Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.
Articles by Joydeep Thakur
Evacuations on as Cyclone Remal set to make landfall
Cyclone Remal intensifies in Bay of Bengal, with red warnings in West Bengal and Odisha. Evacuations underway, Kolkata airport suspends operations.
Updated on May 26, 2024 04:35 AM IST
Joydeep ThakurJayashree Nandi, Kolkata/new Delhi
Gold smuggling racket behind Bangladesh MP’s murder in Kolkata?
The accused persons have claimed during interrogation that the victim and the prime accused were into gold smuggling.
Updated on May 25, 2024 06:46 PM IST
Modi, Mamata spar over religious orders as the political narrative turns bitter
While the BSS is a Hindu religious and social welfare organisation founded by Swami Pranavananda Maharaj, ISKCON is a Vaishnava Hindu religious organisation.
Published on May 22, 2024 08:30 AM IST
Lok Sabha polls: Family feuds turn into political battles in West Bengal
West Bengal is witnessing some fierce family feuds turning into pitched electoral battles in this Lok Sabha election
Updated on May 19, 2024 02:59 PM IST
Why is Sandeshkhali, a riverine island in WB, on the boil again?
With Lok Sabha polls ongoing, the TMC is now on the offensive over the developments in Sandeshkhali.
Published on May 15, 2024 12:43 AM IST
West Bengal governor airs CCTV clip for public, shows complainant’s face
The audience was shown 69 minutes of footage from two CCTV cameras installed at the North Gate of Raj Bhavan.
Updated on May 10, 2024 01:49 AM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Erosion-hit Bengal voters sceptical as LS polls bring their plight in spotlight
Erosion along the Ganga and Padma rivers eats up hundreds of acres of fertile land in Malda, Murshidabad, and Nadia, forcing thousands of people to shift
Published on May 02, 2024 02:54 PM IST
Bidi barons lock horns in elections in West Bengal’s Murshidabad and Malda
Several bidi industrialists and those associated with this industry have over the years joined politics and have contested elections in West Bengal’s Murshidabad and Malda districts. Many are sitting lawmakers now
Updated on Apr 27, 2024 05:26 PM IST
Election In Pincodes: As polls near, shadow of Sandeshkhali looms over delta
Since the turn of the year, the island of Sandeshkhali, 80km southeast of Kolkata and part of the Sunderbans delta, has been in the eye of a storm.
Updated on Apr 25, 2024 04:45 AM IST
Joydeep Thakur, Basirhat
44°C-plus: Andhra, Telangana, Odisha reel under heatwaves
Intense heatwave grips eastern coastal India, with temperatures crossing 45°C in Andhra Pradesh. IMD predicts heatwave to continue during elections.
Updated on Apr 18, 2024 11:00 AM IST
Srinivasa Rao ApparasuDebabrata MohantyJoydeep 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