clear of the very area where he was beaten. The incident, which unfolded on December 7, has sparked renewed debate over street‑vendor safety, religious‑cultural tensions, and the economic pressures that drive people to risk their lives for a living. Background and Context For more than two decades, Riyajul has sold “puffs” – a popular street snack – from a…
In a sharp rebuke of the Election Commission’s (EC) handling of the ongoing electoral dispute in West Bengal, the state BJP has called for decisive action, demanding that the poll panel deploy central armed police forces and seek Supreme Court intervention. The party’s leaders argue that the EC’s “soft stance” is ineffective in a state where the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has allegedly used intimidation tactics to influence election officials. Background and Context West Bengal’s political landscape has been fraught with tension since the 2021 assembly elections, when the TMC secured a landslide victory over the BJP. The BJP, led by…
In a dramatic turn of events on the eve of National Voters’ Day, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced a mass protest against the Election Commission’s failure to publish the voter list with logical discrepancies, a delay that has sparked outrage across West Bengal. The move comes after the Commission missed a self‑imposed deadline of January 24, leaving thousands of voters in limbo and raising questions about the integrity of the upcoming elections. Background and Context The Supreme Court’s directive to the Election Commission (EC) mandated the release of a revised voter list that would flag logical inconsistencies—such as duplicate entries,…
A Kargil war veteran and confidential assistant to the West Midnapore District Magistrate has been summoned for a SIR hearing at the Midnapore Sadar BDO office on January 29. The veteran, 49‑year‑old Arun Kumar Ditya, will present his Army pension papers, voter ID cards, school certificate and other relevant documents to resolve a pending service‑related issue. Background and Context The Special Investigation Report (SIR) hearing is a crucial step in the administrative process that determines the eligibility and entitlement of former soldiers for pension and other benefits. Ditya, who served in the Army Supply Corps from 1996 to 2017, was part of the…
In a startling twist that has rattled both political parties and voters across India, a BJP candidate from Maharashtra is now embroiled in a voter roll controversy that traces back to Bengal. The case centers on Ujjwala Appa Burungale, an online yoga teacher from Dubrajpur in Birbhum, who, along with her husband, has filed to contest the Zilla Parishad elections in Maharashtra as a BJP nominee. Their nomination papers were flagged for missing essential data from the State Information Register (SIR), raising questions about the integrity of voter rolls and the eligibility of candidates who have migrated between states. Background/Context…
In a tragic turn of events, a 65‑year‑old man named Rahaman Bastadar died of a sudden cardiac arrest at the home of a booth‑level officer (BLO) in Cooch Bihar’s Mathabhanga on Saturday. The fatal incident unfolded after Bastadar rushed to the BLO’s residence following his son Aminur’s receipt of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) notice for a spelling error in an election‑related document. Background / Context The incident has sparked widespread concern over the safety of local election officials and the pressures they face. Booth‑level officers are the frontline workers of the Election Commission of India, responsible for voter registration, issuing voter…
In a tragic turn of events, a 65‑year‑old man named Rahaman Bastadar died of cardiac arrest at the home of a booth‑level officer (BLO) in Mathabhanga, Cooch Behar, after his son was served a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) notice for a spelling mistake. The incident, which unfolded on Saturday, has sparked outrage and raised questions about the safety of election officials and the emotional toll of administrative notices on families. Background and Context The Election Commission of India routinely issues SIR notices to voters whose registration details contain errors, such as misspellings or missing signatures. While the notices are meant to correct…