Lenin's statue pulled down in Tripura, CPI(M) holds BJP responsible

Agencies
March 6, 2018

Agartala, Mar 6: A statue of communist icon Lenin, has been pulled down by some people with an excavator machine at Belonia in South Tripura district, the police said today, with the CPI(M) holding BJP workers responsible for it.

Days after the Left Front was voted out of power in the state, Tripura CPI(M) district secretary Tapas Datta said the five-feet-tall fibreglass statue, which was unveiled by the party's politburo member Prakash Karat a few months back, was pulled down allegedly by BJP workers yesterday at College Square in Belonia, about 110 kilometres from here.

"After pulling down the statue, 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogan was raised," Datta said.

Superintendent of Police of South Tripura district, Monchak Ipper said the driver of the JCB excavator machine was arrested and later released on bail.

The statue would be handed over to the authorities of Belonia Municipal Corporation today, the SP said.

Meanwhile, a prohibitory order was clamped in several areas of West Tripura district including - Srinagar, Lefunga, Mandai, Amtali, Radhapur, Arundhati Nagar, Jirania, Mohanpur and many more places following post-poll violence, District Magistrate Milind Ramteke said.

In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the BJP demolished the Left citadel in Tripura, winning a two-thirds majority with its ally the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The CPI(M) today accused the BJP and the IPFT of unleashing an "unprecedented reign of terror" throughout the state after the election results were announced on March 3.

CPI(M) state secretary Bijan Dhar claimed that 514 party activists were assaulted, 1,539 houses of the party activists were attacked and 196 houses set on fire since the announcement of results.

He also claimed that 134 CPI(M) offices were attacked and looted, 64 party offices were set on fire and at least 90 offices of different mass organisations had been occupied allegedly by BJP-IPFT supporters.

"I appeal to the state administration and the ruling parties to stop this violence. In a democratic system, change of government is usual, but violence in such grave form is not acceptable by the people," Dhar said.

The police today said they have received complaints of "post-poll violence" from various parts of the state since Sunday night.

Urging people to maintain peace, the BJP's state unit president, Biplab Deb, in a statement said nobody would be spared if they indulge in violence.

The BJPs' state vice president Subal Bhowmick, at a press conference yesterday, had said, "A section of unidentified BJP supporters, who have migrated from the CPI(M) were creating unrest in parts of the state. Anyone found involved in violence would be immediately expelled and legal action taken against them."

He alleged that CPI(M) activists had assaulted 49 BJP supporters, of whom 17 were hospitalised.

Comments

shaji
 - 
Tuesday, 6 Mar 2018

what else we can expect from this anti national and anti people bharat jalawo party.  Paarty workers are doing what was taught to them and paid for.   this party will ruin India in the near future having allowed bureacrates to loot banks and escape to abroad to share the money later on.   India is being ruled by unwise and illogic people.   Its shame that people trust them.

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News Network
December 24,2025

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New Delhi: Two new airlines - Al Hind Air and FlyExpress - are set to take to the skies, with the carriers receiving their no objection certificates from the Civil Aviation Ministry.

In 2026, apart from these two carriers, Uttar Pradesh-based Shankh Air, which already has a No Objection Certificate (NOC), is likely to start operations.

Al Hind Air is being promoted by Kerala-based alhind Group.

The ministry is keen to have more airline operators in the country, which is one of the world's fastest growing domestic civil aviation markets.

Currently, there are nine operational scheduled domestic carriers in the country. Fly Big, a regional airline, suspended scheduled flights in October.

IndiGo and Air India Group - Air India and Air India Express - together have over 90 per cent of the domestic market share.

Concerns about apparent duopoly in the fast-growing domestic airlines' industry got amplified this month in the wake of the massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, which has a market share of more than 65 per cent.

"Over the last one week, pleased to have met teams from new airlines aspiring to take wings in Indian skies- Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress. While Shankh Air has already got the NOC from the Ministry, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress have received their NOCs this week," Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said in a post on X on Tuesday.

According to him, it has been the endeavour of the ministry to encourage more airlines in Indian aviation which is amongst the fastest growing aviation markets.

Schemes like UDAN, have enabled smaller carriers Star Air, India One Air and Fly91 to play an important role in the regional connectivity within the country and there is more scope for further growth, he added.

Apart from Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and state-owned Alliance Air, other scheduled carriers are Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air, Fly91 and IndiaOne Air, as per latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

In the past years, many airlines, including Go First and Jet Airways, stopped flying amid debt woes.

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News Network
December 21,2025

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Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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