Police lock down BIFT hall over event on Palestinian Conflict in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: City police on Tuesday locked down the BIFT auditorium in the city, where a seminar on the Palestine conflict was scheduled to take place.
The seminar, titled "Palestine Problem: An Overview," organized by the 'Solidarity Youth Movement Karnataka,' was set to commence at 6:30 pm at BIFT Auditorium on Queens Road.
The event had a panel of prominent speakers, including social thinker Shivsunder, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind state president Dr. Muhammad Saad Belgami, senior lawyer and human rights activist BT Venkatesh, and the state president of Solidarity Youth Movement, Labid Shafi.
However, the police intervened earlier in the day, locking the hall and preventing the seminar from proceeding as planned. According to reports, the police cited the lack of permission as the reason for their intervention.
Organizers confirmed that they were summoned to the police station and were informed that the event could not proceed due to the absence of official authorization.
Furthermore, it was revealed that some dignitaries who were expected to participate in the seminar were contacted by the police via phone and instructed not to attend the event.
This incident follows a press conference by organisers on the Palestine-Israel issue that took place on October 26.
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Bengal polls: Mamata Banerjee backs Jyotipriya Mallick as TMC's candidate from Habra
Habra (WB) (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday extended her full support to long-time political associate Jyotipriya Mallick, claiming he was targeted in a money laundering case due to a CPI(M) conspiracy.
Mallick, who held the Food and Supplies portfolio in the Mamata Banerjee government from 2011 to 2021, was arrested by the ED in October 2023 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam.
He was granted bail in January 2025. At the time of his arrest, he was the state’s forest minister.
Extending her full support to Mallick, who is contesting from Habra constituency for a fourth consecutive term, Banerjee claimed that the CPI(M) and the BJP were spreading canards against him.
"Nobody has worked as well as Balu (Mallick) did in my government," Banerjee said, adding that he was arrested out of "jealousy".
The chief minister alleged that CPI(M) entered 1.5 crore false names in the PDS ration list, which Mallick detected and removed.
She also claimed the Left party persuaded the BJP to register the case against him.
"Balu was instrumental in providing digital ration cards to beneficiaries and introduced a system to track vehicles transporting PDS goods," Banerjee said.
She also defended her nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, questioning why honest business earnings were being scrutinised.
Addressing voters ahead of the two-phase Assembly polls, she said, "I am the candidate everywhere. One vote for Trinamool means voting for me. If you want development work to continue under my leadership, exercise your franchise with my face in mind."
Training her guns on the CPI(M), Banerjee asserted that the Left party drew a blank in the elections because of her.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front could not win a single seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, and also in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Bengal.
"ED or CBI cases are not registered against CPI(M), because they play got-up games with the BJP," the TMC chief said.
Banerjee claimed that the CPI(M) candidates, by dividing votes, will try to help the BJP win seats, asserting that anti-BJP votes should go only to the TMC.
She said people were made to stand in long queues for SIR and asked voters, "Will you avenge this or not?"
She claimed that former CPI(M) workers and supporters have now shifted allegiance to the BJP, while accusing the saffron party, Left and Congress of being "in cahoots with each other."
"Where were they when SIR was being done?" she asked, asserting that only TMC workers stood by the people during that period.
