Kolkata, Oct 14: Two parallel petitions have been filed at Calcutta High Court on Tuesday in the gang-rape case of a tribal medical student in Durgapur of West Bengal’s West Burdwan district.

On one hand, the West Bengal unit of the BJP has filed a petition to carry out its protest demonstration near the private medical college till October 19. On the other hand, the authorities of the said private medical college have approached the Calcutta High Court seeking the removal of gatherings of people in front of the college premises, considering that the examinations are being conducted there.

Both the petitions have been filed at the single-judge bench of Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul). The matter is likely to come up for hearing in the second half in the later part of the day.

Altogether five people have been arrested in connection with the gang-rape of the Dalit medical student. The confidential statement of the victim is scheduled to be recorded in front of a judicial magistrate later in the day.

The victim’s parents have already claimed they will take their daughter back to Odisha soon after her confidential statements are recorded.

On Monday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to the victim girl, who is still admitted at the hospital. Even the victim expressed a desire to go back to her native state and continue with her medical studies there.

The Odisha Chief Minister had already claimed that his government will take all the steps to ensure the culprits in the case are given due punishment.

Recently, the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attracted criticisms after she advised women not to go outside at night amid the Durgapur incident. The Chief Minister also created controversy, claiming that the woman stepped out of the college premises at 12.30 a.m.

Her statement was contradicted by the college authorities claiming that they left the premises at around 8 p.m. on October 10 after signing the register and taking permission.

Kolkata, Oct 14: As the Mamata Banerjee government has taken a decision to create a special relief fund seeking public donations for flood and landslide-affected North Bengal, the BJP on Tuesday questioned the motive.

The last time the state government created such a relief fund was during the Covid-19 pandemic period in 2020. Under the fresh relief fund, the state government had kept the option open for utilising the proceeds for spending in the event of a future disaster in any corner of the state and not just for North Bengal.

The decision to create the North Bengal relief fund has prompted questions on the condition of the state exchequer in West Bengal, where the state government is “forced” to seek public donations for even emergency services. Former BJP state president in West Bengal and Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, on Tuesday, questioned the justification for creating the fund without being clear on how the Central share in the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) during the last five years was used.

“The Central share in the SDRF during the last five years, from 2020 to 2025, amounts to around Rs 5,000 crore. The Union government funds contribute a 75 per cent share in the SFRF, which amounts to Rs 5,000 crore during the last five years. Where has that money gone?” Majumdar raised the question while speaking to media persons before leaving for New Delhi in the morning.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, last week, while touring the flood and landslide-affected areas in North Bengal, repeatedly claimed that the Union government did not provide support for rescue and rehabilitation efforts after the floods.

Refuting the claims, BJP’s Information Technology Cell Chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, said that the claims by the Chief Minister were untrue since the Union government has been actively coordinating relief operations, providing financial assistance, and deploying teams for rescue and restoration. The West Bengal administration is missing in action, he said.

“Instead of playing politics over people’s suffering, Mamata Banerjee should focus on governance, not grievance,” Malviya said last week.

Mumbai: Raising serious safety concerns for commuters, miscreants—reportedly minors—pelted stones at two express trains on the Kalyan–Karjat route on Monday. The first incident occurred on the Koyna Express near Ambernath railway station, while the Sainagar Shirdi Express was attacked near Vangani.

Railway officials said that when the Mumbai-bound Sainagar Shirdi Express reached near Ambernath station, miscreants threw stones at the S1 coach, shattering the window glass. When the train arrived at Dadar station, the Badlapur RPF was informed, and a case has been registered.

The Koyna Express, travelling towards CSMT, was also targeted near Vangani at around 10.30 am. A passenger sustained an eye injury after being hit by a stone and was immediately given first aid at the next station, the report stated.

Stone-pelting incidents have seen a sharp rise across Mumbai’s suburban railway network, sparking serious safety concerns among daily commuters. Despite multiple safety measures by Indian Railways, including the installation of iron grills on windows, the menace continues unabated.

Just last month, three women sustained injuries in separate stone-pelting incidents on the Harbour Line.

On September 26, 28-year-old Shivani suffered a head injury when a stone hit her on a CSMT–Goregaon slow local near Reay Road station. Earlier, on September 18, 39-year-old Anuradha Sav sustained an eye injury near Wadala, while on September 15, a 21-year-old woman was struck in the face between Cotton Green and Reay Road stations.

Officials from Central Railway said nearly 30 stone-pelting cases are reported every year across the Mumbai division. The number of such cases is comparatively lower on Western Railway’s Mumbai Central division.

On the Western Railway, incidents are often reported from Mahim, Bandra, Kandivali, and areas beyond Virar. On the Harbour Line, cases have been registered between Dockyard Road and Mankhurd, while on the main line, areas such as Kalwa, Mumbra, Diva, and those beyond Kalyan have witnessed frequent stone-pelting attacks.