West Bengal Guv accepts resignation of minister who verbally abused woman official
Kolkata, Aug 6: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Akhil Giri as the Correctional Home Minister, an official said.
He has kept open the avenues for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to investigate the legislator's alleged misconduct against woman official of the forest department, following which the ruling TMC asked Giri to resign as minister.
"The governor has accepted the resignation of Akhil Giri, minister of state (Independent charge), Department of Correctional Administration. The file was sent to the Raj Bhavan on Monday," the official said.
This, however, shall not be construed as absolving him of the responsibility of misconduct against a woman public servant.
"The CM may exercise her option to initiate an enquiry into the alleged misconduct of Giri so as to reestablish public faith in the system," the Raj Bhavan said in a post on X.
On Monday, Giri resigned from his chair, a day after the Trinamool Congress leadership asked him to step down from the ministry and apologise to a forest department woman official for threatening and verbally abusing her.
The TMC MLA from Ramnagar, however, said that he would not apologise to any official.
Giri, who has been with the TMC since it was founded in 1998, said he would write in detail to the CM regarding the events that led to his losing cool.
On Sunday, Giri, flanked by locals, was seen in videos threatening forest ranger Manisha Sahu, warning her of reducing her tenure after she and her team removed encroachments on forest department land near Tajpur beach.
Incidentally, two years back in 2022, Giri's controversial remarks on President Droupadi Murmu were severely criticised.
Party supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had to apologise for Giri's "derogatory remark" on Murmu after a massive uproar by the opposition.
FAQ
— Raj Bhavan Media Cell (@BengalGovernor) August 6, 2024
Q. We would like to know what action has been taken by Raj Bhavan on the reported resignation of Shri Akhil Giri, Minister.
Ans.
The file, regarding acceptance of resignation of Shri Akhil Giri, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Correctional…
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Syria says Israeli strikes leave 18 dead in the biggest toll since the war in Gaza began
Masyaf (Syria), Sep 9: The number of people killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Syria has risen to 18 with dozens more wounded, Syria's health minister said on Monday — the largest death toll in such an attack since the beginning of the war in Gaza.
One of the sites targeted was a research centre used in the development of weapons, a war monitor said. Syrian officials said civilian sites were targeted.
Israel regularly targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Those strikes have become more frequent as Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel's war against Hamas — a Hezbollah ally — in Gaza.
However, the intensity and death toll of Sunday night's strikes were unusual.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to Hezbollah.
Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash described the strikes as a “brutal and barbaric aggression”. He said the death toll had risen to 18 with nearly 40 wounded.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 25 were killed, including at least five civilians, while the others included Syrian army soldiers and members of Hezbollah and other Iran-linked armed groups.
One strike targeted a scientific research centre in Masyaf, and others struck sites where “Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria”, the observatory said. It said the research centre was reportedly used for developing weapons, including short- and medium-range precision missiles and drones.
Minister of Electricity Mohammad al-Zamel said the strikes had caused “truly significant” damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
“This brutal attack targeted civilian targets, and the martyrs were mostly civilians, as were the wounded,” he said.
Local media also reported strikes around the coastal city of Tartous, which the observatory said were the result of air defense missiles falling.
On Monday afternoon, a charred car remained at the scene of one strike and smoke was still rising from some spots where fires had been put out.
