Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.
Articles by Joydeep Thakur
Sandeshkhali unrest part of a long line of TMC–BJP pre- and post-flashpoints
Political storms around the time of elections are not new in the state. Panchayat, assembly and Lok Sabha polls routinely witness violent clashes in West Bengal
Published on Apr 15, 2024 09:04 PM IST
Bengaluru blast accused relocated multiple times, used fake IDs
The duo chose guest houses and low-budget hotels that had non-air conditioned rooms with costs that were largely less than ₹1000 a night, investigators said.
Updated on Apr 14, 2024 04:51 AM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Lok Sabha polls: TMC, BJP woo Rajbanshi community in West Bengal
According to experts, Rajbanshi community, concentrated in north Bengal, can influence election results in around 20 assembly seats in five districts in the region
Published on Apr 13, 2024 03:09 PM IST
BJP aims to retain LS seat in tea belts of Alipurduar; TMC hopes for turnaround
Alipurduar, a reserved seat for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) is going to polls on April 19 along with two other constituencies in N Bengal, Jalpaiguri & Cooch Bear
Updated on Apr 11, 2024 02:33 PM IST
Memories of Sitalkuchi firing haunt kin as Cooch Behar goes to polls on April 19
Four people were killed at a school during polling for the state assembly elections on April 10, 2021, at Sitalkuchi in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar
Published on Apr 09, 2024 04:52 PM IST
Why Trinamool dropped five sitting MPs from its Lok Sabha candidates list
Controversies, corruption accusations, and poor performance are some of the reasons cited by party insiders for Mamata’s decision to drop the five sitting MPs
Published on Mar 12, 2024 08:02 PM IST
Sandeshkhali villagers get back their lands. But are they fit for farming?
More than 250 villagers have got back their lands which were earlier grabbed by TMC leader Shahjahan and his aides such as Hazra and Uttam Sardar
Published on Mar 04, 2024 03:06 PM IST
‘Could be linked to coal scam’: Ghosh demands probe against MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay
Ghosh also urged the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to initiate a probe against Banerjee, claiming that he received a large amount of money when he was under judicial custody
Updated on Mar 02, 2024 04:28 PM IST
Land at core of Sandeshkhali’s ire as local islanders rise up
Allegations of land-grabbing and exploitation in Sandeshkhali, India, have sparked violent protests, with villagers recounting tales of coercion and threats.
Updated on Feb 27, 2024 01:29 PM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Sandeshkhali
Why TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty sent her resignation to Mamata Banerjee
The Tollywood actor-turned-politician said she found that politics does not suit her, but Banerjee has yet to accept her resignation.
Published on Feb 20, 2024 08:19 PM IST
How QR codes helped authorities detect moles during WB class X board exams
Officials suspect that a specific gang was working behind this and were just using the students. Specific WhatsApp groups were created by the gangs
Published on Feb 18, 2024 04:18 PM IST
Why Sandeshkhali in West Bengal has been on the edge over the past week
Villagers allege that the police turned a blind eye to their complaints against the TMC leaders; of the three men accused, two have been charged with gangrape
Updated on Feb 18, 2024 03:26 AM IST
In restive Bengal village, an outpouring of anger, grief
Villagers said that once a Left stronghold, the people of Sandeshkhali voted for Trinamool Congress in large numbers in 2011
Updated on Feb 14, 2024 04:50 AM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Sandeshkhali
In WB’s elephant zone, the forest department escorts students to exam centres
At least 240 people have been killed in West Bengal in elephant attacks between 2019-2020 and 2021-2022.
Published on Feb 07, 2024 04:50 PM IST
MP with 13 cases against him, including murder, gets relief in one from SC
An explainer on the five-year-old attempted murder case against MP Nisith Pramanik. The top court granted protection from arrest to the lawmaker
Published on Jan 18, 2024 08:20 AM IST
Once symbolic of old Calcutta, trams may halt in their tracks
Kolkata's iconic trams, which have been part of the city's landscape for 150 years, may be phased out in 2024, with plans to confine them to a heritage joyride
Updated on Jan 06, 2024 06:04 AM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
3 years after Bangladeshi ship sank in Hoogly, siltation puts Gangasagar festival under cloud
A sunken Bangladeshi cargo ship has resurfaced in the Ganges delta, threatening the Gangasagar Mela religious festival and causing siltation in the Muriganga river. The ship, which sank during the pandemic-induced lockdown in 2020, has created a riverine island that is blocking the waterway for boats ferrying pilgrims. Experts warn that if the ship is not removed, the river will become choked with silt, affecting its flow and navigation. Efforts are underway to create alternate channels for the festival, but the ship's removal may not be possible before the event.
Updated on Jan 06, 2024 05:54 AM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Silt around sunk Bangladeshi ship could impact tourist flow to Gangasagar fair
Siltation around the capsized vessel over the past three years has blocked channels used by boats to ferry pilgrims and tourists to Sagar island
Updated on Jan 05, 2024 03:40 PM IST
What it takes to protect a porous border
According to the Centre, West Bengal’s land purchase policy is slowing down its fencing work along the Indo-Bangla border. Here’s what they mean by that
Published on Jan 02, 2024 07:05 PM IST
At least 241 invasive plants mapped in 7 South Asian countries; India tops list
India, with its largest land area in the group of seven countries in South Asia, tops the list with 185 invasive alien plants
Published on Dec 06, 2023 11:05 AM IST
ED grills WB minister after arrest in connection with alleged ration scam
West Bengal minister Jyoti Priya Mallick has been grilled by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam. He had been admitted to hospital after falling in court on the day of his arrest. Mallick is accused of involvement in the scam, which saw rice and wheat intended for ration distributors sold on the open market. Businessman Bakibur Rahaman has already been arrested in relation to the case.
Updated on Oct 31, 2023 07:31 PM IST
Buried explosives in River Teesta hinders restoration; Army steps up combing op
A flash flood triggered by a glacial lake outburst in north Sikkim had washed away an ammunition depot of the army
Updated on Oct 21, 2023 07:35 PM IST
Sikkim: Lhonak Lake early warning system failed, says official
Lhonak Lake is one of the largest and fastest growing proglacial lakes in Sikkim and is among the 11 large glacial lakes monitored by the Central Water Commission
Published on Oct 11, 2023 04:07 PM IST
165 more airlifted as rescue ops continue in Sikkim
Most of the tourists in Sikkim are stranded at Lachen and Lachung, popular destinations in Mangan district
Updated on Oct 11, 2023 12:43 AM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Gangtok
Stranded for six days in Sikkim, tourist families recall trauma before rescue
A flash flood, triggered by an outburst of a glacial lake, had barrelled through the Teesta river gobbling up everything in its path
Published on Oct 10, 2023 04:57 PM IST
Sikkim: Phones haven’t stopped ringing at the disaster control room in Gangtok
Sikkim government officials said it could take days to compile detailed data on the loss and damage, and rehabilitation work has only just begun
Published on Oct 09, 2023 07:49 PM IST
Airborne rescue operations begin for those stranded in Sikkim’s Lachen, Lachung
Lachen is the base for tourists going to Gurudongmar Lake, a high-altitude lake situated at an altitude of 17,000 feet while Lachung is the stopover for tourists heading to Yumthang valley
Updated on Oct 09, 2023 01:10 PM IST
Stories of loss and despair echo at Sikkim relief camps
The flash floods tore through India’s northeastern state Sikkim on Wednesday leaving 82 dead, and 105 missing
Updated on Oct 09, 2023 04:47 AM IST
Army launches search operation as Teesta river turns into potential minefield
A senior police official of Jalpaiguri district in north Bengal said that it would take at least a week to sanitize the Teesta’s banks in the district. The explosives may include mortar shells, mines and other weapons used by the army
Updated on Oct 08, 2023 05:55 PM IST
Sikkim’s aboriginal inhabitants suffer major damage in flash flood
Located more than 75 km from the state’s capital Gangtok, the region in north Sikkim’s Mangan district – one of the worst-hit districts, is bounded by the River Teesta and River Tholung Chu on two sides and by the mountains on one side
Updated on Oct 08, 2023 11:13 AM IST