At least five deaths have been reported from different parts of West Bengal since results of the assembly election were declared on Monday, 4 May. The latest casualty is BJP leader and a front runner for the chief minister’s post Suvendu Adhikari’s executive assistant, who was shot dead around 10.20 pm on Wednesday while returning home to Barasat in North 24-Parganas. TMC has claimed three of its workers were killed in the first 48 hours after the counting.

On Wednesday, DGP Siddh Nath Gupta briefed the media and confirmed that a total of 200 FIRs had been registered regarding post-poll incidents, leading to the arrest of 433 individuals.

“Since 4 May, after the announcement of results, there have been incidents of violence, including threats, assaults, and intimidation. We have detained more than 1,100 people under preventive measures,” he said, adding that there have been reports of violence and assault since Wednesday morning.

Gupta confirmed two deaths related to post-poll violence – one at Nanoor and another at New Town, Rajarhat on the outskirts of Kolkata. “We are investigating both cases. We have been able to arrest those involved in these two murders,” he said.

Responding to allegations made by Trinamool Congress that BJP workers had unleashed the violence, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya had said that internal squabbles within TMC were responsible for the violence. Trinamool workers were misusing BJP’s flags, he alleged, while engaging in violence. “TMC is attacking TMC…," he was quoted as saying.

There are indications that a section of TMC workers, out of fear or otherwise, have overnight changed colours and switched their loyalty. Visuals of policemen and state government employees dancing while shouting slogans of Jai Shri Ram have been circulating.

A state government employee, a Left Front supporter, confided that he had been advised by colleagues to lie low and shout JSR slogans in order to escape attention to his political affiliation. Doubts are also being expressed over the possibility of people settling personal scores and local business rivals using the turmoil after the election to vandalise property of competitors.

However, the role of the CAPF too has come under increasing scrutiny as visuals of the CAPF standing by while mobs resort to violence have also been circulating. The armed troops seem to be under instructions not to intervene.

With the Election Commission having sidelined local police in the run up to the elections, the authority of the police appears to have collapsed. This would explain the use of a bulldozer to demolish a TMC office outside the Hogg market known as the New Market in central Kolkata, a stone’s throw from the police headquarters.

Several incidents of violence and vandalism have been recorded in the state over the last three days. Some of them are the following:

• Several youths scaled a decorative gateway arch of Masjid Bari Road in Barasat’s Nabapally area, broke off the letterings, and replaced them with a hoarding reading “Netaji Pally”

• A park named Siraj Udyan in Champadali, Barasat, was also ‘renamed’ as Shibaji Udyan

• Saffron-clad BJP workers approached a biryani shop located next to a temple in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, and asked the staff to move the shop elsewhere

• BJP workers stormed into and vandalised the Lalbagh Eidgah in Murshidabad. In a video circulating online, saffron-clad workers can be seen aggressively breaking a tin barricade and forcing their way into the field amid chants of “Jai Shi Ram”

• Shops of Muslim fruit vendors in Uluberia were targeted Muslim-owned shops were vandalised.

• In Dinhata, a ‘Bengal Taj Mahal selfie point’ was vandalised & burnt by a mob chanting “Tel lagake Babur ka, Naam mitado Babur ka”

• At Jiaganj in north Bengal, a statue of Lenin was broken and dislodged

• Several TMC leaders, workers and outgoing ministers were heckled, manhandled and thrashed in different parts of the state

• In a free-for-all, party offices of the TMC across the state are being taken over by other parties, including non-BJP parties.

More than a dozen residents of a housing society in Mathura fell ill with diarrhoea after allegedly consuming contaminated water supplied from an overhead tank, officials said on Thursday.

The incident was reported from Krishna Lok Housing Society, located along the Delhi-Agra highway opposite the Jait Police Station.

Residents, including children and elderly people, complained of stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea on Wednesday, prompting authorities to rush medical teams to the area.

Chief medical officer Dr Radha Vallabh said doctors from a nearby community health centre were immediately deployed after complaints began pouring in from the housing complex.

A specialised epidemiology team from the district headquarters later visited the society, examined the affected residents and distributed medicines.

Officials said the condition of all patients has since improved and the situation is now under control.

A preliminary investigation pointed to poor maintenance and irregular cleaning of the overhead water tank by the housing society management as the likely cause of contamination.

During the inspection, health officials reportedly found bird droppings, monkey waste and insects inside the tank, raising concerns over serious hygiene lapses that triggered the spread of infection among residents.

With PTI inputs

Tension gripped parts of West Bengal’s North 24-Parganas district on Thursday after a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead, prompting heightened security measures and political recriminations just days after the assembly election results.

Police deployed additional personnel across Madhyamgram, Doharia and adjoining areas following protests by BJP supporters demanding the swift arrest of those responsible for the killing.

Senior officers appealed for calm, saying security had been reinforced in sensitive pockets to prevent any escalation.

“We are maintaining strict surveillance in vulnerable areas and have deployed extra forces. People should not pay attention to rumours,” a senior West Bengal Police officer said.

The victim, identified as Chandranath Rath, was gunned down on Wednesday night in what BJP leaders described as a “targeted assassination”.

According to preliminary police findings, Rath was travelling near Doltala in Madhyamgram at around 10.30 pm when motorcycle-borne attackers allegedly intercepted his vehicle, forced it to halt and opened fire before escaping.

The incident triggered outrage among BJP workers, who accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of fostering a climate of political violence in the aftermath of the fiercely contested polls.

“We want the killers arrested immediately. Rath was travelling in a vehicle linked to the Leader of the Opposition and was deliberately targeted. People are living in fear,” a local BJP worker said.

Another supporter called for a central agency investigation, alleging that criminals were operating unchecked in the state.

Police said raids were being conducted at several locations and CCTV footage from nearby areas was being scrutinised to identify the assailants.

“No one involved will be spared. The investigation is being treated as a priority,” an officer said.

The killing, which came two days after the declaration of the assembly election results, has intensified the political confrontation between the BJP and the TMC. While the BJP accused the ruling party of unleashing retaliatory attacks on opposition workers, the TMC countered by alleging that its own supporters had also been targeted in violence across several districts.

With PTI inputs

Madhyamgram was shaken on Wednesday late night after Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in what police believe was a planned attack near Doharia in North 24-Parganas. Rath, a former Indian Air Force (IAF) man from Chandipur in East Medinipur, had long been part of Suvendu Adhikari’s inner circle and had continued to work with him even after Adhikari moved from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP.

Police said Rath was travelling in a Scorpio vehicle when motorcycle-borne attackers intercepted the car and opened fire at close range. The driver of the vehicle was also injured and is now receiving treatment in Kolkata, while Rath was declared dead after being rushed to a private hospital. Investigators have also seized a vehicle linked to the case and said the number plate appears to be fake.

Suvendu Adhikari reached the hospital soon after the attack, and several BJP leaders and workers gathered there through the night. Among those present were Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, Arjun Singh, Samik Bhattacharya, Agnimitra Paul, Rudranil Ghosh, Kaustav Bagchi, Shankar Chatterjee and Vijay Ojha. Outside the hospital, BJP supporters staged protests and blocked parts of the area, demanding immediate action.

The BJP quickly turned the killing into a political attack, with senior leaders openly pointing fingers at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress condemned the murder and demanded a CBI investigation under court supervision. In its statement, the party said it “Strongly condemn the brutal murder of Chandranath Rath” and also referred to the deaths of three TMC workers in post-poll violence, while insisting that political killings have no place in a democracy. The statement also said, “We demand a proper investigation so that those responsible are brought to justice.”

BJP leader Arjun Singh alleged that the killing was executed with precision by trained assailants, claiming it appeared to be the work of a “professional assassin”. He further alleged that a staff officer linked to Abhishek Banerjee was involved in the incident.

BJP spokesperson Sankudeb Panda also said the murder was pre-planned and suggested that the attackers had carried out proper reconnaissance before striking. He said, “This was not random. Someone watched his movements and acted only after planning everything carefully.”

The party leaders have also accused elements linked to the Trinamool Congress of being behind the attack, with some workers even naming Rathin Ghosh, the newly elected TMC MLA from Madhyamgram.

Senior police officer and West Bengal DG, Siddinath Gupta, visited both the crime scene and the hospital. He said “A four-wheeler used in the crime had been seized, that the registration plate is suspected to be fake, and that bullets and spent cartridges have been recovered from the spot.”

Gupta said, “An investigation is underway, and we are examining CCTV footage. At this stage, we cannot disclose further details.” Police sources say the attack appears premeditated, with evidence suggesting Rath may have been followed before being intercepted.

Rath’s wife, speaking to police officials, expressed her anguish in stark terms and demanded, “I know I will never get my husband back. But I want to know who did this. I want justice.”

Chandranath Rath’s background had long tied him to the world of politics. Born in Chandipur on 11 August 1984, he studied at Rahara Ramakrishna Mission before joining the Indian Air Force, and later left service after 18 years.

He then worked in the corporate sector before becoming Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, first in the Water Resources department and later in the BJP leader’s office after Adhikari became Leader of the Opposition. His mother, Hasi Rath, was also active in local politics and later joined the BJP, reflecting the family’s long political association.

The killing has left the political atmosphere tense, with BJP workers alleging a wider conspiracy and police racing to establish the exact sequence of events. For now, one thing is clear: Chandranath Rath’s death has become the latest flashpoint in Bengal’s bitter political battle.

PUTRAJAYA, May 7 — The outcome of applications for admission into public universities (UA), public higher education institutions (IPTA) and the MARA Higher Education Division (MARA BPT) for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia holders will be announced on May 22, said the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).

It said the results for certificate, foundation and diploma-level admissions for the 2026/2027 Academic Session can be checked from 12 noon on that date until 5pm on May 31, 2026.

The results can be checked online via https://upu.mohe.gov.my or the UPUPocket mobile application on smartphones or through the MyGov mobile application.

“Offers for places for the 2026/2027 Academic Session are final, and any application to change study programmes at UA, IPTA and MARA BPT will not be allowed,” MOHE said in a statement today.

“Acceptance of offers is open from May 23 to 31, 2026, via the websites of the UA, IPTA and MARA BPT, while official offer letters will be issued to successful applicants beginning May 23 after candidates confirm acceptance within the stipulated period,” it said.

The ministry said only unsuccessful applicants or those offered certificate-level programmes may submit appeals through UPU Online within 10 days, from 12 noon on May 22 until 5pm on May 31.

It added that appeals to community colleges may be submitted directly to the respective institutions without going through UPUOnline.

“The appeal selection policy is subject to the availability of places offered under the respective study programmes after the registration of new students has been completed,” it said. — Bernama

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PETALING JAYA, May 7 — Selangor FC holds a slim advantage heading into the away leg after defeating Vietnamese representative Nam Dinh FC 2-1 in the first leg of the 2025/2026 Asean Club Championship (ACC) semi-final at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Stadium last night.

This result means that the “Red Giants” squad, coached by Kim Pan Gon, must at least maintain their momentum and avoid defeat in the return leg at Thien Truong Stadium in Vietnam next Wednesday to confirm their place in the final.

Both teams displayed energetic performances from the opening whistle, but Selangor controlled the game more effectively and created several early opportunities that tested the visitors’ defence.

Selangor’s opening goal came in the 37th minute when a low cross from Quentin Cheng was successfully finished by Chrigor Moraes to put the hosts in front.

However, Nam Dinh managed to equalise when Van Vi Nguyen scored towards the end of the first half, making it 1-1 before both teams headed to their respective dressing rooms.

Once the second half resumed, Selangor reorganised their rhythm by increasing the intensity of their attacks and Moraes proved decisive once again, scoring his second goal in the 58th minute with a chip shot after receiving an accurate pass from Quentin.

Nam Dinh attempted to fight back in search of an equaliser through several quick counter-attacks, but Selangor’s defensive line remained disciplined, closing down the space and absorbing the pressure until the final whistle. — Bernama