The BJP has called for a 12-hour general strike after police lathi-charged, and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters attempting to reach ‘Nabanna’ on Tuesday.
The ‘Nabanna Abhijan‘ call was given by an unregistered student body ‘Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj’ and a dissident state government employees’ platform ‘Sangrami Joutha Mancha’. The ruling Trinamool Congress alleged that this was a BJP-backed protest.
The protesters were demanding the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape-murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged that over 160 protestors, including 17 women, suffered injuries in the police action. Police claimed that several cops were also injured in the clashes.
Mr Adhikari, who is the State’s Leader of Opposition, urged Governor CV Ananda Bose to “impose President’s Rule” in West Bengal.
“We are forced to give the dawn-to-dusk strike call for a general strike as this autocratic regime is turning a deaf ear to the voices of people, the demand for justice for the victim. Instead of justice, Mamata Banerjee’s police are turning on the peace-loving people of the state, who only wanted a safe and secure environment for women,” BJP state president and union minister Sukanta Majumdar said.
The West Bengal government urged people not to respond to BJP’s bandh. “The government will not allow any bandh on Wednesday. We urge people not to participate in it. All steps shall be taken to ensure that normal life is unaffected,” said Alapan Bandopadhyay, the chief advisor to Ms Banerjee.
The state issued a notification stating that all government offices would remain open and all employees, except those facing exigencies or are on leave, would have to report for duty on August 28 or face show-cause for their unauthorised absence.
The Trinamool said the BJP called a strike to gain political ground and said that there “will be no bandh” on Wednesday,
The rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor on August 9 has caused nationwide outrage, with junior doctors refusing to see non-emergency patients in many parts of the country. They are demanding justice for the victim and greater safety for women at hospitals.

Hundreds of Indian student graduates have staged protests against a new federal policy in Canada that puts them at risk of getting deported from the country. 

Many international students, particularly those from India, dream of moving to the North American country in hopes of building a better life, but the announced immigration policy changes have left the future of more than 70,000 student graduates in uncertainty.

Indian students have camped in front of the legislative assembly in Canada’s Prince Edward Island province, protesting the sudden policy change for more than three months. Similar demonstrations were also seen in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia.

The new policies are aimed at reducing the number of permanent residency nominations by 25 per cent as well as limiting study permits.

The change comes as Canada saw rapid population growth over the last few years. Around 97 per cent of last year’s population increase in Canada was driven by immigration, according to Federal data.

Representatives from student advocacy group Naujawan Support Network warned the graduates are at risk of being deported when their work permits expire at the end of this year.

“I spent the most crucial six years of my life taking many risks to come to Canada,” says Mehakdeep Singh, a former international student who is facing deportation.

“For the past six years, I studied, I worked, I paid taxes, I earned enough CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) points but the government has just taken advantage of us,” Mr Singh said.

Like many international students, Mr Singh had spent his family’s life savings on college tuition fees in the hopes of eventually gaining permanent residency.

Amid a local housing and jobs crisis, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is under pressure to reduce the number of temporary residents, which has seen a staggering growth in recent years. Mr Trudeau has been trailing in polls ahead of an election expected next year.

The Canadian government is also reducing the number of temporary foreign workers it brings in, reversing its decision to expand the programme in 2022. The programme allows immigrants to work in the country on a short-term basis, meant to fill labour shortages.

According to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), 183,820 temporary foreign worker permits were granted in 2023, a steep 88 per cent increase from 2019. The ESDC on Monday criticised employers for using the programme to “circumvent hiring talented workers in Canada”.

Under the new changes, work permits will be denied in regions where the unemployment rate is at or above 6 per cent. The changes will exempt sectors like agriculture, food processing, construction and healthcare.

“We’re looking at the various streams to make sure that as we move forward, Canada remains a place that is positive in its support for immigration, but also responsible in the way we integrate and make sure there’s pathways to success for everyone who comes to Canada,” Justin Trudeau told reporters on Monday.

The government has also promised more measures to reduce the temporary resident population to 5% of Canada’s total population in three years.

The International Sikh Student Organization, an advocacy group, insisted that the prevailing employment and housing issues are rooted in broader policy failures rather than the migration of international students.