Kolkata, Sep 27: The bodies of three elephants — a mother elephant and her two calves — were spotted in a paddy field at Salboni in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, on Sunday morning.

An initial investigation has suggested that the three elephants came in contact with a high-tension electricity wire.

The bodies were first noticed by the local villagers in the morning, who subsequently brought the matter to the notice of the local forest department office.

According to local sources, a herd of elephants was passing through the village. An electric pump was installed to irrigate the farmland with a live wire passing through the land. It is believed that the three elephants died after touching the wire and getting electrocuted.

At the time the report was filed, the forest department officials had reached the spot and started an investigation. They said that the cause of the deaths will be clear after the autopsy.

However, an insider from the state forest department said that the electrocution death of elephants is nothing new in the Jangalmahal region, which is a major elephant zone in the state.

“In the past, elephants died in these forest areas due to electrocution. There had been a lot of uproar about that. There has been a common tendency among farmers in the region to surround their farmlands with electric wires to protect their crops,” the state forest department official said.

Last month, a middle-aged tusker died after getting electrocuted as it came into contact with an illegally energised fence erected around farmland in the Falakata block of Alipurduar district.

The state forest department insider said that in the past, there had been several attempts by the department to stop the villagers from erecting illegally energised fences around their farmland, as this causes elephant deaths, especially when they are passing in a herd from one forest to another.

“Earlier, there had been instances of penalising the offenders on this count. However, the fencing activity has continued,” he added.

New Delhi, Sep 26: The ECI on Saturday extended the deadline for Delhi electors to file SIR-related claims and objections by one month or till October 30 and fixed November 30 as the last date for disposal of notices and claims and objections, an official said on Saturday.

The earlier deadline for Delhi electors, whose names were missing in the draft electoral roll, to file Form-6 along with supporting documents was September 30.

“In view of the request received from CEO Delhi, the period for filing claims and objections has been extended by the Commission till 30th October, 2026. The period for disposal of notices and claims & objections has been extended till 30th November 2026,” said the ECI after a meeting at Nirvachan Sadan.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and attended by Election Commissioners S.S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, also relaxed the provisions related to physical appearance of electors who have received SIR notice and allowed them or their representatives to attend hearings before election officials through online mode.

“In case of any person to whom notice has been issued during the ongoing SIR, for being unmapped and logical discrepancies, BLOs will visit the homes of such persons for collection of documents and thereafter upload them on the ECINet, for decision by the ERO,” said the ECI statement.

“Such persons need not be called for hearing to the ERO/AERO office. Only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO, the hearing will be held preferably online. Any adult member of the family can be authorised by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf, if required,” the statement said.

“Facilities for the online hearing to be strengthened. DEOs (District Election Officers) will create adequate number of help desks/hold special camps for the people living in night shelters, labourers, poor people, homeless, etc as per requirement,” it said.

The CEC-chaired meeting also extended the deadline for filing claims in Maharashtra.

“As per the request received from CEO Maharashtra, the period for filing claims and objections in Maharashtra has been extended by the Commission till 12th October, 2026. The period for disposal of notices and claims & objections in Maharashtra has been extended till 10th November 2026,” said the ECI. Earlier, the deadline for disposal of claims and objections was October 3.

The poll panel said that SIR has already been completed in 20 States/UTs including Bihar and West Bengal. Any person whose name has got left out during SIR or thereafter, and any person, including young/ first-time voter, may apply to the concerned ERO for inclusion of their name in the electoral rolls under the process of continuous updation.

In recent months, the Commission has taken numerous decisions, including SIR across the country. The order for the SIR issued on June 24, 2025, for all the States/UTs, starting with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 other States/UTs, was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission, said the statement.

The same has been upheld by the Supreme Court. The schedule for SIR for 12 States and UTs was issued on October 27, 2025, and those for 19 States/ UTs was issued on May 14, 2026 with the unanimous approval of the Commission, said the ECI.

The final figure of the number of electors will be known only after final publication in the remaining 12 states of Phase-III, it said.

Kundara (Kollam), Sep 26: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asked Kerala’s Cooperation Minister M. Liju to visit New Delhi and work out a comprehensive plan with the Centre to strengthen the cooperative sector in the state, while pitching women-led cooperatives as a key driver of rural economic empowerment.

Addressing a large women’s cooperative gathering at Kundara, HM Shah said Kerala had a strong foundation in the cooperative movement and urged the state to make greater use of the potential in sectors ranging from agriculture to fisheries.

“I don’t know how to speak Malayalam, but I give all of you my respects,” the Home Minister said at the outset, before welcoming those attending the programme.

HM Shah said the demand for a separate Ministry of Cooperation had existed since Independence and became a reality under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said Kerala, with its long cooperative tradition, was well placed to benefit from the Centre’s initiatives.

He said more than 23,000 cooperative units were functioning in Kerala and urged the state to work with the Centre on expanding their activities.

“I am requesting the State Cooperation Minister to come to Delhi and work out plans to strengthen the cooperative sector,” he said.

HM Shah also highlighted the role of the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) and NAFED in promoting women entrepreneurs.

He said NCCF was expanding its retail network and that Vanitha She Marts would provide women with a direct route to markets for their products.

He said products would be sourced directly from farmers, while cooperative institutions could help create stronger market linkages.

Referring to the Centre’s programmes, HM Shah said Bharat Atta and Bharat Rice were now available in Kerala and spoke of initiatives under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme for providing pulse seeds to women.

He also distributed scholarships to children at the function.

HM Shah said the cooperative movement could become an important instrument for women’s economic empowerment, particularly in rural areas.

He cited the participation of women in NAFED and NCCF-related activities as an indication of the scale of the opportunity.

He also referred to measures taken by the Modi government for women, including the opening of bank accounts, the extension of maternity leave to 26 weeks, and changes concerning Muslim women and Haj.

Turning to Kerala’s coastline, HM Shah said the state had huge potential in the fishing sector and that the emerging blue economy could provide another area for cooperative expansion.

He asked the state Cooperation Minister to discuss the possibilities during his proposed visit to Delhi, particularly the scope for bringing the fisheries sector further into the cooperative framework.

HM Shah also said the Centre was ready to assist states in developing organic farming protocols and related initiatives.

The Home Minister arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday afternoon and flew by helicopter to Kollam for the Kundara programme, his first public engagement during the visit.

The programme, titled Sahkar Se Samriddhi, is aimed at strengthening women’s participation in the cooperative sector.

Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi, State Cooperation and Excise Minister Shiju, Tourism and Culture Minister P.C. Vishnunath, state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Kollam Lok Sabha member N.K. Premachandran attended the function.