THE state committee of the CPI(M) convened a day-long meeting on April 20 for threadbare deliberations on various issues of public importance particularly the recent civilian killings in Handwara area and crisis incited at the National Institute of Technology (NIT).Referring to civilian killings in Kupwara district, the committee strongly condemned the firing incident at the hands of security forces and demanded a time bound judicial probe into these incidents.

THE tussle between the IAS and IPS top brass over the fireworks disaster at the Puttingal temple in Kollam last week is being construed as a bid to justify their positions ahead of a judicial probe and has come as an embarrassment to the government in the run-up to the assembly elections. The spat between additional chief secretary (home) Nalini Netto and state police chief T P Sen Kumar over the temple fire, which claimed over 110 lives, has muddied the situation further.

THE National Committee for Solidarity with Venezuela has organised a solidarity meeting with the people of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on April 19, 2016 as an expression of support in their struggle against the destabilisation attempts carried out by the US.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on April 21, 2016.

IN a landmark judgement, the Uttarakhand High Court has set aside the President’s rule imposed on March 27, 2016 and directed the holding of a Floor test on April 29.

It is very significant that the Court underlined that Article 356 of the constitution must be used as the last resort. Further, it ruled that the imposition of President’s rule was contrary to the norms laid down by the Supreme Court.

BELEAGUERED chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee is threatening to take revenge against opposition “by every inch” after the assembly polls. This has become her “war cry” in this year’s election. While this has exposed the authoritarian character of the Mamata Banerjee’s regime, people’s mobilisation against this regime is growing every day. As CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra has said in his public rallies, “People are advancing in metres and kilometres while the chief minister is gauging inches. History has taken top gear in West Bengal.”