Latest news with #KaliganjAssembly
New Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
TMC leader arrested in connection with death of girl in bomb blast after in West Bengal's Kaliganj
KOLKATA: A Trinamool Congress leader was arrested in connection to a post-poll incident at Kaliganj in Nadia district in West Bengal where a Class IV student Tamanna Khatun was killed in a bomb explosion allegedly hurled by Trinamool Congress-backed miscreants on June 23. The incident did happen just before Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed secured her victory in the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll. The main accused, Gawal Sheikh, and his son Bimal Sheikh were arrested by police from Katwa in East Burdwan district in West Bengal on Friday night. With this, the total number of arrests in the Kaliganj incident has reached nine. Gawal is the Trinamool booth president in Kaliganj. The FIR filed by the family after Tamanna's death had mentioned both Gawal and his son. Krishnanagar Police District Superintendent Amarnath Ke said, 'Gawal Sheikh is the main accused in the Kaliganj bombing. He has been arrested. Along with him, one more person has been arrested. The search operation is going on continuously. All the accused will be arrested soon.'
The Hindu
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
TMC issues notice to party MLA for offering money to parents of child killed in bomb attack
The Trinamool Congress on Thursday (June 26, 2025) issued a show cause notice to party MLA from Debra, former IPS officer Humayun Kabir, who on Wednesday (June 25, 2025) allegedly offered money to the parents of Tamanna Khatun, the minor girl who was killed in Kaliganj, Nadia, in a crude bomb explosion. Sources in the party said that it has sought an explanation from the MLA on why he offered money to parents of the child who was killed on Monday. The MLA had visited the residence of Tamanna on Wednesday (June 25, 2025) and allegedly offered money, which Sabina Khatun, the mother of the child, refused. The whole incident was caught on camera where Sabina Khatun gets angry and says they do not want any money. 'No, no, no. We have a house, land. For whom will we need money? There is no one in the family to take the money,' the mother is heard telling the cop turned politician. Mr. Kabir, however, said that he was visiting Kaliganj not as a politician but as an ordinary citizen. Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the blast which killed the child on the day when counting of voters for the Kaliganj Assembly seat was underway on Monday (June 23, 2025). According to the West Bengal police, after reports of the electoral lead by the TMC candidate in the Kaliganj Assembly polls, a group of miscreants reportedly engaged in a celebratory procession during which crude bombs were hurled, allegedly to assert dominance over rival factions and one such bomb tragically resulted in the death of Tamanna Khatun. The incident occurred at Molandi village in the Kaliganj Assembly seat in State's Nadia district. The parents of the deceased child said that they are living in fear. The family members of the deceased child are supporters of Communist Party of India (Marxist) whereas the locals claimed that those arrested were supporters of Trinamool Congress. BJP MLA and leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari lauded the victim's mother for not accepting the money from the TMC legislator. 'She is a brave woman. I salute her for not accepting the money and asking the TMC MLA to leave,' Mr. Adhikari said. Leaders of CPI(M), Congress and Indian Secular Front have also paid a visit to the family. Prior to this, parents of the doctor who was raped and killed at R.G. Kar Hospital and Medical College in August 2024 have also refused any compensation from the West Bengal government.
Hans India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Kaliganj bypoll results show Hindu votes consolidating behind BJP: State party leaders
Kolkata: Despite losing the Kaliganj Assembly by-election in Nadia district, senior BJP leaders in West Bengal claimed on Tuesday that booth-wise polling trends indicated a growing consolidation of Hindu votes behind the party. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said the booth-level data revealed a clear divide -- BJP candidate Ashish Ghosh performed poorly in Muslim-majority booths, while he led in most Hindu-dominated ones. 'In the Kaliganj bypoll, the BJP candidate received either single-digit votes or failed to cross 50 votes in most Muslim-dominated booths. In contrast, the BJP was ahead in nearly all Hindu-majority booths,' Adhikari said on Tuesday. 'This unity of Hindu voters will pave the way for the rise of Hindutva politics in Bengal,' he added. Adhikari asserted that Hindu unity was essential for political change in the state. 'If Hindus remain divided, attacks on them will continue in places like Mothabari, Murshidabad, and Maheshtala. But if Hindus unite across Bengal, a political shift is inevitable in 2026,' he said. BJP state general secretary and former journalist Jagannath Chattopadhyay supported Adhikari's claim with statistics. Citing polling data, he said that the BJP's support among Hindu voters in Kaliganj had steadily increased over recent elections. 'Kaliganj has approximately 1,07,846 Hindu voters (43 per cent) and 1,44,932 Muslim voters (57 per cent). Of the 1,85,664 votes polled in this by-election (73 per cent turnout), around 71,000 were cast by Hindus -- a turnout of 69 per cent among Hindus. Our data show that BJP's support among Hindu voters rose from 70 per cent in the 2021 Assembly polls to 72 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and now stands at over 74 per cent -- the highest ever,' Chattopadhyay said. However, Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed, who won the seat by a margin of over 50,000 votes, rejected the BJP's narrative. 'The people of Kaliganj have once again shown that there is no place for communal politics in West Bengal. Voters from all communities supported us,' she said.
New Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Class IV girl killed in bomb blast in West Bengal's Kaliganj; CM urges strict police action
KOLKATA: In a post-poll incident in Kaliganj, Nadia district of West Bengal, a Class IV student was killed in a bomb explosion allegedly triggered by Trinamool Congress-backed miscreants. The incident took place shortly before the official announcement of Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed's victory in the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll. Tamanna Khatun was on her way home in the Melendi area when splinters from a crude bomb, reportedly hurled during a victory celebration, struck her. She was immediately rushed to a nearby health centre but succumbed to her injuries. 'I was returning home with my son and daughter when a group of people suddenly appeared and hurled a bomb, which killed my daughter,' the mother said. She added, 'We have been voting for the CPM since my father's time. We are not politically active.' West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed deep sorrow over the incident and assured that the police would take strict legal action against those responsible. She extended her condolences to the grieving family and said that the administration would act decisively.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Kaliganj bypolls: TMC candidate Alifa Ahmed secures landslide victory against BJP's Ashish Ghosh; CM Mamata Banerjee expresses gratitude
NEW DELHI: All India Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed secured a sweeping victory in the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll, defeating BJP's Ashish Ghosh by a margin of 50,049 votes—surpassing the 2021 win margin of her late father, Nasiruddin Ahmed, whose passing in February prompted the election in West Bengal's Nadia district. Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, backed by the Left, finished third with 28,348 votes. The byelection, held on Thursday, saw a voter turnout of 69.85% by 5pm and was largely peaceful, aside from a few isolated incidents. Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed gratitude saying, "People of all religions, castes, races and walks of life in the area have blessed us immensely by exercising their right to vote in the by-elections to the Kaliganj Assembly constituency. I humbly express my gratitude to them. The main architects of this victory are mother, soil, and people. My colleagues from Kaliganj have worked tirelessly for this. I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to them. " "My greetings and salutations to everyone. In memory of the late MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, I dedicate this victory to the motherland and people of Bengal," she said. Alifa, a 38-year-old engineer, left her corporate role at a Kolkata-based IT company to enter politics, drawing inspiration from Mahua Moitra, the Trinamool MP from Krishnanagar—under which the Kaliganj Assembly segment falls. Like Moitra, who traded her career in investment banking for the political arena, Alifa chose grassroots engagement and legislative advocacy over her former profession. Meanwhile, a blast in Kaliganj in Naida district killed a 13-year-old girl prompting CM Mamata to take strict action against the culprits.
