Alleged exorcism in heart of Kolkata
A case of alleged exorcism was reported from the heart of the city in Gariahat, where a teenaged girl was held down by a middle-aged man in a temple courtyard and rituals related to exorcism were performed on her to “remove evils”. While a complaint was lodged by a witness, police claimed the girl suffered from a “mental disorder”, and no case was filed as the police claimed the girl had stated that she did not have any complaint against the accused.
Kolkata Police gives self-defence training to women
Amid increasing cases of molestation in the city, Kolkata Police has started providing self-defence training to women in a five-day workshop named Tejaswini which began on May 19. The participants will be given basic self-defence training by black belt holders in martial arts. In a Facebook post, Kolkata Police invited young women from across the city to join the training programme. The police’s existing Sukanya Project teaches self-defence techniques to school and college students, but through this workshop it is attempting to reach out to all sections of society.
Watermelon’s the new fad
With a rise in mercury levels despite downpours in the evenings, watermelon juice has become the new fad for city residents, who have shunned hot momos and are depending more on fluids to keep themselves hydrated. Some are taking the fad to the next level by adding vodka to their watermelon juice as a homemade cocktail for a tipsy evening after a hard day’s work in the heat.
New Town getting Metro station
Construction on New Town metro station in the Airport-New Garia metro phase has begun, and traffic curbs have been imposed near the Rajarhat Expressway junction. With the metro rakes for the East-West metro phase reaching the city from Bengaluru and work on the phase nearing completion, the focus has now shifted to the Airport-New Garia phase.
Aishik Chanda
Our correspondent in West Bengal
chanda.aishik@gmail.com