Tortured couple seeks SDO’s help
Subhro Maitra TNN
Malda: Repeated ‘torture’ by their son forced an aged couple in Malda to seek the administration’s help on Wednesday. Not only had Prasanta Choudhury (60) and his wife Niva (56) become a burden for their three children, one of their sons would allegedly even beat them up if his demands for money or jewellery were not met. Choudhury, a resident of Bachamari Colony of Old Malda, was a small-time trader. He has two sons and a daughter. After daughter Pritikana’s marriage, Prasanta used to live with his two sons — Prabhat and Pradip. As his failing health stopped him from running the business, Choudhury bought a cow. Apart from the income from selling the milk, the only other source of income was Niva’s occasional job as a midwife. However, her age put a stop to that, too. Meanwhile, the elder son, Prabhat, got married to a local girl, Chameli, and took over his father’s trade of selling ‘papad’. Soon, he separated himself from his parents and his younger brother followed in his footsteps. But separation did not stop Prabhat from demanding money from his parents. He would allegedly come to his parents’ house regularly and threaten them if his demands were not met. “Prabhat and his wife would often come and demand money from us. They even threatened to take away the cow, our only source of income,” said a weeping Choudhury. But the worst was yet to come. On Monday, Prabhat and his wife allegedly broke into his parents’ house and demanded gold jewellery from his mother. On being refused, Prabhat even beat up his father and Niva, too, was injured as she tried to save him. The hapless couple went to local RSP leader Sarbananda Pandey, who took them to the subdivisional officer. “It is inhuman to torture such an old couple, and in this case, they are their parents. We certainly could not accept it,” said Pandey. SDO Prakash Pal said an inquiry has been ordered. “If the complaint is proved true, the son could get severe punishment under the recently passed Maintenance and Welfare of the Parents and Senior Citizens Act,” he said.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Two cops suspended for shielding rape accused
CRIME IN UNIFORM
Two cops suspended for shielding rape accused
Malda
: Two police officers were suspended on Sunday for allegedly trying to shield a CPM panchayat leader from Ratua accused of rape.
Instead of arresting Sheikh Sanaullah, the accused, OC Dilip Mahanto and ASI Dilip Roy allegedly called an arbitration meeting at Pukhuria police outpost and tried to thrash out a mutual settlement. “They did not arrest the accused or take the victim for medical tests. They were out to shield the CPM leader,” said Malda
SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay after suspending the duo.
Sources said on February 18, Sanaullah, a member of Sambalpur panchayat, allegedly raped a minor girl in Ramchandrapur village under Ratua PS. The girl’s father, a peasant, lodged a complaint at Pukhuria police outpost the same day. But police allegedly did not take action against Sanaullah.
According to the girl’s father, Mahanto, Sanaullah and some other CPM leaders were present the arbitration meeting called on February 19.
“The council decided that the accused would pay a compensation of Rs 30,000 for the rape, of which Rs 20,000 would go to my daughter and Rs 10,000 would be given to the police,” the girl’s father said.
He brought the crime to the notice of Ratua OC Biswajit Roy. “He asked me to lodge an FIR. By then, Sanaullah had fled,” the farmer said. Getting the complaint, the SP ordered an inquiry, which found the policemen guilty.
CPM district secretary Jiban Maitra said: “We never extend support to such people. The party shall take action against him.”
: Two police officers were suspended on Sunday for allegedly trying to shield a CPM panchayat leader from Ratua accused of rape. Instead of arresting Sheikh Sanaullah, the accused, OC Dilip Mahanto and ASI Dilip Roy allegedly called an arbitration meeting at Pukhuria police outpost and tried to thrash out a mutual settlement. “They did not arrest the accused or take the victim for medical tests. They were out to shield the CPM leader,” said Malda
SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay after suspending the duo. Sources said on February 18, Sanaullah, a member of Sambalpur panchayat, allegedly raped a minor girl in Ramchandrapur village under Ratua PS. The girl’s father, a peasant, lodged a complaint at Pukhuria police outpost the same day. But police allegedly did not take action against Sanaullah.
According to the girl’s father, Mahanto, Sanaullah and some other CPM leaders were present the arbitration meeting called on February 19.
“The council decided that the accused would pay a compensation of Rs 30,000 for the rape, of which Rs 20,000 would go to my daughter and Rs 10,000 would be given to the police,” the girl’s father said.
He brought the crime to the notice of Ratua OC Biswajit Roy. “He asked me to lodge an FIR. By then, Sanaullah had fled,” the farmer said. Getting the complaint, the SP ordered an inquiry, which found the policemen guilty.
CPM district secretary Jiban Maitra said: “We never extend support to such people. The party shall take action against him.”
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Malda cop caught seeking bribe
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: An officer of Manikchak police station was allegedly caught demanding a bribe from an accused in return for removing his name from a case. The accused apparently recorded the entire conversation on his cellphone and handed it over to the SP. The latter has ordered an inquiry and assured that the guilty officer would be punished. The officer rubbished the allegations. “It is an effort to malign me,” he said. The incident started with Raijuna Biwi of village Chowki Mirdadpur under Dharampur panchayat lodging a complaint against Baijul Haque, a Congress worker. She alleged that a mob led by Baijul had attacked her house a month ago. A case was registered against 11 persons. Baijul sought the help of local Congress MLA Sabitri Mitra. He rubbished the charges and claimed he had been framed. On Friday, Baijul and Mitra tried to meet the SP, but could not do so. So, Baijul called investigating officer Bikash Bhadra instead. Bhadra allegedly told him his name would be removed if he paid Rs 10,000. However, unknown to the officer, Baijul recorded the conversation in his mobile and handed over a CD to the SP on Saturday.
Malda: An officer of Manikchak police station was allegedly caught demanding a bribe from an accused in return for removing his name from a case. The accused apparently recorded the entire conversation on his cellphone and handed it over to the SP. The latter has ordered an inquiry and assured that the guilty officer would be punished. The officer rubbished the allegations. “It is an effort to malign me,” he said. The incident started with Raijuna Biwi of village Chowki Mirdadpur under Dharampur panchayat lodging a complaint against Baijul Haque, a Congress worker. She alleged that a mob led by Baijul had attacked her house a month ago. A case was registered against 11 persons. Baijul sought the help of local Congress MLA Sabitri Mitra. He rubbished the charges and claimed he had been framed. On Friday, Baijul and Mitra tried to meet the SP, but could not do so. So, Baijul called investigating officer Bikash Bhadra instead. Bhadra allegedly told him his name would be removed if he paid Rs 10,000. However, unknown to the officer, Baijul recorded the conversation in his mobile and handed over a CD to the SP on Saturday.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Bird flu scare in S Dinajpur
Bird flu scare in S Dinajpur
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: Residents of South Dinajpur are fearing a bird flu outbreak following the death of hundreds of chickens in the Harirampore block in the past couple of days. About 400 chickens have died in Baromahar village under Bairhatta panchayat in two days. All the dead birds showed symptoms of bird flu. On Sunday, 16 chickens of a villager, Hussein Ali, died. While the reports of the blood samples sent to Bhopal are awaited, the district administration has started making the preliminary arrangements for culling. DM Ashoke Banerjee said: “The blood samples have been sent to the Bhopal laboratory from Belgachia. However, department of Animal Resource has asked us to make all the necessary arrangements for culling. On Monday, 20 more chickens died in Bairhatta.”
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: Residents of South Dinajpur are fearing a bird flu outbreak following the death of hundreds of chickens in the Harirampore block in the past couple of days. About 400 chickens have died in Baromahar village under Bairhatta panchayat in two days. All the dead birds showed symptoms of bird flu. On Sunday, 16 chickens of a villager, Hussein Ali, died. While the reports of the blood samples sent to Bhopal are awaited, the district administration has started making the preliminary arrangements for culling. DM Ashoke Banerjee said: “The blood samples have been sent to the Bhopal laboratory from Belgachia. However, department of Animal Resource has asked us to make all the necessary arrangements for culling. On Monday, 20 more chickens died in Bairhatta.”
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Midday meal distributor moves HC
Subhro Maitra Malda February 11, 2009: Police could not ‘find’ a person whom every one can see ----that was not unique in the state. But such an ‘wanted’ person now filed the case to High Court. Such an incident has startled the district administration as the entire matter involved a huge scam of mid-day meal. Worse, the case might stall the mid-day project which resumed after seven months.
District administration is much embarrassed with one distributor Subhash Pramanik moved to High Court against them alleging that his distributorship was cancelled illegally. Sub Divisional Officer Prakash Pal conceded that Pramanik’s distributorship was cancelled and said, “We are planning to fight the case with our documents.”
It may be recalled that at least 30000 students of 200 odd schools of Manikchak were being deprived of mid-day meal for last seven months.
In fact Subhash Pramanik, the distributor working in this block was caught exchanging the FCI rice with the rotten ones, 'unfit for human consumption'. An enquiry by the Food Supply officials along with the district administration revealed the malpractice back in August 2008.
The inspection revealed that all 3311.99 quintal of rice procured from the FCI was replace by the rotten ones by the distributor midway. If the entire amount is no less than Rs 20 lakh, questions arose for how long this manipulation was going on. It is learnt that Pramanik was in charge for distribution for four years.
Finally FIR was lodged against Pramanik at Manikchak by the then Block Development Officer Sandip Nag in Septembar. It was revealed that Pramanik sold the rice in the open market and replaced with the rotten ones instead. Since then, mid-day meal could not be resumed owing to the absence of distributor.
However, police could not take any action against the erring distributor allegedly owing to Pramanik's political allegiance. Officially, however, police said, “Pramanik was not found.” Apart from political lobbying to the administrators, initiatives were made by the local CPI (M) so that Pramanik would be reinstated as the distributor. However, Pal said, "We are dead against the reinstating of erring distributor", although regarding the Pramanik's not being arrested so far, he refused to comment.
Accordingly, three new distributors were engaged last month and the project began to function. However, Pramanik, undaunted by his previous set back, dared to move High Court with the complaint that he was illegally denied of supplying rice. Although the project is still on, it is feared by a section of administration that the court case might any day stall the mid-day meal project again.
District administration is much embarrassed with one distributor Subhash Pramanik moved to High Court against them alleging that his distributorship was cancelled illegally. Sub Divisional Officer Prakash Pal conceded that Pramanik’s distributorship was cancelled and said, “We are planning to fight the case with our documents.”
It may be recalled that at least 30000 students of 200 odd schools of Manikchak were being deprived of mid-day meal for last seven months.
In fact Subhash Pramanik, the distributor working in this block was caught exchanging the FCI rice with the rotten ones, 'unfit for human consumption'. An enquiry by the Food Supply officials along with the district administration revealed the malpractice back in August 2008.
The inspection revealed that all 3311.99 quintal of rice procured from the FCI was replace by the rotten ones by the distributor midway. If the entire amount is no less than Rs 20 lakh, questions arose for how long this manipulation was going on. It is learnt that Pramanik was in charge for distribution for four years.
Finally FIR was lodged against Pramanik at Manikchak by the then Block Development Officer Sandip Nag in Septembar. It was revealed that Pramanik sold the rice in the open market and replaced with the rotten ones instead. Since then, mid-day meal could not be resumed owing to the absence of distributor.
However, police could not take any action against the erring distributor allegedly owing to Pramanik's political allegiance. Officially, however, police said, “Pramanik was not found.” Apart from political lobbying to the administrators, initiatives were made by the local CPI (M) so that Pramanik would be reinstated as the distributor. However, Pal said, "We are dead against the reinstating of erring distributor", although regarding the Pramanik's not being arrested so far, he refused to comment.
Accordingly, three new distributors were engaged last month and the project began to function. However, Pramanik, undaunted by his previous set back, dared to move High Court with the complaint that he was illegally denied of supplying rice. Although the project is still on, it is feared by a section of administration that the court case might any day stall the mid-day meal project again.
This Madarsa has more Hindus
This madarsa has more Hindus
Subhro Maitra TNN
Malda: Alif..be..te..se… At first glance, there is nothing out of the ordinary about this little girl memorizing Arabic letters in a madarsa. Only that her name is Dipali Burman. And she is not alone — more than six in 10 students in Kasba Mahaso Makhduma High Madrasha are Hindus. This madarsa, quite likely unique in the country, is 10 km east of Raigunj in North Dinajpur. The majority of the 1077 students on the rolls belong to non-Muslim communities. “Over 65% of the students here are Hindus,” said principal Md Golam Mostafa, who has been with the school since its inception in 1975. “Out of the 76 students taking the High Madrasha (equivalent to Plus-II) examination this year, 46 are Hindus,” he added, proudly. Established in the Hindu-majority area of Kamlabari Haat on land donated by Syed Abul Kasem, the madarsa has come a long way over the last three decades. “There were jungles all around, apart from a few huts here and there. When Abdul Kasem and Ansed Ali first talked of setting up the madarsa, many laughed at them,” said Mostafa. But the duo knew they were on the right path and went ahead with the school.
Madarsa a melting pot for cultures
Malda: Over 65% of the students at Kasba Mahaso Makhduma High Madrasha are Hindus. Situated 10 km east of Raigunj in North Dinajpur, the school started in 1975. And it didn’t take long for people to understand its value. Locals, mostly belonging to the Rajbonshi community, had no other place to send their kids for education. The madarsa came as a saviour. If it was a compulsion then, the situation is much different now. There are at least four high schools — Hemtabad HS, Karnajora HS, Banglabari HS and Bahugram HS — nearby but Hindu parents still prefer the madarsa. Those who pass out of this school look nowhere else for their children. One such is Iswar Khan of Kamlabari, an alumnus, whose daughter Mampi is a Class V student of Kasba MM High Madrasha. “We never felt any hesitation while sending our children to this school, nor do we have any problem with the syllabus or teaching,” said Khan. But what do the students feel about pursuing Arabic, which is a compulsory subject? “It is simply another language, no harm in learning it,” said students Rajat Tarafdar and Prabha Sarkar. Arabic teacher Md Ismail Kasem was beaming with pride. “Do you know who got the highest marks in Arabic the last time? It was Dipa Sarkar.”
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
AIIMS Cousin In Raiganj Promises To Be One Of The Best Hospitals In The East
Quality treatment at low cost
AIIMS Cousin In Raiganj Promises To Be One Of The Best Hospitals In The East
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata/Raiganj: With 960 beds, the proposed AIIMS-like hospital in North Dinajpur’s Raiganj is said to be one of the largest hospital-cum-medical colleges not only in the state but also in the eastern region. Facilities like a 100-bed intensive care unit, a trauma care centre and 300-beds for super-speciality and speciality disciplines are something unheard of in this part of the country. But the biggest advantages that patients are likely to enjoy are the cost factor and the quality assurance. For example, bypass surgery at any of the private hospitals costs something between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. At the AIIMS (ALL India Institute of Medical Sciences), the same surgery costs Rs 75,000-80,000. “Most patients can’t afford treatment at private hospitals. In case of gastro-intestinal surgery, the hospital offers a procedure at Rs 40,000. The same at any private hospital, even in Kolkata, will be more than double,” said Sanjay De Bakshi, a gastro-intestinal surgeon. The hospital and medical college will be catering to a huge area comprising the entire North Bengal, including Darjeeling hills, Sikkim and the north-eastern states. Even these states have to depend on Kolkata for treatment. “Once the hospital is ready, nobody from North Bengal will have to come to Kolkata. Though some hospitals have come up in the region, people still flock to Kolkata for treatment. A centrally-controlled autonomous institute has its own advantage,” said Prabir Sur, former director of IPGMER. Work on upgrading Medical College Hospital (MCH) is going on though at a slower pace than the deadline demanded. Viceprincipal Anup Roy admitted that there was a delay in the ongoing construction. “Though we were supposed to complete the construction in a year’s time, that was not possible. The entire building and infrastructure will be ready by this July,” he said. The Centre is spending Rs 100 crore on upgrading the hospital. The upgrading of MCH is nothing compared to what the Centre has planned for Raiganj. Among the disciplines that are likely to come up at the Raiganj hospital — work for which will begin in April 2009 — are neurology (including paediatric neurology) neurosurgery, nephrology, urology, gastro-enterology, cardio-thoracic surgery, an integrated unit for medical, surgical and radiation oncology, trauma care, plastic surgery, ophthalmology and rheumatology. Hepato-biliary and pancreatic surgery is one of the key disciplines on offer at AIIMS. In West Bengal, apart from liver transplant, pancraetic surgeries are carried out, but costs are high. There is also a specialised centre for curing drug dependency. Boost to healthcare What is it? 100-seat medical college and 960-bed hospital Where? Panishala, 10 km from Raiganj Time of completion: 3 years Land required: 100 acre Nature of land: Both government and private owned. The DM said acquisition won’t be a problem Likely to benefit: North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar Problem: Connectivity, as NH-34 is the only road link
AIIMS Cousin In Raiganj Promises To Be One Of The Best Hospitals In The East
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata/Raiganj: With 960 beds, the proposed AIIMS-like hospital in North Dinajpur’s Raiganj is said to be one of the largest hospital-cum-medical colleges not only in the state but also in the eastern region. Facilities like a 100-bed intensive care unit, a trauma care centre and 300-beds for super-speciality and speciality disciplines are something unheard of in this part of the country. But the biggest advantages that patients are likely to enjoy are the cost factor and the quality assurance. For example, bypass surgery at any of the private hospitals costs something between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. At the AIIMS (ALL India Institute of Medical Sciences), the same surgery costs Rs 75,000-80,000. “Most patients can’t afford treatment at private hospitals. In case of gastro-intestinal surgery, the hospital offers a procedure at Rs 40,000. The same at any private hospital, even in Kolkata, will be more than double,” said Sanjay De Bakshi, a gastro-intestinal surgeon. The hospital and medical college will be catering to a huge area comprising the entire North Bengal, including Darjeeling hills, Sikkim and the north-eastern states. Even these states have to depend on Kolkata for treatment. “Once the hospital is ready, nobody from North Bengal will have to come to Kolkata. Though some hospitals have come up in the region, people still flock to Kolkata for treatment. A centrally-controlled autonomous institute has its own advantage,” said Prabir Sur, former director of IPGMER. Work on upgrading Medical College Hospital (MCH) is going on though at a slower pace than the deadline demanded. Viceprincipal Anup Roy admitted that there was a delay in the ongoing construction. “Though we were supposed to complete the construction in a year’s time, that was not possible. The entire building and infrastructure will be ready by this July,” he said. The Centre is spending Rs 100 crore on upgrading the hospital. The upgrading of MCH is nothing compared to what the Centre has planned for Raiganj. Among the disciplines that are likely to come up at the Raiganj hospital — work for which will begin in April 2009 — are neurology (including paediatric neurology) neurosurgery, nephrology, urology, gastro-enterology, cardio-thoracic surgery, an integrated unit for medical, surgical and radiation oncology, trauma care, plastic surgery, ophthalmology and rheumatology. Hepato-biliary and pancreatic surgery is one of the key disciplines on offer at AIIMS. In West Bengal, apart from liver transplant, pancraetic surgeries are carried out, but costs are high. There is also a specialised centre for curing drug dependency. Boost to healthcare What is it? 100-seat medical college and 960-bed hospital Where? Panishala, 10 km from Raiganj Time of completion: 3 years Land required: 100 acre Nature of land: Both government and private owned. The DM said acquisition won’t be a problem Likely to benefit: North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar Problem: Connectivity, as NH-34 is the only road link
Minister finds no doctor
Subhro Maitra Malda February 9: Now minister feels the heat of the govt hospital. Minister of State PHE, Anarul Hoque could not get the treatment at hospital; rather he had to get treatment from a doctor of Railway hospital, and that too at the latter's residence.
The incident took place at Malda last night when Minister felt acute toothache before catching Kolkata bound Darjeeling Mail from Malda. The District Magistrate of Malda Sridhar Ghosh as well as that of North Dinajpur, Sukumar Bhattacharya who too was at Malda, accompanied the Minister to District Hospital. But to their dismay, no dentist was available at that time in the hospital. Even no doctor could be called. Only one surgeon offered treatment. But the patient could not rely on him; rather minister was taken to the residence of Dr S Sinha, a dentist, attached to Railway Hospital. Hoque was treated finally there.
District Magistrate Sridhar Ghosh reacted sharply today. "If a Minister is not getting proper treatment at hospital what can the common people expect from there?" It is learnt that DM asked a clarification from Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH).
CMOH Dr Srikanta Roy, however, justified himself. "We have to run the hospital with the inadequate number of doctors. If I get the letter from DM, I'll certainly want to know the fact from Superintendent of the hospital."
The incident took place at Malda last night when Minister felt acute toothache before catching Kolkata bound Darjeeling Mail from Malda. The District Magistrate of Malda Sridhar Ghosh as well as that of North Dinajpur, Sukumar Bhattacharya who too was at Malda, accompanied the Minister to District Hospital. But to their dismay, no dentist was available at that time in the hospital. Even no doctor could be called. Only one surgeon offered treatment. But the patient could not rely on him; rather minister was taken to the residence of Dr S Sinha, a dentist, attached to Railway Hospital. Hoque was treated finally there.
District Magistrate Sridhar Ghosh reacted sharply today. "If a Minister is not getting proper treatment at hospital what can the common people expect from there?" It is learnt that DM asked a clarification from Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH).
CMOH Dr Srikanta Roy, however, justified himself. "We have to run the hospital with the inadequate number of doctors. If I get the letter from DM, I'll certainly want to know the fact from Superintendent of the hospital."
ADM holding two govt quarters
Subhro Maitra tnn
Malda: A government officer has been occupying two service quarters in different districts for nearly two years now, one for himself and the other for his family. Murshidabad district magistrate who has Pervez Siddique has initiated an inquiry and promised prompt action.
Balai Chand Banerjee, additional executive officer of Malda Zilla Parishad, is currently residing in the government quarter at Ramnagar Kachhari, Malda. But his family still lives at Behrampore Ganga Housing where he was posted as district planning and rural development officer prior to his current posting.
As per the state government rule, an employee cannot hold two quarters at the same time. However, in special cases, permission is granted to an officer to retain the quarter for a short period to facilitate the family's transfer to the new quarter. But a year-and-a-half is too long a period.
Banerjee, whose son is also block development officer of Raninagar, Murshidabad, left his family at Behrampore. Clarifying his position, Banerjee said, "Neither I, nor my son, draw any house rent allowance from the government."
The DM is not willing to listen to such excuses and ordered an enquiry. "If it is seen that some one not staying in the district is holding on to a housing here, I'll take appropriate action," he said.
At the administrative level, action has already been initiated with the family being asked to vacate the quarter at Behrampore. The house has been allotted to district information and cultural officer, Murshidabad.
Malda: A government officer has been occupying two service quarters in different districts for nearly two years now, one for himself and the other for his family. Murshidabad district magistrate who has Pervez Siddique has initiated an inquiry and promised prompt action.
Balai Chand Banerjee, additional executive officer of Malda Zilla Parishad, is currently residing in the government quarter at Ramnagar Kachhari, Malda. But his family still lives at Behrampore Ganga Housing where he was posted as district planning and rural development officer prior to his current posting.
As per the state government rule, an employee cannot hold two quarters at the same time. However, in special cases, permission is granted to an officer to retain the quarter for a short period to facilitate the family's transfer to the new quarter. But a year-and-a-half is too long a period.
Banerjee, whose son is also block development officer of Raninagar, Murshidabad, left his family at Behrampore. Clarifying his position, Banerjee said, "Neither I, nor my son, draw any house rent allowance from the government."
The DM is not willing to listen to such excuses and ordered an enquiry. "If it is seen that some one not staying in the district is holding on to a housing here, I'll take appropriate action," he said.
At the administrative level, action has already been initiated with the family being asked to vacate the quarter at Behrampore. The house has been allotted to district information and cultural officer, Murshidabad.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Bangla man killed in BSF firing
Bangla man killed in BSF firing
Another Cattle Smuggler Injured, Claims He Was Engaged By An Indian
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: A Bangladeshi citizen was shot dead and another injured when BSF personnel fired at least 35 rounds at Sirshi Kalaibari outpost on Monday. The incident took place early in the morning when the Bangladeshis were allegedly smuggling cattle out of India. The body of the man who was shot dead and the injured were handed over to police. P S Tomar, the DIG of BSF (Malda range), said: “It is a major achievement on our part to catch Bangladeshi smugglers along with cattle.” While keeping vigil early on Monday, the BSF jawans of battalion 183 noticed a group of 20-22 persons taking out cattle through the unfenced border of Shirshi under Habibpur police station. When they tried to stop them, the smugglers suddenly opened fire. In fact, firing also started from across the border. In retaliation, BSF started firing as well, which killed one of the smugglers and injured another. BSF recovered six cattle while the rest crossed the border. The smuggler’s body was brought to Malda district hospital. “We’ll hold a meeting with BDR and hand over the body,” said Tomar. The injured man said his name is Mohammad Safiqul and he is a resident of Bholahat in Bangladesh. He was first taken to Bulbulchandi Hospital and later, referred to Malda. He was shot in the leg. “This was the first time I was trying to smuggle cattle. I had been engaged for Rs 200 by an Indian,” he said from his hospital bed. Safiqul revealed that 32 cattle in all were to be taken to Bangladesh. SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay said: “We hope to get some vital clues after interrogating Safiqul.” The rising demand of beef in Bangladesh is apparently leading to a rise in cattle smuggling from India. And, it is being allegedly aided by none other than Bangladesh Rifles. A huge racket, allegedly involving even political leaders, is operating in this smuggling business. On January 8, a huge clash had broken out between BSF and smugglers when at least 18 camels were being smuggled to Bangladesh. Exchange of fire between BSF and smugglers had killed three camels while two had been injurd.
Another Cattle Smuggler Injured, Claims He Was Engaged By An Indian
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: A Bangladeshi citizen was shot dead and another injured when BSF personnel fired at least 35 rounds at Sirshi Kalaibari outpost on Monday. The incident took place early in the morning when the Bangladeshis were allegedly smuggling cattle out of India. The body of the man who was shot dead and the injured were handed over to police. P S Tomar, the DIG of BSF (Malda range), said: “It is a major achievement on our part to catch Bangladeshi smugglers along with cattle.” While keeping vigil early on Monday, the BSF jawans of battalion 183 noticed a group of 20-22 persons taking out cattle through the unfenced border of Shirshi under Habibpur police station. When they tried to stop them, the smugglers suddenly opened fire. In fact, firing also started from across the border. In retaliation, BSF started firing as well, which killed one of the smugglers and injured another. BSF recovered six cattle while the rest crossed the border. The smuggler’s body was brought to Malda district hospital. “We’ll hold a meeting with BDR and hand over the body,” said Tomar. The injured man said his name is Mohammad Safiqul and he is a resident of Bholahat in Bangladesh. He was first taken to Bulbulchandi Hospital and later, referred to Malda. He was shot in the leg. “This was the first time I was trying to smuggle cattle. I had been engaged for Rs 200 by an Indian,” he said from his hospital bed. Safiqul revealed that 32 cattle in all were to be taken to Bangladesh. SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay said: “We hope to get some vital clues after interrogating Safiqul.” The rising demand of beef in Bangladesh is apparently leading to a rise in cattle smuggling from India. And, it is being allegedly aided by none other than Bangladesh Rifles. A huge racket, allegedly involving even political leaders, is operating in this smuggling business. On January 8, a huge clash had broken out between BSF and smugglers when at least 18 camels were being smuggled to Bangladesh. Exchange of fire between BSF and smugglers had killed three camels while two had been injurd.
Monday, February 2, 2009
CPM slams police for 'inaction'
CPM slams police for ‘inaction’
Subhro Maitra TNN
Malda: In a twist of events, the CPM’s Malda unit is on the warpath against police under chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The apparent reason is to put pressure on police who are yet to arrest the culprits involved in the murder of CPM workers. The Malda CPM will take to the streets on this issue from February 3, followed by a similar agitation at Kaliachak as most of the victims are from there. Emulating the Opposition, CPM district secretary Jiban Maitra slammed police for being partisan. “The partisan attitude of the police has made the life of people a misery at Kaliachak. The SP is ignoring our complaints as he is busy acting at the behest of the Congress,” he said. “Law and order is at its worst here. We will launch an agitation against police inaction following the meeting on February 3,” said Maitra. Congress, too, raised its voice against police regarding the January 27 issue at Jadupur under Kaliachak PS. That day, two persons belonging to both Congress and CPM were killed. “At least nine houses of our supporters were torched and about 100 persons made homeless,” said Congress MLA Mousam Noor. “Although we filed an FIR against 25 persons, police did not take action,” she added. Noor vowed to launch a stir from Monday if no steps were taken. Malda SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay, however, rubbished all charges. “We have arrested eight persons and a raid is on to nab the others,” he said.
Subhro Maitra TNN
Malda: In a twist of events, the CPM’s Malda unit is on the warpath against police under chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The apparent reason is to put pressure on police who are yet to arrest the culprits involved in the murder of CPM workers. The Malda CPM will take to the streets on this issue from February 3, followed by a similar agitation at Kaliachak as most of the victims are from there. Emulating the Opposition, CPM district secretary Jiban Maitra slammed police for being partisan. “The partisan attitude of the police has made the life of people a misery at Kaliachak. The SP is ignoring our complaints as he is busy acting at the behest of the Congress,” he said. “Law and order is at its worst here. We will launch an agitation against police inaction following the meeting on February 3,” said Maitra. Congress, too, raised its voice against police regarding the January 27 issue at Jadupur under Kaliachak PS. That day, two persons belonging to both Congress and CPM were killed. “At least nine houses of our supporters were torched and about 100 persons made homeless,” said Congress MLA Mousam Noor. “Although we filed an FIR against 25 persons, police did not take action,” she added. Noor vowed to launch a stir from Monday if no steps were taken. Malda SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay, however, rubbished all charges. “We have arrested eight persons and a raid is on to nab the others,” he said.
Rs 14 lakh missing from ATM
Rs 14 lakh missing from ATM counters
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: State Bank of India has ‘lost’ Rs 14,25,700 from two of its ATMS in Malda over the past few days. On Sunday, the bank lodged a police complaint. Mangal Singh Simit, a branch manager, lodged an FIR with English Bazaar police, saying Rs 14,25,700 was missing from two of its ATMs. After the holidays on January 23, 25 and 26, when the bank reopened on January 27, an anomaly was found in the accounts of two ATMs. Rs 11,12,200 was missing from an ATM counter at Rathbari, and a loss of Rs 3,13,500 from a counter near the main SBI branch beside the Malda Collectorate was also noticed. The two ATMs have been closed since January 27 for inquiries. The bank called an expert from Siliguri, but no clue was found. Now, a team of experts from Mumbai has been called to probe the incident. “We are waiting for the experts coming from Mumbai. Till then, we have to close down the two ATMs. However, the third ATM is running at Jhaljhalia,” said Samir Chakraborty, chief manager of SBI. ASP Kalyan Mukherjee said, “We have got the complaint and will start a probe soon.” He said cash might have been withdrawn from the reserve bin by using a thin wire. “We will look into CCTV footage and question ATM users. We’ll also seek the help of forensic experts,” Mukherjee said. He did not rule out the involvement of bank staff or those of the agency maintaining the ATM.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: State Bank of India has ‘lost’ Rs 14,25,700 from two of its ATMS in Malda over the past few days. On Sunday, the bank lodged a police complaint. Mangal Singh Simit, a branch manager, lodged an FIR with English Bazaar police, saying Rs 14,25,700 was missing from two of its ATMs. After the holidays on January 23, 25 and 26, when the bank reopened on January 27, an anomaly was found in the accounts of two ATMs. Rs 11,12,200 was missing from an ATM counter at Rathbari, and a loss of Rs 3,13,500 from a counter near the main SBI branch beside the Malda Collectorate was also noticed. The two ATMs have been closed since January 27 for inquiries. The bank called an expert from Siliguri, but no clue was found. Now, a team of experts from Mumbai has been called to probe the incident. “We are waiting for the experts coming from Mumbai. Till then, we have to close down the two ATMs. However, the third ATM is running at Jhaljhalia,” said Samir Chakraborty, chief manager of SBI. ASP Kalyan Mukherjee said, “We have got the complaint and will start a probe soon.” He said cash might have been withdrawn from the reserve bin by using a thin wire. “We will look into CCTV footage and question ATM users. We’ll also seek the help of forensic experts,” Mukherjee said. He did not rule out the involvement of bank staff or those of the agency maintaining the ATM.
Rs 14 lakh missing from ATM
Rs 14 lakh missing from ATM counters
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: State Bank of India has ‘lost’ Rs 14,25,700 from two of its ATMS in Malda over the past few days. On Sunday, the bank lodged a police complaint. Mangal Singh Simit, a branch manager, lodged an FIR with English Bazaar police, saying Rs 14,25,700 was missing from two of its ATMs. After the holidays on January 23, 25 and 26, when the bank reopened on January 27, an anomaly was found in the accounts of two ATMs. Rs 11,12,200 was missing from an ATM counter at Rathbari, and a loss of Rs 3,13,500 from a counter near the main SBI branch beside the Malda Collectorate was also noticed. The two ATMs have been closed since January 27 for inquiries. The bank called an expert from Siliguri, but no clue was found. Now, a team of experts from Mumbai has been called to probe the incident. “We are waiting for the experts coming from Mumbai. Till then, we have to close down the two ATMs. However, the third ATM is running at Jhaljhalia,” said Samir Chakraborty, chief manager of SBI. ASP Kalyan Mukherjee said, “We have got the complaint and will start a probe soon.” He said cash might have been withdrawn from the reserve bin by using a thin wire. “We will look into CCTV footage and question ATM users. We’ll also seek the help of forensic experts,” Mukherjee said. He did not rule out the involvement of bank staff or those of the agency maintaining the ATM.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: State Bank of India has ‘lost’ Rs 14,25,700 from two of its ATMS in Malda over the past few days. On Sunday, the bank lodged a police complaint. Mangal Singh Simit, a branch manager, lodged an FIR with English Bazaar police, saying Rs 14,25,700 was missing from two of its ATMs. After the holidays on January 23, 25 and 26, when the bank reopened on January 27, an anomaly was found in the accounts of two ATMs. Rs 11,12,200 was missing from an ATM counter at Rathbari, and a loss of Rs 3,13,500 from a counter near the main SBI branch beside the Malda Collectorate was also noticed. The two ATMs have been closed since January 27 for inquiries. The bank called an expert from Siliguri, but no clue was found. Now, a team of experts from Mumbai has been called to probe the incident. “We are waiting for the experts coming from Mumbai. Till then, we have to close down the two ATMs. However, the third ATM is running at Jhaljhalia,” said Samir Chakraborty, chief manager of SBI. ASP Kalyan Mukherjee said, “We have got the complaint and will start a probe soon.” He said cash might have been withdrawn from the reserve bin by using a thin wire. “We will look into CCTV footage and question ATM users. We’ll also seek the help of forensic experts,” Mukherjee said. He did not rule out the involvement of bank staff or those of the agency maintaining the ATM.
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