54 Rajputs tied and brutally attacked:Women gangraped, victims buried alive; Congress never regained Bihar Chief Ministership after the massacre
In the second episode of Dainik Bhaskar’s election series ‘Massacre’, today is the story of the Dalelchak Baghaura massacre, after which the Congress, which ruled Bihar for 40 years, could never make its CM again… One night of May 29, 1987. Location – Aurangabad district of Bihar. The same Aurangabad where the country’s only west-facing Sun Temple is located. A crowd of about 500 people was advancing, chanting the slogan ‘MCC Zindabad’. They had guns, axes, sickles, and cans of kerosene oil in their hands. After a while, everyone stopped at one place. They talked for a bit. Then half of them started moving towards Baghaura village and the other half towards Dalelchak. Both villages are one kilometer apart. Here, the Rajputs had dominance. Gaya Singh of Baghaura was the head clerk in the forest department. He had the only concrete house in the village. He had built it with passion. The eyes would stop at the gateway from afar. Around 8 PM, suddenly some noise was heard. When he opened the door and looked, a crowd of 200-300 people was standing in front. Gaya Singh hastily closed the door. They hadn’t even taken two steps when the crowd pushed and broke the door. First, the men of the house were dragged out and lined up. Meanwhile, two boys tried to escape unnoticed, but the attackers fired shots. Both fell right there. The attacker went near them. Their breaths hadn’t completely stopped yet. He struck a machete on the neck. Then, wiping his sweat, he said- ‘What are you looking at… go and bring their women.’ 20-25 attackers entered and started throwing women and children outside. Everyone was screaming- ‘Don’t kill us. Let us go. We beg you.’ One attacker spoke up- ‘#&#$% these people show a lot of arrogance. They make our women work. Dishonor their women in front of them. Only then will the revenge be complete.’ The attackers pounced on the women and girls. They tore their clothes. They began to rape them. After a while, a middle-aged man spoke up- ‘Enough. Now kill them all.’ The attackers dragged the women into the veranda. They placed their necks on the cot and pressed hard. One attacker picked up an axe and one by one beheaded the five women. Blood spread all over the veranda. The attacker said- ‘Dispose of them all.’ 8-10 people started digging a pit in front of the house with shovels. In a short time, the pit was ready. The attackers put the women’s bodies in the pit and filled it with soil. ‘Now tie these #@$%*& and take them to the banyan tree. The villagers should also see what happens when they clash with us.’ Hearing this, the attackers tied the hands and feet of Gaya Singh and his family members. They dragged them to the banyan tree. There was a large banyan tree at the beginning of the village. 30 May 1987, Dalelchak Baghaura village. Rajputs were killed by tying them to this banyan tree. Source: Library 30 May 1987, Dalelchak Baghaura village. Rajputs were killed by tying them to this banyan tree. Source: Library By now, there was chaos in the village. The attackers were dragging women, men, and children from Rajput families one by one to the banyan tree. Many people were jumping from the roofs and running towards the fields. The attackers were continuously firing. Some people were killed on the spot. A 40-year-old man was returning home with a tractor. Seeing the attackers, he screamed, ‘Oh uncle, we are not Rajputs. We work at their house. We are Harijans, Harijans.’ #$%@#$ Lying… saying this, a middle-aged man struck him on the back with an axe. Two attackers tied him to the seat of the tractor. Then they poured a can of kerosene oil on the tractor and set it on fire. Within minutes, the driver died in agony. Meanwhile, in the nearby village of Dalelchak, Kamla Kunwar had just returned from her in-laws’ house a few hours earlier. Her father was preparing for a feast. Guests had already arrived. Suddenly, the dogs started barking. Kamla said to her sister Lalita- ‘Go and see who is outside?’ Lalita peeked and saw hundreds of armed men advancing towards the village. She screamed- ‘Papa, Mummy, everyone run, the Naxalites have come.’ Both sisters, their parents, and other relatives started running towards the fields. Just then, the people next door stopped them. They said- ‘You people are not in any danger. Just hide in the house.’ Within minutes, the crowd stormed into the village. They entered the Rajputs’ houses and started a massacre. Kamla and Lalita hid in a pile of hay behind the house. The rest of the family and relatives were caught. A two-year-old child was sleeping on the bed. He started crying upon seeing the crowd. The attacker shouted – ‘Kill this bastard first.’ As soon as he heard this, a middle-aged man picked up the child and threw him on the threshold. His head split open. The attacker grabbed the child by the hair and lifted him. Another struck the child’s neck with an axe. The child’s head remained in the attacker’s hand, and the body fell to the ground. 30 May 1987, the children of the Dalelchak Baghaura massacre whose entire families were killed in the massacre. Source: Library 30 May 1987, the children of the Dalelchak Baghaura massacre whose entire families were killed in the massacre. Source: Library One pointed towards the women and said, ‘Violate their honor and finish them off.’ The attackers did just that. After raping, they beheaded the women and girls. Kamla’s father could not bear to see this. He charged at the attackers, cursing them, but they caught him. Two attackers held his legs and two held his arms. A 20-year-old boy struck him in the stomach with an axe. He screamed. Then the attacker shoved the butt of a gun into his mouth. Within minutes, he was writhing in
Opinion: We must talk about Savarna women’s complicity in caste violence
Dominant caste women are not a monolithic entity. Their engagement with caste may not be uniform. Some might be victims of it. Some are complicit in it. Some resist only the misogyny. But true liberation is possible only if they dismantle both caste and patriarchy. There appears to be a marked shift in the caste discourse after the brutal murder of Kavin Selvaganesh, a 27-year-old Dalit IT professional. Onus was placed on Subhashini, and suspicions were raised about her culpability. Her video, defending her parents’ innocence, garnered severe criticism. And she was chastised for her appeals to “drop” the issue, whitewashing the crime and failing to take a stance against the perpetrators. Many also questioned the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led (DMK) state government’s ineffectual anti-caste politics and its general apathy towards Dalits. People shared their anxieties regarding the increase in violent caste pride among intermediate castes. On July 27, Kavin was brutally hacked to death in Tirunelveli for his relationship with Subhashini, a woman from the dominant Maravar caste. Kavin was an IT employee based in Chennai and was killed in broad daylight at KTC Nagar in Tirunelveli. Both victim and perpetrator The criticism of Subhashini deviated from how public narratives largely frame dominant caste women as victims of so-called honour killings. The murders of Dalit individuals who are in intercaste relationships are often referred to as ‘honour’ killings. The caste-supremacist view dictates that such relationships are a threat to the maanam (honour) of dominant communities. In a caste-punitive society, murder is wielded as a means to keep intercaste relationships in check and uphold caste endogamy. In many caste killings, the loss of life has been that of a Dalit man, either hacked to death in broad daylight like Shankar in 2016 or found dead on deserted railway tracks like Ilavarasan in 2013. Each of them was punished for being in love with dominant caste women. In 2016, V Shankar, a Dalit man, and his wife Kowsalya, who belongs to the Kallar caste, were brutally attacked in Tiruppur district. While Shankar succumbed to his injuries on the spot, Kowsalya survived despite her wounds. Kowsalya held firm and testified against her family, seeking justice for her husband. Events after the 2013 caste killing of Dalit youth Illavarasan in Dharmapuri district played out differently. Following the suicide of her father, Divya, Illavarasan’s partner, returned home to her mother. Divya is from the Vanniyar community. She succumbed to the pressures of a caste society a few days before Ilavarasan’s death. Kowsalya is now a fierce anti-caste activist, while Divya leads a quiet life, staying out of the limelight. However, both women were considered victims. The reason why Subhashini was held accountable by social media users is the changing perspectives of women’s roles in Tamil caste society. Dominant caste women are no longer regarded solely as victims but as active benefactors of the system. Several critiques even flipped the derogatory narrative of naadaga kaadhal (fake love), using it to describe how Subhashini cost Kavin his life. The term naadaga kaadhal was first used by the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a Vanniyar-majority party, to falsely accuse Dalit men of ‘luring’ dominant caste women. Vanniyars are categorised as Most Backward Class (MBC). There is no denying that caste, like patriarchy, oppresses all women. Both systems rob women of their autonomy, agency and personhood and fundamentally treat them as mere birthing vessels meant to further male and caste lineage. The practice of endogamous monogamy was institutionalised in order to ensure the idea of ‘purity’ in bloodlines. As a result, a woman’s freedom was curbed, and restrictions were placed to control who she can love and marry. Despite the knowledge that both patriarchy and casteism thrive on women’s subjugation, dominant caste women’s critique and opposition have been uneven. While women from all quarters put up a fierce fight to dismantle patriarchy, the struggle against casteism is largely led by Dalit women. Many dominant caste women content themselves with tepid criticisms. This is because the hierarchical and gradational nature of caste offers them considerable privilege. A privileged caste position provides women with social and cultural capital that their gender identity does not. Caste privilege helps them navigate patriarchal hurdles and even reap some extra benefits along the way. Challenging portrayals of Savarana women in cinema Mari Selvaraj’s portrayal of dominant caste women in his films offers insightful examples of how such caste privilege works. In director Mari Selvaraj’s Maamannan (2023), Rathnavel’s (Fahadh Faasil) wife Jyothi (Raveena Ravi) is docile and subservient. She, quite literally, has a silent presence in the film, as she has no dialogues. Despite being confined to her house for the most part, she ultimately bags a seat at the Legislative Assembly, clearly a fruit of her dominant caste status. One can argue that she stands in the election only at her husband’s bidding and is a puppet in his hands, calling attention to her oppression as a woman. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that her path to power is relatively easier and not as arduous as that of the film’s eponymous Dalit protagonist (Vadivelu). His life and dignity and that of his family’s are perpetually at stake. A reading like this might go against the grain of what the director believes in and wants to convey. Mari, in many of his interviews, maintains the conviction that women are hapless victims and that their victimisation by patriarchy is worse than the caste marginalisation faced by a man. Regardless of his position, due to the realistic tenor of his films, the caste privilege of dominant caste women is apparent in the upper hand they have over Dalit men. Take, for instance, Jo (Anandhi) from Pariyerum Perumal (2018). When the dominant caste Jo falls in love with Pariyan (Kathir), she has the freedom and space to be honest about her feelings and express them boldly. On the other hand, Pariyan, a first-generation Dalit law student, is attacked multiple times to force upon him the realisation that he is forbidden
4 years’ jail for AAP MLA in Dalit woman assault case
TARN TARAN: A court in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district sentenced Manjinder Singh Lalpura, AAP MLA from Khadoor Sahib, to four years in prison in a 12-year-old case of assault and molestation of a Dalit woman. On Wednesday, the court had convicted 11 people, including six policemen, in the case. Pronouncing the sentence on Friday, additional sessions judge Prem Kumar awarded four-year jail term to Lalpura and six others, while three accused were sentenced to one-year imprisonment each. One of the accused, Harvinder Singh, currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, did not appear in the court and his sentencing is scheduled on Sept 16. Another accused, Paramjit Singh, died during the trial. “The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each of the accused and directed that compensation be paid to the victim as per the law,” the survivor’s lawyer, Amit Dhawan, said. Following the pronouncement of the sentence, the MLA was taken into custody and sent to jail. On Sept 4, 2013, a taxi driver and a few other men assaulted and molested a 19-year-old woman when she and her family members were attending a wedding. A police team that arrived at the scene also assaulted the woman. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit rights activist Immanuel Sekaran memorial to be opened in two months in TN’s Paramakudi
Ministers Thangam Thennarasu, Sattur Ramachandran, P Moorthy, KR Periakaruppan, and Raja Kannappan were present. RAMANATHAPURAM: Construction work of the mani mandapam (memorial hall) and installation of a statue of Dalit rights activist Immanuel Sekaran at Paramakudi is nearing completion, and they would be inaugurated within two months, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters after paying homage to Immanuel Sekaran on his 68th death anniversary, Udhayanidhi recalled that Chief Minister MK Stalin had announced construction of the memorial and allocated Rs 3 crore, based on a request from Sekaran’s family and followers. “The work will be completed shortly and the memorial will be inaugurated within two months,” he said. Ministers Thangam Thennarasu, Sattur Ramachandran, P Moorthy, KR Periakaruppan, and Raja Kannappan were present. Leaders of several political parties, including TNCC chief K Selvaperunthagai, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran, NTK chief Seeman, and functionaries of AIADMK, DMDK, TVK, and VCK also paid their respects. Selvaperunthgai told reporters that the BJP was behind the rift in the AIADMK and the PMK. Further, he said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami had demanded naming Madurai airport after Muthuramalinga Thevar only to score political points. Seeman said the airport should be named after Pandian Nedunchelian. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit Youth Beaten with Iron Rod in Kanpur After Demanding ₹6,000 Payment
In Shivrajpur, Kanpur, a Dalit youth named Sudhir Kumar was brutally beaten with an iron rod by two brothers from an influential family after he asked them to repay money owed for flour milling. Sudhir, who runs a small flour mill, said he had been requesting payment for a long time. When he reminded them again, they became angry. “I was walking home from my mill when Manoj Singh and Mohit Singh Chandel stopped me. I asked them to return ₹6,000 they owed for flour milling. They abused me, started beating me, and then hit me with an iron rod lying nearby. I was bleeding badly,” Sudhir told TV9. Sudhir alleged that despite filing a written complaint at the Shivrajpur police station, no action has been taken. He claimed the outpost in-charge, Shubham Pandey, was under pressure from the accused. “It’s been two days since I complained. No FIR has been filed. The accused are roaming freely and even threatening to kill me,” he said. He added that several people had approached him to compromise, but he fears for his life if action is not taken. “The attackers come from a powerful family. They are using their influence to escape punishment,” Sudhir said. Shivrajpur Police Station Head Varun Sharma confirmed receiving the complaint and stated, “The matter is being investigated.” Courtesy : TOP Note: This news is originally published on https:/theobserverpost.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Rape and forced marriage… 17-year-old Dalit minor trapped in the lure of a job, pleaded for justice
A case of rape and forced marriage of a 17-year-old Dalit minor on the pretext of a job has come to light in Churu. The accused Sonu abducted the victim by luring her and molested her. Despite the case being registered, the accused is still absconding and is threatening the victim’s family. The victim has reached the SP office with her family and pleaded for protection and justice. Churu: The incident with a 17-year-old Dalit minor girl in Churu district has shaken the entire area. This student studying in class 12 was kidnapped on the pretext of a job. The victim has alleged that Sonu, a resident of Rajgarh, lured her and with the help of his friends brought her to Churu in a Bolero car. Here she was raped. According to the victim, the accused later took her to Bikaner and raped her several times. It is shocking that the accused was already married, but he hid this fact from the victim. When the minor protested, the accused forced her to marry him. According to the victim, the accused Sonu took her to a temple in Amritsar and forcibly married her. The victim has made another serious allegation that before taking her from the house, Sonu had given sleeping pills to her family members so that no one could stop them. This incident was revealed when the police brought both of them back on 25 August 2025. The girl narrated the entire story in front of her family and the police. A case was registered on the basis of her statement, but the accused Sonu is still out of police custody. Accused’s threat and allegation of inaction on the police The victim’s family is constantly accusing the police of negligence. They say that the accused Sonu is still roaming freely and is constantly threatening the victim’s father. Due to this fear and mental pressure, the victim and her family are extremely upset. On Friday, the victim along with her family reached the Superintendent of Police (SP) office and pleaded for justice. They have demanded that the accused Sonu and his accomplices be arrested as soon as possible and given strict punishment so that the victim can get justice. Police statement and investigation status Police officials say that the case is under investigation and efforts have been intensified to catch the accused. However, the family says that the police have not taken any concrete steps yet. Such incidents make it clear that crimes against the weaker sections of society are increasing and questions are being raised on law and order. This case is not only a criminal incident, but also an example of atrocities against the Dalit community. Reported by : Manoj Kumar Sharma Edited by : Vicky Rathore Courtesy: Hindi News
Ahmedabad: 2 Dalit youths died in sewer, one contractor arrested, now 2 more big names surfaced, who is the real culprit?
The police has started investigation in this tragic incident that took place in Bopal, Ahmedabad. After the labor contractor, now a case has been registered against the site contractor and engineer under the culpable homicide and atrocities act. Ahmedabad: Police has now registered a case against three people in the case of the tragic death of two Dalit youths due to suffocation in the sewer manhole in Bopal area of the city. This incident took place on September 5, in which 20-year-old Vikas Lal Bahadur Kori and 21-year-old Kanhaiyalal Khushiram Kori lost their lives. In this case, earlier only the labor contractor was arrested as an accused. But now Ahmedabad Rural Police has expanded the scope of investigation and has also made the site contractor and site engineer accused and is preparing to arrest them. What is the whole matter? The police have registered an FIR at the Bhopal police station on the complaint of deceased Vikas’s father Lal Bahadur Chhotelal Kori (48). Lal Bahadur, a resident of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, said that his son Vikas was working as a plumber in Ahmedabad for the last three years. The pain he has expressed in his complaint is heart-wrenching. Lal Bahadur said that on September 6, he received a call from his relative Anish. Anish said that Vikas and his friend Kanhaiyalal were asked to get down into a sewer (gutter) near ‘The Garden Bungalows’ in Bhopal, where Vikas fainted. They were also told that Vikas would be sent home in an ambulance for treatment. But when the next day, on September 7, the ambulance reached his house in Amethi, Vikas’ lifeless body was taken out of it. Pushed to death without safety equipment When Lal Bahadur asked Anish the reason for the death, the truth came out. According to the FIR, on September 5, around 1:30 pm, contractor Mukeshkumar Someshwar Adalat Thakur brought a pressure machine and asked Vikas to get down to clean the gutter. The most serious thing was that Vikas was not given any safety equipment. As soon as Vikas got down into the gutter, he fainted due to the poisonous gas. His friend Kanhaiyalal also went inside to save him, but he also fell unconscious. Others present at the spot immediately called the fire department, who pulled both of them out and took them to a nearby private hospital. At the hospital, doctors declared Kanhaiyalal dead at 3:40 pm and Vikas at 10:40 pm. Police investigation and new revelations Tapsin Dodiya, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) of SC/ST cell of Ahmedabad rural police, said on Thursday that the two youths were called to work on the private sewer line of a construction site. He said, “After finishing that work, they had to connect that line to the main sewer line of the Municipal Corporation, but the line was jammed due to rain. Our investigation has revealed that after this, both the youths were asked to clear the jammed line connecting the private sewer to the main line, and during this time this tragic accident happened.” Action was taken against whom? The police have registered a case against contractor Mukeshkumar Someshwar Adalat Thakur under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 125 (endangering human life or personal safety) of the Indian Penal Code (BNS). Apart from this, sections 7 and 9 of the ‘Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act’ and section 3 (2) (v) of the ‘Atrocities Act’ have also been imposed on him. DySP Dodiya further said, “We have already arrested labour contractor Thakur, who hails from Bihar. Now two more people, site contractor Saurabh Panchal and site engineer Jaynil, have also been made accused in the case. We will arrest them soon.” The police also said that when they investigated the role of the site builder, it was found that he was not aware of the work being done. Parshottam Vaghela of ‘Manav Garima’ NGO, which works on such incidents, says, “The law is very clear that those responsible for the death of workers, including government officials in charge, should be held accountable.” Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy : Hindi News
MP: Attempt of self-immolation in Bhopal Commissioner’s office, Dalit elder from Vidisha took this step after getting fed up with land dispute
After the incident, anger is being seen among the villagers and people of the society of Ganjbasoda area. They say that if the administration had resolved the land dispute on time, Ram Singh would not have had to take such a step. Bhopal. There was chaos in the Divisional Commissioner’s office located in Kohefiza of the capital on Thursday, when 65-year-old Dalit elder Ram Singh Ahirwar, a resident of Behalot village of Ganjbasoda tehsil of Vidisha district, tried to set himself on fire by pouring petrol on himself in the waiting room. Amidst the suddenly rising flames and smoke, the employees and common citizens present in the office ran away to save their lives. The Nagar Sainiks deployed on the spot showed immediate presence of mind and took him out of the waiting room and controlled the situation. What is the matter? Ram Singh Ahirwar told the officials that 0.897 hectares of land was allotted on lease in Siyari village in the name of his mother Shakkaria. In the year 1999, the administration canceled this lease and in 2001 the same land was registered in the government road category. Since then, Ram Singh has been constantly visiting the offices of the officials. The elderly man says that he applied several times in Ganjbasoda SDM office, but there was no hearing. In the hope of justice, he has lodged a complaint on CM Helpline 12 times so far, but every time the case was closed by calling it “dismissed”. After the uproar, Commissioner Sanjeev Singh immediately handed over Ram Singh to the police. However, no crime was registered against him till late night. After this, the Commissioner called him to the office again in the evening and heard his entire problem and said that the matter will be investigated and an attempt will be made to resolve it. Questions are being raised on the functioning of the administration! This incident not only shows the suffering of an old man, but also raises serious questions on the functioning of the administration. After years of wandering from door to door for justice and making complaints, when there was no solution, he finally had to take the extreme step of self-immolation. Anger among villagers After the incident, anger is being seen among the villagers and people of the society of Ganjbasoda area. They say that if the administration had resolved the land dispute on time, Ram Singh would not have had to take such a step. People have demanded that the victim’s land be returned and action be taken against the guilty officials. Cases that have come to light earlier also Earlier also a sensational case had come to light in Bhopal Collectorate, when a young man from the capital, hurt by the non-hearing of his problem, drank poison in the Collectorate premises. This sudden incident created panic and the employees present on the spot immediately took him to the hospital. This incident also indicates that people get so frustrated with their pain and complaints that they are forced to take extreme steps like consuming poison to draw the attention of the administration. Earlier also, a case of a youth reaching Bhopal Collectorate by bowing down and wrapping a paper in a memorandum had come to light. Even before this, many times people in the state have adopted unique and symbolic methods to convey their problems to the administration. Sometimes citizens have submitted memorandums by walking on their knees, sometimes barefoot or bowing down. The purpose behind these methods is that the administration listens to their problems seriously and resolves them soon. Earlier also in different districts of Madhya Pradesh, farmers, unemployed youth and people from marginalized sections have similarly sent letters or applications to the officials by wrapping them in paper. This tradition has become a non-violent means of expressing protest and anguish. When there is no hearing through normal methods, people raise their voice by adopting extreme symbolic methods like bowing down, so that the echo of their problems reaches the government and administration. Ankit Pachauri Courtesy : Hindi News
Transgender Community Assembled In Agra Sends Help Of ₹25 Lakh To Punjab Flood Victims;
The transgender community from all across the nation assembled in Agra has sent help of over ₹25 lakh to the Punjab flood victims reeling due to the severe rainfall and flash floods. The ‘All India Kinnar Samaj Conference’ is being held on Fatehabad Road in Agra. Around 10 thousand Kinnars from across the country are participating in it. The transgender community from all across the nation assembled in Agra has sent help of over ₹25 lakh to the Punjab flood victims reeling due to the severe rainfall and flash floods. The ‘All India Kinnar Samaj Conference’ is being held on Fatehabad Road in Agra. Around 10 thousand Kinnars from across the country are participating in it. In this conference, the transgender community is collecting donations for the flood victims. The donations from the transgender individuals are said to amount to 25 lakh rupees. These donations will now be used to provide relief to the flood victims of Punjab. On Wednesday, at Havells Garden, transgender community made bids after donating money for the Punjab flood victims. Some donated Rs 50,000, and some donated up to Rs 1 lakh. The highest donation came from Gorakhpur. During this conference, the eunuchs prayed for the people and farmers trapped in the floods in Punjab. Ganesh Puja was performed so that the people of Punjab would get relief from the floods. Guru Mata Sadhna of Haryana said, “Eunuchs from all over the country have gathered in Agra today. A bed has been set up to collect donations for the flood victims in Punjab. Eunuchs from all over the country are donating money there. 30 lakhs have been donated. If needed, we will collect more donations. We are not doing any charitable work. We are eunuchs, we are giving money taken from people to people when needed.” Panch of All India Kinnar Samaj said that they will not give the donation money to politicians and officers as it may lead to the fraud of money. We want to provide help directly to the victims. And we will take along someone who is really helping people. Rutunjay Dole Courtesy : TFPJ Note: This news is originally published on https:/thefreepressjournal.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Cong doesn’t rule out TMC alliance for 2026 elections
Kolkata: Congress on Thursday did not rule out a possible tie-up with Trinamool for the 2026 Bengal assembly polls. While the Congress high command left the question of an “alliance” to the opinion of state netas and “ground realities”, it said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be part of the election campaign. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal held a meeting with Pradesh Congress netas to assess the party’s strength in the districts. “The issue of a possible alliance will be discussed in Pradesh Congress first. They will assess the political situation and come forward with a solution. The party high command will take a call at that point in time,” Venugopal said. During the two-hour meeting with Congress’s Bengal minder Ghulam Ahmed Mir, state president Subhankar Sarkar, Malda South MP Isha Khan Chowdhury and seniors like Adhir Chowdhury and Deepa Dasmunshi, Venugopal listened patiently to diverging opinions. Congress, which secured 44 seats in the 2016 assembly polls, was reduced to zero in 2021. Its vote share in Bengal declined from 12% to 3% during this period. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress’s seats were reduced from four to two. In both the assembly polls, Congress was in alliance with the Left Front. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, its seat tally was further reduced to one, and the party was able to retain only the Malda Dakshin seat. However, its vote share increased marginally by a little more than 4.5%. “The Congress high command wants the state unit to consolidate its strengths first. We will leverage that and decide the number of seats the party wants to contest,” a Pradesh Congress neta said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights