www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 Nation @TheStatesmanLtd | Pages 12 | @thestatesmanltd ` 5.00 | People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR | 11 January 2026 S P O RT S World Language Bill sparks interstate row as Vijayan rejects ‘imposition’ charge Protests in Iran near two-week mark as authorities intensify crackdown Shubman Gill in focus as India begin ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara Page 4 Page 9 Page 12 Mamata writes once more to CEC on SIR harassment UNITED NEWS OF INDIA Kolkata, 10 January W est Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written yet another strongly worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, expressing shock and anguish over what she described as the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) “relentless harassment” of ordinary citizens during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Alleging that the SIR exercise has resulted in 77 deaths, four suicide attempts, and at least 17 people falling sick and requiring hospitalisation, the Chief Minister, in what is her fourth letter to the Election Commission on the subject, said these incidents are because of fear, intimidation and disproportionate workload Mamata Banerjee leads a protest rally from Jadavpur to Hazra Crossing against the ED raid on the IPAC office on Friday. AGENCIES arising from what she termed an unplanned exercise undertaken by the ECI.” Referring to the cases of Nobel laureate Prof. Amartya Sen, renowned poet Joy Goswami, popular film actor and MP Deepak Adhikari, international cricketer Mohammed Shami, and the Maharaj of Bharat Sevashram Sangha who were all summoned for hearing, Miss Banerjee questioned whether this amounted to “sheer audacity” on the part of the ECI, adding that many ordinary citizens were facing similar harassment. “It is a matter of 'profound shame' that Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen, a nonagenarian and globally respected intellectual, was asked to appear before ECI ED moves SC against alleged interference by Bengal govt during I-PAC raids STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 10 January officials to establish his credentials,” Miss Banerjee wrote. The Chief Minister further alleged that women voters who had shifted to their matrimonial homes and changed their surnames after marriage were being questioned and summoned to prove their identity. She said this reflected a complete lack of social sensitivity and amounted to a grave insult to women and genuine voters, questioning whether a constitutional authority should treat half of the electorate in such a manner. She also raised concerns over the engagement of observers, alleging they were appointed unilaterally without adequate training or expertise for such a sensitive exercise. The letter alleged that so-called “logical discrepancies” were being selectively targeted in certain constituencies with political bias. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday moved the Supreme Court against alleged interference and obstruction by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government during its raids at the office of politicsl consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain. The Central agency has moved a plea before the top court seeking directions for a CBI probe into the matter. Meanwhile, the Bengal government has also filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in this regard. The Bengal government has urged the court not to pass any order without hearing its side in connection with the ED raids against I-PAC. In Thursday, the ED conducted raids at I-PAC office and its head Pratik Jain's residence in Kolkata in connection with a coal smuggling case. However, during the raids, Mamata Banerjee reached the spot and allegedly removed some documents. While Miss Banerjee claimed that the documents were related to her party, the ED alleged she removed evidence. Following the raids, both the ED and I-PAC head Pratik Jain moved the Calcutta High Court separately. Later, two FIRs were registered against the ED's raids at Jain’s residence at Loudon Street and I-PAC’s office at Salt Lake. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police today reached the residence of Pratik Jain to identify ED officials and CRPF personnel invovled in Thursday's raids. The police checked the footage of CCTV cameras installed at Mr Jain's residence and recorded statements of the family members. Six injured after private aircraft crash-lands in Odisha: Bhubaneswar: Six people, including two pilots of a six-seater private aircraft, were injured today afternoon after it crash-landed in an agriculture field at Jalda near Rourkela steel city in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, said officials on Saturday. The aircraft which was flying from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela made a forced landing after it developed a technical snag. All six persons, including the pilots, are now undergoing treatment in JP Hospital, Rourkela. The District Administration including the Collector and SP are closely monitoring the situation. GOLD G LOANS WITH THE FREEDOM TO REPAY, YOUR WAY! 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