Security arrangements in West Bengal assembly to be beefed up: Speaker
Kolkata (PTI): Security arrangements in the West Bengal assembly will be beefed up, Speaker Biman Banerjee said.
The decision was taken after two people on Wednesday jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery and shouted slogans, triggering chaos in the House.
"No assembly members, staff and journalists will be allowed to enter the premises without their identity cards. The West Gate will be meant for visitors only. They will be allowed to stay inside the assembly premises for two hours only," Banerjee said on Thursday.
Visitors were earlier allowed to stay the entire day.
"Police will question if a visitor is found overstaying inside the assembly premises," he said.
During an emergency meeting held at the state assembly, a decision was taken to install cameras at all gates to capture photographs of each and everyone entering the premises, he said.
"Vehicles of members will not be allowed to enter the assembly unless they have designated stickers. No additional police personnel will be allowed inside the lobby of the assembly other than the security personnel for the MLAs," Banerjee said.
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In a major security breach, two people on Wednesday jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery, shouted slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters that triggered panic and chaos in the House.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday reviewed the police arrangements at the state secretariat 'Nabanna', a source said.
She found a few officers posted there in charge of security, were absent, he said.
"The CM asked the director of security to look into the matter," he added.
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ABVP protests by chanting Hanuman Chalisa at Lucknow University over namaz row
Lucknow (PTI): Police detained several people after tensions flared on Tuesday at Lucknow University when ABVP members sought to confront the recent offering of namaz by reciting Hanuman Chalisa near the Laal Baradari mosque on the campus.
According to officials, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists assembled near the Laal Baradari area and raised slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" while moving in groups inside the campus.
Visuals showed police repeatedly stopping the protesters from advancing further.
The protesters later sat on a road in front of the mosque and began reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, demanding "shuddhikaran" (purification) of the place where namaz was allegedly offered a few days ago.
Police intervened and detained some of the protesters, who were seated inside a bus parked on the campus and then taken to police lines. Videos also showed a few protesters being forcibly removed from the campus.
A senior police officer present at the university said, "As of now, we are handling the situation. We will update you about the future course sometime later."
Lucknow University Proctor Rakesh Dwivedi said, "We are talking to students and will sort this out." On being asked about the namaz controversy, he said, "We have provided everything about the (namaz) controversy to the police."
On being asked whether this meant that police were seeking registration of an FIR against those who offered namaz, he said, "It is for the police to do their part. We have cleared our position in writing to the police on the subject."
The protest comes a day after members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a demonstration alleging the closure of a place inside the university where Muslim students had been offering namaz for years.
NSUI's Uttar Pradesh unit vice president Aryan Mishra had claimed that the Laal Baradari mosque inside the university was locked on Saturday.
Muslims students offered namaz there on Sunday evening with NSUI volunteers guarding them, he said.
Mishra said that Muslims students pray at the mosque while Hindu students offer prayers at a temple near gate number 1.
An ABVP office-bearer earlier warned that if namaz was allowed inside the university campus, they too would chant the Hanuman Chalisa there.
Police presence remained heavy on the campus on Tuesday to prevent any escalation, officials said. Visuals showed groups of youths marching inside the university premises and being stopped by security personnel at multiple points.
#WATCH | Lucknow | Members of Bajrang Dal protest after a few students of Lucknow University offered 'namaz' at Lal Baradari mosque on the university premises pic.twitter.com/MBjHrqiyeB
— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2026
