Protest march held in Kolkata over people's 'harassment' during Bengal SIR
Kolkata (PTI): An organisation led by West Bengal minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury took out a march here on Tuesday to protest against the alleged harassment of people during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
The procession by Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Hind began in the Rajabazar area of north-central Kolkata and culminated at Esplanade in the central part of the city, covering a distance of about 4.5 kilometres.
A large number of protesters, including women and elderly persons, participated in the march and raised slogans against the Centre and the Election Commission.
Chowdhury alleged that residents of West Bengal, including senior citizens, were being forced to stand in long queues for hours for verification, which is "inhuman".
"We will continue our fight through democratic means. Injustice is being meted out to us, which is not acceptable," said the state minister for mass education extension and library services.
He alleged that the central government was pressuring the Election Commission to conduct the SIR ahead of the state assembly elections this year.
Responding to a question on whether minorities were being selectively targeted during the voter list revision exercise, Chowdhury said the protest was "against oppression and the undermining of the independence of an autonomous constitutional institution".
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Dakshina Kannada: Two girls drown while bathing near Kolyadakatta dam in Kadaba
Mangaluru: Two girl students drowned while bathing near the Kolyadakatta dam area of the Gundya river on Friday evening here in the Kadaba Taluk of the district.
The deceased have been identified as Arpita (15) and Sunita (21), both residents of Vimalagiri in Kutrupadi village.
According to reports, five girl students had visited the river along with their friends as it was a holiday. While bathing in the river, the two students reportedly entered a deeper portion of the water without realising the depth and began drowning.
Those accompanying them tried to rescue the duo, but were unsuccessful, leading to the tragedy.
After receiving information about the incident, Kadaba Police Station personnel visited the spot and conducted an inspection. The bodies were later recovered with the help of local residents.
