Latest news with #Rajbongshi
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tortured migrants on dais, share spotlight with kin of 1993 martyrs, Pahalgam victims
1 2 3 4 Kolkata: Though migrants and martyrs were the underlying theme of the July 21 rally, the event also featured the elderly parents of Pahalgam terror attack victim Bitan Adhikari, and the father of slain jawan Jhantu Ali Sheikh. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee escorted both families to the dais on Monday, showing the crowd the "real victims of terrorism" and vowing to support the families. For Banerjee, the day began with a meeting with the families of the martyrs at her Kalighat home. As the CM walked up to the dais at 12.54 pm, she was seen holding on to Adhikari's mother Maya (75) and and Sheikh's father Sabur Ali (78). Adhikari's father Bireshwar (80) walked next to Maya. On the dais, she welcomed them with shawls and handed them two packets containing financial aid of Rs 1 lakh each. "It was an emotional moment. The senior citizens started crying when they walked up to the dais," said minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, who was seen giving up her front-row seat to the couple. Holding their hands, Banerjee said: "Before Abhishek (Banerjee) or I speak from the dais, it is time we pay homage to the other martyrs — Bitan Adhikari and Jhantu Ali Sheikh. Their families are here with us, and we are honouring them. " The CM then wrapped shawls around Maya, Bireshwar, and Sobuj Ali. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Banerjee said her party colleagues contributed Re 1 each, and out of the accumulated money, Rs 1 lakh was paid to each of the two families. "I am handing over Rs 1 lakh to each family," she said, offering the two white packets to them. A relative of the Adhikaris later told TOI that Behala East MLA Ratna Chatterjee had reached out to them and asked them to accompany her to the July 21 dais on Monday. "It was nothing political. The elderly couple went there just for the sake of love and respect shown towards their son. Hence, they agreed. We are grateful to the chief minister for the gesture," said the relative. Sabur Ali Sheikh, who came to Esplanade from Tehatta by 9 am, said he was amazed by the CM's courtesy. "She spotted me near the base of the dais and came forward to speak to me. She asked me 'Bhai how are you?' and then took me to the dais and offered an uttariya. She gave me sweets and asked me to give them to my grandchildren. She was caring and repeatedly asked me to contact her if I needed any help. The Tehatta police escorted me home," he said. Also on the dais was Uttam Brajabashi, the 50-year-old member of the Rajbongshi community from Dinhata in Cooch Behar, who received a notice from a Foreigners' Tribunal (FT) in Assam, accusing him of entering India from Bangladesh illegally — despite his claim of being born in Cooch Behar in 1975. Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Brajabashi said he never visited Assam before being summoned. "I was born in 1975. I am 50 years old now. I don't have a birth certificate, but I've never left Cooch Behar," he said. "I had to travel to Guwahati with a lawyer to attend the tribunal hearing. A Trinamool leader assured me that the party would stand by me and support my case."
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tortured migrants to be at forefront of Trinamool rally
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kolkata: Uttam Brajabashi, the 50-year-old Rajbongshi from Cooch Behar's Dinhata, arrived at Sealdah station on Sunday morning to be a part of Trinamool Congress's Martyrs' Day rally. With several hundred party supporters backing him, the soft-spoken Brajabashi questioned why, having spent his lifetime in Cooch Behar, he was slapped with an NRC notice by an Assam Foreigners Tribunal, accusing him of illegally entering India from Bangladesh even before he was born. Later, speaking to reporters, Brajabashi said, "I have never been to Assam. I was born in 1975, and my age is now 50. I do not have any birth certificate. I went to Guwahati with a lawyer to attend the foreigners tribunal meeting. I have spoken to a Trinamool neta who said that they were behind me to give me support." Like Brajabashi, several migrants who worked in other states also started reaching Kolkata to attend the Trinamool rally. These people, mostly from Malda and Murshidabad, who are now in Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra and Gitanjali Stadium, may have otherwise chosen to stay back home, but the issue of Bengali-speaking migrants being harassed in other states brought them to Kolkata. They said they wanted to hear out CM Mamata Banerjee on this. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Couple Wonders Why Their Photo Went Viral Till They Go Through The Comments Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata At Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra, Tanbir Alam from Malda said his maternal uncle, who is working in Jaipur right now, faced problems as police asked him to show evidence that he is Indian. "On Saturday, he called us saying that the police asked them to show their citizenship card. He was clueless and showed his Aadhaar card, but it was not accepted. Now he has asked for help so that he could get a certificate from the local police station to show as evidence. " He stated that an initiative has been taken up for preparing specific cards that could be used as evidence. Shakil Sheikh, who works as a construction labourer in Delhi, said, "We haven't faced any harassment yet, but that doesn't mean that I will be safe in the future. I have all the identity proofs like those who are being harassed for speaking Bengali and being tagged as Bangladeshi. My question is how do I prove that I am an Indian citizen if my valid identities are being challenged in other states? We are poor villagers who work as migrant labourers in other states to earn money. " Abdul Zalil, who is a student and whose family members travel to other states to earn money, said, "We are citizens of this country. We learned since our childhood that we are together and that different castes, creeds, and religions stay together, so why this discrimination? Why is a section trying to divide us based only on religious identities and mother tongue? The CM has already taken this matter seriously, and we are waiting to hear her address. " At Gitanjali Stadium, Malda's Manirul Sk said, "I go to various places, including Jaipur and Delhi, where I work in sewing, but the recent incidents faced by several migrant labourers are very scary. I appeal to Didi to do something so that we can move to any part of the country and work freely without fear." Sundor Bhuiya from Malda, who works as a construction labourer in Delhi, expressed his concern if he could go there without fear in future. "Many from our district travel to Delhi and other parts of the country as construction labourers. We want Didi to take action so that we do not face such harassment again."
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Himanta debunks Mamata claim on NRC notice to Bengal man
1 2 Guwahati: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma , in response to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee 's expression of shock over a foreigners' tribunal in Assam issuing an NRC notice to a Rajbongshi "resident of Dinhata", said the person's two advocates failed to inform the tribunal that the case can be dropped as per Assam govt's decision to withdraw all such cases against people from the Koch-Rajbongshi community. "This is a judicial process and the person's advocates did not inform the tribunal that he belongs to the Koch-Rajbongshi community and his case may be withdrawn as per Assam govt's decision," Sarma said. Sarma added that the individual, Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, is not a resident of Dinhata, as mentioned by Banerjee on X on July 8, but a resident of Rehabari in Guwahati and has temporarily gone to West Bengal. Banerjee in her post on X had said Brajabasi is resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for over 50 years and "despite furnishing valid identity documents, he is being harassed on suspicion of being a "foreigner/illegal migrant." This is nothing short of a systematic assault on democracy. It is proof that the ruling BJP dispensation in Assam is attempting to implement NRC in Bengal, where it holds no power or jurisdiction. "
News18
15-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Bangladesh Hands Over Detained Indian Farmer To BSF, BJP Thanks PM Modi
Last Updated: Local sources say Ukil Burman and his wife had crossed the barbed wire fence with permission from the BSF to irrigate their farmland but he was 'abducted by 4-5 men' Ukil Burman, a farmer who was taken into custody by Bangladeshi authorities late in April, was released and handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday night, close on the heels of Pakistan sending BSF jawan Purnam Shaw home. Burman's family in Sitalkuchi in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district had been anxiously awaiting his return for nearly a month. According to his wife, he was working in his paddy field near the India-Bangladesh border when he was abducted. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had instructed the Chief Secretary to pursue the matter through appropriate diplomatic channels. Local Member of Parliament Jagdish Basuniya confirmed that Burman had been held in a Bangladeshi jail. Speaking to News18, he said, 'From what we know, he was in jail in Bangladesh. It's good that he has now been released. We stood by his family throughout. He is our Rajbongshi brother." The incident took place in the border village of Paschim Sitalkuchi. Local sources say Burman and his wife, Sabya Bala Barman, had crossed the barbed wire fence with permission from the BSF to irrigate their farmland. Recalling the day of the incident, Sabya Bala said: 'Around 8am, we went across the fence to water the crops. Around noon, he left the irrigation pump near the fence and went further into the field, asking me to stay back. That's when I heard his cries. Four to five Bangladeshi men abducted him." Reacting to his release, BJP leader Amit Malviya thanked 'the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for their outstanding leadership". 'However, you may not have heard the opposition raising its voice for the release of Ukil Barman. That's because the Nehruvian ecosystem has long erased East Pakistan—now Bangladesh—from national discourse, conveniently overlooking the suffering of millions of Bengali Hindu refugees. But that narrative must change. It is time to refocus on West Bengal and reclaim the state's rich cultural heritage. The first step begins with ensuring Mamata Banerjee's ouster in 2026." First Published: May 15, 2025, 11:04 IST
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Time of India
Mom & lover detained for 10-year-old son's ‘murder'
Guwahati: A woman and her lover have been detained for allegedly killing the woman's 10-year-old son, stuffing his corpse in a trolley bag and throwing it in a bush, in city's Basistha area near the Basistha police have identified the accused as Depali Rajbongshi and her lover Jyotirmoy Haloi. The duo allegedly carried out the heinous crime on Saturday (East) division DCP Mrinal Deka told the media on Sunday that Rajbongshi and her partner Haloi had killed the minor and stuffed his body inside a trolley bag. During preliminary investigation, the boy's school bag was also recovered from the DCP said the mother of the deceased had filed a missing person's complaint at the Dispur PS on the same day, stating that her kid had not returned from his DCP added that the crime appears to have been premeditated based on his suspicion of the mother's behaviour. "During interrogation, the mother's lover confessed and led police to the location of the suitcase," the officer officer added that an executive magistrate conducted the inquest. The CID and a forensic team have begun formal procedures in the case. Samples have been collected from the crime scene for forensic analysis. "We have detained Haloi and Rajbongshi. They are currently being interrogated to determine the exact motive behind the crime," Deka added that the autopsy will be conducted on Monday. The report is expected to provide crucial details regarding the exact cause and time of death, which will aid in the ongoing investigation. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
