Nearly 1.6 lakh voter appeals remain pending in Kolkata and Howrah following SIR deletions. A broad coalition of opposition parties, civil rights groups and public figures has urged the West Bengal State Election Commission to delay municipal polls until January 2027 and include voters whose appeals are awaiting tribunal decisions.
West Bengal’s recent clashes over classrooms, universities, the press and cultural institutions raise a larger question: what happens when political power enters spaces meant for independent thought? The incidents may not be connected, but together they reveal how easily institutional autonomy and dissent can come under pressure.
“We are fighting to restore voting rights,” said Sr Advocate Samim Ahammed at a SIR legal assistance camp in Karandighi. His remarks on Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission brought questions over voter rights and electoral rolls into sharp focus
A violent confrontation at Jadavpur University over a proposed FETSU general body meeting left several students injured, as ABVP and Left-backed student organisations traded allegations of assault, vandalism and stone-pelting.
Rejecting compensation after his father’s death, Abdul Hafiz has demanded a world-class school in his name. Meanwhile, CJP has given the Bengal government 10 days to act and announced a fund to support the bereaved family.
What began as a student rally became something far bigger. From Instagram-inspired slogans and memes to thousands of first-time protesters, this eyewitness account explores how Gen Z is reshaping political dissent and creating a new culture of protest in Kolkata