THE recent groping of a young girl accompanying her classmate to visit a scenic spot, in broad daylight in Jamui, filming the most shameful act on mobile and uploading it, has made the blood of every sensitive Bihari boil and ask the govt whether the state is being driven towards Maha-Jungle Raj.

Nitish Kumar had time and again reminded the people of 'Jungle Raj' prevailing during Lalu regime, and he used to boast that during his regime women and girls could go anywhere freely even at night without any fear and sense of insecurity.

In an emphatic display of agrarian anger, thousands of cultivators from across the districts of West Bengal converged on Rani Rashmoni Road, Kolkata on September 28, staging a day-long sit-in following a statewide mobilisation call by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). The heart of central Kolkata witnessed extensive disruptions by early afternoon as two massive feeder processions originating from Howrah and Sealdah railway stations poured into the avenue, filling the protest ground to capacity.

BY the time these lines were written, the death toll of children in Balaghat due to malnutrition, malaria, and vomiting-diarrhoea had reached 33. We hope that this figure does not rise further. Yet, in the eyes of Manuvadi governments, are tribals anything more than mere statistics? Had that been the case, the situation would not have been so dire. However, this state of affairs did not arise overnight; the deaths of these innocent children are the direct result of the BJP state government’s anti-poor and anti-tribal policies.

The Left Front campaign for the forthcoming Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District (TTAAD) Village Committee elections is gathering momentum, with meetings, marches, courtyard meetings and door-to-door campaigns drawing an enthusiastic response from people. In several villages, voters are openly speaking about their hardships and expressing growing dissatisfaction with the BJP-led state government and the Tipra Motha-run Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) administration.

Central Kolkata transformed into an ocean of disciplined defiance on Sunday, September 19, as thousands of young activists flooded the streets for a mammoth Inquilab Rally. Organised by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) West Bengal State Committee, the massive mobilisation sent an unequivocal message to the ruling establishment: the Left youth movement refuses to back down in the face of state intimidation, political attacks, or administrative hostility.

RECLAIMING THE CITY