Kolkata, Sep 26 (PTI) Following are PTI's top stories

Following are PTI's top stories from the eastern region at 9 pm. CAL6 BH-CONG-GRAND ALLIANCE Crisis deepens in Grand Alliance in Bihar with Congress upping the ante Patna: Crisis deepened in the opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar on Thursday with the Congress state unit coming out in favour of fielding its own strong candidates in all the five assembly seats where by-polls are scheduled next month.

CAL8 CBI-NARADA-2NDLD ARREST IPS officer held, CBI makes first arrest in Narada sting case Kolkata: The CBI on Thursday arrested senior IPS officer SMH Mirza in the Narada tapes scandal, the first apprehension in the case since the footages surfaced in 2016, an agency official said. CAL9 WB-COURT-BOMB THREAT Security beefed up at Calcutta High Court after bomb threat Kolkata: Security has been tightened at the Calcutta High Court, after a letter threatened of multiple bomb blasts inside its buildings on September 30, Registrar General Rabindranath Samanta said on Thursday.

LGC1 JH-HC-EKKA Former Jharkhand minister gets bail in kidnap, murder case Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday granted bail to former minister Enos Ekka, who is in jail after being convicted in a case of kidnap and murder of a para-teacher. LGC2 WB-HC-RAJEEV KUMAR Rajeev Kumar's counsels conclude arguments in pre- arrest bail plea, CBI starts making submissions Kolkata: The CBI on Thursday started making submissions against former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar's anticipatory bail plea in the Saradha chit fund scam case after the IPS officer's lawyers concluded their arguments in favour of the prayer.

LGC4 WB-HC-ECIGARETTES Firm says decision to ban e-cigarettes 'discriminatory', challenges it in Calcutta HC Kolkata: A city-based electronic cigarette wholesale company on Thursday moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the Centre's decision to ban such alternative smoking devices, terming it is arbitrary, discriminatory, excessive and drastic. CES7 OD-EMPLOYEES Odisha govt to prematurely retire employees of doubtful integrity Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has decided to go for premature retirement of employees of doubtful integrity or inefficiency from public service to ensure efficiency in administration, an official said on Thursday.

CES9 JH-DROUGHT 10 districts in J'khand declared drought-hit Ranchi: The Centre has declared ten of the 24 districts in Jharkhand as drought-affected, two weeks after the state sought the tag for the entire state in the wake of deficit rainfall, an official statement said here. CES14 AS-EXCISE-ACCIDENT Dumper hits car carrying Assam excise officials, 3 killed Golaghat: Two officials of the Excise Department and a policeman were killed and four others injured when the vehicle carrying them collided with a dumper in Assam's Golaghat district, officials said here on Thursday.

CES15 TR-GANGRAPE Woman gangraped in moving vehicle, thrown out Agartala: A woman was gangraped in a moving vehicle here while returning home after visiting her ailing six-year- old daughter in Agartala Medical College and was thrown out on a road in the town at around midnight by her tormentors before fleeing, a police official said on Thursday. CES19 OD-HONOUR KILLING 17-yr-old girl strangled to death in suspected honour killing Berhampur: A 43-year-old man of Odisha's Ganjam district was arrested for allegedly strangling his teen-aged daughter to death in a case of suspected honour killing, police said on Thursday..