Shah to meet intellectuals, kin of killed activists in Bengal
Kolkata, June 24: BJP President Amit Shah would hold a string of meetings with the party's West Bengal leadership and intellectuals here and would also meet the bereaved families of the three BJP activists allegedly killed recently in Purulia, during his two day visit to the state from June 27, a senior party leader said.
Shah would also review party's ground work in Bengal in the run up to the 2019 General Elections and set strategies and targets for the state unit accordingly.
"He would conduct three meetings with party's election committee, IT cell and Bengal intellectuals on the first day to take stock of the situation here. On the second day, he would be flying in a helicopter to Purulia district where three of our activists were murdered recently," state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Dilip Ghosh told IANS.
According to Ghosh, Shah is also scheduled to visit temple town Tarapith in Birbhum district on his way to Purulia and offer his prayers to the Goddess Kali in the famous Tantric temple there.
"It would not be possible for him to visit houses of the deceased party workers in Purulia as they are scattered across three villages. Instead the bereaved family members would come to visit Shah there," he added.
Shah's visit comes on the back of the saffron party's good performance in some pockets iin Bengal rural polls where it consolidated its position as the main opposition party in the state.
The BJP President had also set a target to win in 22 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
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Bombay HC issues notice to Maharashtra govt, MLA Murji Patel on Kunal Kamra’s plea to quash FIRs
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Maharashtra government and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MLA Murji Patel in response to a petition filed by comedian Kunal Kamra seeking the quashing of multiple FIRs lodged against him over political remarks made during his stand-up show.
A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and SM Modak scheduled the matter for hearing on April 16. “Issue notice to the respondents (police and Patel). They shall take instructions and respond to the plea,” the bench observed.
The first FIR was filed by Murji Patel on March 24 at Khar police station, based on Kamra’s performance of his show ‘Naya Bharat’ at Habitat Studio, Unicontinental Hotel, Khar. Kamra allegedly made comments targeting prominent political figures, industrialists, and central agencies.
Representing Kamra, senior advocate Navroz Seervai informed the court that the Madras High Court had extended the interim transit anticipatory bail granted to the comedian until April 17. Seervai added that Kamra, who has been residing in Tamil Nadu since 2021, had offered thrice in writing to appear before police via video conference due to threats to his safety. However, police insisted on his physical presence.
“This is not a case of murder. It is an FIR stemming from a stand-up comedy show,” Seervai said. “He is ready to cooperate with the investigation but seeks to do so through video conferencing.”
In his petition, Kamra contended that the FIRs violate his constitutional rights, including freedom of speech and expression, and that continuation of the case amounts to criminalising political commentary. He maintained that his comments about the 2022 political developments in Maharashtra, including the Shiv Sena split and Eknath Shinde's appointment as Chief Minister, are matters of public record.
Kamra stated that the script for ‘Naya Bharat’ was written in July 2024 and performed around 60 times between August 2024 and February 2025. A recording was uploaded online in March 2025, after which multiple FIRs were registered.
A zero FIR was initially filed at MIDC police station before being transferred to Khar. Three additional FIRs were lodged on March 28 under similar charges, with further cases registered in Thane and Dombivli.
Following backlash, an online ticketing platform delisted Kamra and removed all associated content on April 5.
The court will hear the case in full on April 16.
