The viscera report of the loco-pilot and the assistant loco-pilot of Uttarbanga Express that met with an accident at Sainthia on July 19, claims that no trace of poison, alcohol or sedatives has been

State police or RPF: Whose negligence had resulted in the breach of security in railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s convoy on August 9? Ms Banerjee blamed the state police for “negligence in duty” while the state government held her own Railway Protection Force (RPF) responsible.

Ironic it may sound. But one of the prime accused in the Gyaneswari Express case — who has 1 lakh rupee reward against him announced by the CBI, even mobilised people to the rally of Lalgarh on August 9 in which Union railway minister Mamata Banerjee was the star attraction.

For the first time since November 2008, from when the Maoists began “ruling” Lalgarh, this red-soil hamlet witnessed a huge public rally where Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, echoing Union home minister P. Chidambaram, urged the Maoists to “shun violence first and sit for peace talks”. The August 9 rally, which

With the worst apprehensions of a Maoist attack on the security forces after Monday’s rally and intelligence reports suggesting the same, the state administration is leaving nothing to chances.

The Maoists are planning to launch an offensive on the security forces after the Lalgarh rally on August 9. A secret meeting headed by Maoist leader Manasharam Hembram alias Bikas was held on Tuesday at Pidrakhuli to fine-tune the action plan, claimed an intelligence report that has reached the state home department. Some top level Maoist leaders are expected to enter West Bengal on August 8 or 9 to spearhead the operation, intelligence sources said.

The security arrangements before and during the rally to be organised by Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Lalgarh on August 9 will cost over Rs 1 crore. The CRPF deployment in Lalgarh on August 8 and 9 to ensure the security of the Union ministers in West Midnapore on both the days will alone cost Rs 1.03 crores.

Those who live in Kolkata and have been declared as “proclaimed offender” by the court have a new reason to worry. The city police is all set to implement a relatively new section under the Indian Penal Code under which a proclaimed offender might have to face upto a maximum of seven additional years of punishment depending upon the nature of his crime.

Six Maoists, including People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities secretary Sidhu Soren and his girlfriend Bela, were gunned down in a fierce encounter in West Midnapore. One constable of the elite “Cobra” anti-Naxal force was also killed. Officials suspect at least one more Maoist was severely injured, but he fled.

Six Maoists, including secretary of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA) Sidhu Soren and his girlfriend Bela, were gunned down in a fierce encounter in West Midnapore. One Cobra constable was also killed in the encounter. Officials suspect that at least one more Maoist has been severely injured in the encounter though he managed to flee.