National News
CM Mamata Banerjee apprehends more central agency actions in Bengal before 2026 Assembly polls (Ld)
Kolkata, Feb 27: Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, expressed apprehension that there might be enhanced actions by different Central investigative agencies in the state before the 2026 Assembly elections.
Without directly naming the BJP, she accused the central ruling party of activating the agencies against the Trinamool Congress before any election.
“Before any election, they fix their targets on whom to be arrested or against whom charge sheets have to be filed or whom to be branded as a thief. They are simply shameless. They are yet to solve the case on R.G. Kar,” the Chief Minister said while addressing the organisation’s mega meeting here on Thursday afternoon.
Speaking on the occasion, she also blamed the Union government for the latter’s alleged inability to convince the Union government not to send back Indians in chained conditions. “When they are sending back our Indian brothers and sisters in chained conditions, you were holding meetings with them. Why could you not convince them so that they do not send Indians back in such conditions and arrange for their return to India respectfully, as the Colombian government had done? Why is the Indian government not sending airplanes to the US to bring Indians back and also assure them jobs in the country?” the Chief Minister questioned.
Addressing the organisational meeting, the Chief Minister also advised the party leaders to fully cooperate with political strategist Prashant Kishor-founded Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), with whom Trinamool Congress has a campaign-strategy assistance arrangement since the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
“The leaders will have to listen to the advice of I-PAC. They will have to cooperate with I-PAC. Stop making negative comments about the organisation,” the Chief Minister said.
Her observations in the matter come at a time when a section of the Trinamool Congress leadership had been making negative public statements against I-PAC from open forums as well as to the media.
The CM also claimed that an online agency appointed by the BJP has become active in West Bengal these days to misappropriate the voter list so that voters from other states can vote in the 2026 Assembly elections.
“As far as the information gathered by me, the two agencies which have been appointed for that purpose are the Association of Brilliant Minds and Company India 360. These agencies reached out to the data entry operators. They did this in association with some errant block-level returning officers. They are linking the names of voters from other states with the EPIC number of voters in West Bengal,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister also said she has noticed specific instances of voters from other states, like Haryana, Gujarat, Bihar, Punjab, and Rajasthan. “The maximum are from Haryana and Gujarat,” she said.
She also said the same misappropriations were done before the elections in states like Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana, which helped the BJP to win there. “The other parties there were unable to catch the trick. But we in Bengal have been able to identify the trick well in advance, and hence we will never allow the plot to be successful here,” the Chief Minister said. Thereafter, she announced the formation of district-level core committees of her party whose only task will be to identify such alleged misappropriations at the respective districts.
“These district-level core committees will send the reports from their respective districts to a centralized committee created for that purpose, which will be headed by the party’s state president in West Bengal, Subrata Bakshi. The task of identifying the bogus voters will have to be completed within the next 10 days. If the said committee fails in the task, then I will myself identify the bogus voters,” the Chief Minister said.
Crime
MMRDA declares airport-adjacent structure illegal; Kirit Somaiya demands immediate demolition

Mumbai, Sep 10: Tensions have escalated near Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Terminal 2) after the Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) confirmed that a religious structure operating near the high-security zone lacks statutory planning permissions and is unauthorised.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirit Somaiya has alleged a deliberate attempt at unauthorised land occupation — characterising the structure as “Land Jihad” — and has pressed state authorities and site operators to initiate criminal action against the trustees and individuals responsible.
Following complaints regarding unauthorised construction near sensitive airport land, MMRDA verified that no official approvals, building sanctions, or permissions were ever granted for the religious structure.
MMRDA has issued formal notices to Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) directing the immediate removal and demolition of the unauthorised structure to ensure the perimeter remains clear.
Somaiya has formally requested both MMRDA and MIAL to go beyond physical clearance by registering a First Information Report (FIR) against the managing trustees and individuals associated with the illegal construction.
The controversy highlights ongoing scrutiny surrounding unauthorised encroachments adjacent to critical national infrastructure. Officials note that unregulated structures near VIP corridors, taxi parking lanes, and terminal facilities pose significant security hazards.
The matter aligns with previous judicial observations where courts have emphasised that public safety and secure zones near international hubs supersede unauthorised religious claims or structures erected without explicit administrative approvals.
Authorities from MIAL and local police departments are currently reviewing directives provided by MMRDA regarding execution steps and necessary security arrangements during the scheduled clearance drive.
Crime
Priyanka Gandhi office warns against her deepfake videos asking people to invest money

New Delhi, Sep 10: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday urged people to stay cautious of misleading and fabricated videos allegedly featuring her and asked them not to fall prey to fraudulent and deceitful calls for investment in real estate projects or any other futuristic ventures.
Priyanka Gandhi’s office flagged the issue after her deepfake videos surfaced and were seen in circulation on multiple social media platforms.
It has urged the Congress leader’s followers and others to neither click on those posts nor give consent to any requests made in the AI-generated video.
Issuing a formal scam alert on Instagram, Priyanka Gandhi’s office warned the public against fake, AI-generated videos that have apparently used her face and voice to cheat the people and hoodwink them into fraudulent investments.
“Fake videos using AI-generated images and voice of Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji is circulating on WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media platforms asking people to invest money,” Cong MP’s office informed on its Insta handle.
“These are scams. Please do not click or invest,” it further said.
The Congress MP also asked the people to block such posts at the first instance and also report them to the relevant authorities for suitable action.
Such scams using deepfake and AI-generated videos of famous personalities have mushroomed in the past few years, making many gullible investors prone to huge financial losses.
A deepfake video is made by using AI to simulate a person’s face and voice, making it a facsimile copy of the target.
The scammers distort and misuse the cutting-edge technology to generate misleading videos, featuring unauthorised images of prominent figures and then try to rob people of their money.
In the recent past, deepfake videos of industrialists like Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani also surfaced, where the online scammers and fraudsters used AI-doctored videos to lure citizens into fraudulent investment traps, leading to huge losses to investors.
National News
Jammu Municipal Corporation demolishes 20 shops in Satwati area

Jammu, Sep 10: Jammu Municipal Corporation officials on Thursday demolished 20 shops in Satwati area of the city even as the shopkeepers alleged that no prior notice was served to them.
Reports said the Jammu Municipal Corporation today demolished around 20 shops at Satwari Chowk, triggering anger among shopkeepers who alleged that the decades old commercial establishments were demolished without any prior information or notification.
The shops, according to the affected shopkeepers, had been operating at the location for around 50 years, with the occupants claiming that they had been regularly paying monthly rent to the municipal authorities.
Angry shopkeepers alleged that the demolition was carried out without giving them adequate notice or information, leaving them with little opportunity to remove their belongings or make alternative arrangements. The action comes against the backdrop of the long-pending issue of rehabilitation of shopkeepers affected by development works in the Satwari area.
The UT Cabinet had earlier approved a rehabilitation and resettlement scheme for shopkeepers and open-space kiosks affected by road widening at Nai Basti, Satwari Chowk.
A Jammu Municipal Corporation official, however, said that the affected shopkeepers would be relocated to another site within six months.
The assurance has failed to convince the affected traders, who said they had heard assurances of rehabilitation earlier as well, but continued to face uncertainty over their livelihood. The issue of rehabilitation of Satwari shopkeepers has been raised repeatedly by traders’ bodies.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has previously stated that affected shopkeepers had been paying rent to the municipal authorities and had sought alternate sites and rehabilitation.
Shopkeepers affected by the Jammu Municipal Corporation actions argue that relocation promises are uncertain and have demanded immediate financial compensation.
In June 2026, Jammu Development Authority (JDA) cleared over 30 illegal structures near the Jammu railway station, reclaiming state land valued at Rs 10 crore.
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