Bengal polls: Bhangar tense after killing of Independent candidate's supporter
Kolkata, May 12: The situation in West Bengal's Bhangar on Saturday remained tense ahead of May 14 panchayat election across the state, after a supporter of an Independent candidate for the rural polls was killed on Friday.
The police arrested local strongman of the ruling Trinamool Congress Arabul Islam on Friday late night and he was charged for attempting murder.
"Islam was produced before a district court on Saturday and he was remanded to police custody till May 22," the police said.
Soon after the death of the supporter, Hafizul Molla (26), hundreds of villagers in Bhangar started protesting demanding action against Arabul Islam and his aides. Agitators on Saturday vandalised house of an Islam's aide and set on fire many houses, though police said the situation was "under control".
In fact, stocks of crude bombs were spotted from a garden adjacent to the house of arrested Trinamool leader, villagers said.
Molla, a resident of Bhangar's Machibhanga in South 24 Parganas district, died on Friday after an armed attack on a political rally brought out by the "Jomi, Jibika, Bastutantra O Poribesh Raksha Committee" (committee to protect land, livelihood, ecology and environment), which has been leading a movement against the construction of a power grid sub-station in the area.
On Saturday, the committee members took out a rally in Central Kolkata in protest against the murder. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra, along with several other Left Front leaders, took part in the rally.
Mishra held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the murder. State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Dilip Ghosh described Islam's arrest as an "eyewash". Bhangar has been on the boil for over a year now on the issue of construction of the sub-station.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
