
In Bengal, more than 500 endangered turtles seized from UP smugglers
More than 500 endangered turtles were seized near a Kolkata railway station on Saturday morning by personnel of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change and the West Bengal forest department from two smugglers belonging to Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The team seized 519 Indian softshell turtles, two Peacock softshell turtles and two Gangetic softshell turtles. The Peacock softshell turtle figures in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as ‘threatened species’.
The smugglers were travelling in the Purvanchal Express and wanted to take the turtles to Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district, said Agni Mitra, deputy director, WCCB (eastern region). The train travels between Gorakhpur and Kolkata.
The smugglers were identified as Jain Kumar, 40, and Sunil Kanjar, 23.
Smuggling of endangered turtles, which are considered a delicacy in some parts of Bengal and Bangladesh, has become a cause for concern for the Central agency, especially because smugglers have started using innovative methods.
In a first, families travelling with women and children from UP were caught red-handed on February 1. They were carrying around 650 Indian softshell turtles in their luggage and school bags. WBCCB arrested 14 men and eight women, making it the biggest arrest in recent history. There were several children in the group. The families posed as common travellers to evade suspicion. The arrested people said they were to sell the turtles at Rs 300 a kilo.
The raids are being carried out on a regular basis as part of Operation Turtshield, a new Central programme to protect endangered turtles.
On January 12, the officers seized 983 Indian flap-shell turtles and two Indian peacock softshell turtles from a market at Bongaon in North-24 Parganas.
In January 2019, more than 1,700 Indian flap-shell turtles were seized in back to back raids in Bengal, while being smuggled from Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. These, too, were seized in North-24 Parganas.

Congress stoking unrest due to poor show in polls, says Javadekar
- A day after violence broke out in the Capital when a section of protesting farmers marched to the Red Fort, Javadekar said, the government has already held 10 rounds of talks with the farmers and offered to put in abeyance the farm laws for 18 months, but the Congress does not want a resolution.

Govt extends restrictions on flights between India and UK till Feb 14

Cong sharpens attack on Centre for violence in Delhi. Amit Shah is the target
- The Congress said the violence during the tractor parade in Delhi was a concerted conspiracy, aided and abetted by the government to malign the entire farmers’ movement against the three farm laws

Congress, Rahul Gandhi instigated farmers protest, claims Prakash Javadekar

Congress to field mix of youth and experience for Kerala polls: Rahul Gandhi
- On a two day visit to his constituency, he will kick-start the party’s election campaign in Kerala and meet many local leaders.

Odisha govt fails to file charges, IFS officer, son get bail in corruption case
- The Odisha Vigiance Department which had accused teh IFS officer of amassing disproportionate assets worth ₹9.35 crore had claimed that it was the biggest case of disproportionate assets in its history.

Kerala student wins praise for flawlessly translating Rahul Gandhi's speech

Ministry asks states to implement plan for regulating online health aggregators

News updates from HT: India extends 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative to Sri Lanka
- Here are today’s top news, analysis, and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

‘Never said doors for dialogue are closed’: Prakash Javadekar
- "We have never said that the doors for dialogue are closed. Have you heard? Whenever talks are held, we will let you know," Prakash Javadekar said. The government has so far held 11 rounds of talks with the farmers who have been protesting since November 26 last year.

No one will be spared, says Delhi Police commissioner on R-Day violence

Uttarakhand man bludgeons 9-year-old cousin to death with cricket bat
- Police said the accused had an altercation with the victim earlier in the day and then barged into his room in the evening and thrashed him with a cricket bat.

Day after violence, farm leaders postpone February 1 march to Parliament

India to send 5 lakh Covid-19 vaccines to Sri Lanka as part of ‘Vaccine Maitri’
- The delivery of vaccines made by the Serum Institute of India will fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa during their virtual summit last September for all possible support to minimise the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.
