Prithvijit Mitra & Subhro Maitra | TNN
Karandighi (North Dinajpur): Her head covered with a veil, she treads gingerly through the ruins of her hut, guiding her siblings — a dozen of them — like a protective mother hen. Even as they run around, tugging at the bamboo poles of the hut felled by the tornado on Tuesday night, 16-year-old Mamera Khatun huddles them together and leads them to her grandfather’s house at the other end of Haldibari village. Their mother Rabeya Khatun was buried under the hut with their youngest sister Arifa, who was just-one-and-half.
Theirs is just one of the 400 huts flattened by the killer tornado in Haldibari of Karandighi block. It has left nearly 1,000 homeless in this North Dinajpur village, inhabited largely by Muslims. But none faces as uncertain a future as Mamera and her siblings. Deserted by their father Ismail Sheikh, the family made ends meet by tying bidis. Rabeya was assisted by Mamera and younger sister Nadira. The three made around Rs 80 a day, hardly enough to feed the 15-member family. Neighbours and grandparents helped. Often they had to skip meals.
On Tuesday night, the children had taken shelter in the village mosque while Rabeya hid under the bed with little Arifa in her lap. The roof collapsed on them, killing both on the spot. Rabeya was pregnant. With Rabeya dead, the family income is set to drop further. This is nothing short of a calamity for Mamera who now has to fend for her minor siblings.
It’s a daunting task that would unsettle most teenagers, but Mamera displays a maturity far beyond her age. She has already been talking to village elders, seeking information on how to augment income by working with self-help groups. “I am not going to let my brothers and sisters grow up on charity. They are not old enough to earn, so I have to work hard. I don’t even expect my grandfather to help us. And I am certainly not going to let my father take charge,” Mamera declared proudly.
While 15-year-old Nadira nods her head in agreement, the rest are still too young to gauge the seriousness of the situation. Villagers fear they might take to the wrong path, lured by the prospect of easy money.
“Rabeya had suffered all her life and we can only hope that Mamera manages to pull through the crisis. There is little else that we can do for the family,” said Harej Ali, a village elder.
Till Thursday evening, no relief had reached Haldibari. The only primary school in the vicinity was too small to accommodate the 1,000-odd, who have been left without a roof. With the land not fertile enough, people depend on tying bidi or work as labourers in cities. A thousand bidis earn them Rs 65 a day, but contractors claim a substantial chunk. “This tornado can’t leave us poorer and more miserable than we already were. It has just made us homeless now. But if you don’t have enough to eat, what difference does a roof or its absence makes?” asked Barjahan Sheik, Mamera’s grandfather.
But Mamera isn’t ready to give up yet. Like her siblings she has never been to a school in her life. “But if studying helps, I am ready to start learning. I know I can do it,” she said, gathering the pieces of bamboo poles and straws that have been left strewn all over the place where her hut stood till a night ago....published in TOI on 16.04.2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Storm-struck begin new year amid ruins
Prithvijit Mitra & Subhro Maitra | TNN
Raiganj: Residents of Mehendigram in Raiganj block had gathered at the thakurdalan — the centre of the village — for its annual bash on Tuesday evening. It had started with a musical programme and was to end with a feast, the ritual for Dham puja observed a day before Nabo Borsho.
Villagers, mostly Rajbanshis, had been gearing up to end the day with a sumptuous meal of mutton curry and rice when the wind began to whistle through the trees. Before they knew it, the wind had turned into a gale. Within minutes, it took the form of a furious tornado.
Standing helplessly under the only concrete shed in the hamlet, villagers watched their huts being flattened by a swirling, monstrous column of dust that spun viciously. It rushed aimlessly from one end of the village to the other, razing everything on its path. Tin sheds were flung hundred yards away, mud walls were blown into pieces and trees uprooted by the dozen. By the time it ended, around midnight, Mehendigram resembled an ancient ruin. Villagers rushed back to salvage belongings that had been hurled away by the killer wind. But the bash had saved their lives.
There was one casualty. Fiftythree-year-old Magni Rajbanshi, who had stayed back home to look after her grandchildren, was buried under the asbestos roof of her hut.
The death toll in Bengal from Tuesday’s tornado has increased to 42. It includes 15 children, and 24 women. Around 2 lakh have been rendered homeless by the tornado that raged through the Raiganj, Karandighi, Hemtabad, Kaliaganj and Goalpokhor-2 blocks....published in TOI on 16.4.2010
Raiganj: Residents of Mehendigram in Raiganj block had gathered at the thakurdalan — the centre of the village — for its annual bash on Tuesday evening. It had started with a musical programme and was to end with a feast, the ritual for Dham puja observed a day before Nabo Borsho.
Villagers, mostly Rajbanshis, had been gearing up to end the day with a sumptuous meal of mutton curry and rice when the wind began to whistle through the trees. Before they knew it, the wind had turned into a gale. Within minutes, it took the form of a furious tornado.
Standing helplessly under the only concrete shed in the hamlet, villagers watched their huts being flattened by a swirling, monstrous column of dust that spun viciously. It rushed aimlessly from one end of the village to the other, razing everything on its path. Tin sheds were flung hundred yards away, mud walls were blown into pieces and trees uprooted by the dozen. By the time it ended, around midnight, Mehendigram resembled an ancient ruin. Villagers rushed back to salvage belongings that had been hurled away by the killer wind. But the bash had saved their lives.
There was one casualty. Fiftythree-year-old Magni Rajbanshi, who had stayed back home to look after her grandchildren, was buried under the asbestos roof of her hut.
The death toll in Bengal from Tuesday’s tornado has increased to 42. It includes 15 children, and 24 women. Around 2 lakh have been rendered homeless by the tornado that raged through the Raiganj, Karandighi, Hemtabad, Kaliaganj and Goalpokhor-2 blocks....published in TOI on 16.4.2010
People tossed about like toys, homes smashed to bits
TWISTER CUTS TERROR TRAIL
Subhro Maitra | TNN
Kulik (Raiganj): In the dead of night, they stood on a deserted highway, clutching each other by the waist, some tying gamchhas around one another in a desperate live-together-die-together bid. None of them had any hope of seeing the sun rise. When huge trees were being smashed like toothpicks, what chance did a few shivering men and women stand?
The tornado tore into them, lifting them off the ground. After brief seconds of terror, their screams drowned in the roaring wind, their feet would touch the earth. Then, the horror would start all over again.
All around them, tin roofs, branches and debris flew about like missiles. Suddenly, everything stopped. The wind vanished. The nightmare had lasted 45 minutes. Now, they have to battle its scars.
In Forest Para (so named because it is next to the biggest bird sanctuary in Bengal), the freak storm that lashed three states and killed at least 107 people at midnight on Tuesday, smashed everything around. Luckily, it killed none here. Fifty km away, in Bazar Gaon, nine people died and around 50 are still missing. No one knows where the tornado blew them away.
The storm struck when most people were outdoors, thanks to the unbearable heat. Seventy-year-old Nathni Mahato remembers smiling as the first cold gust of wind hit his face at 11.30pm. “Within seconds, I realized it was not a gentle night breeze. The wind came roaring in. It was unbelievably strong and seemed to pluck me up. I rushed into my hut to wake up my wife,” Nathni told TOI on Wednesday, standing amid the ruins of what was once his hut.
In the few seconds it took for him to reach his shanty, the wind was already tearing up everything inside. His wife cowered, terrified. Together, they battled their way out. “There was not even a second to pick up any valuables or even money. We heard a rending noise. The roof was torn off the rafters and blown away. We couldn’t believe our eyes. Then, we heard one loud noise after another,” said Nathni. It was the sound of trees crashing. “I screamed, but no sound came out. I have never been so terrified.”
A large tree tottered and slammed against an electricity tower. They both crashed. In an instant, the lights went out. In the darkness, there was only the sound of trees being wrenched from their roots, huts being smashed and people screaming.
They all ran to NH-34. In the lightning flashes, Nathni saw his hut pounded to nothing. “There was a forest bungalow nearby but going there meant risking being crushed under a falling tree. We tied ourselves to each other and prayed.”
Around the same time, Subhankar Sengupta, deputy field director of Buxa Tiger Reserve, was closing in on Raiganj on his way to Kolkata. “I have seen many a storm, but none like this. It started as a blinding sandstorm and quickly turned into a tornado. Our SUV was lifted off the ground. We could see branches twisting and flying around. Tin sheets slammed into our vehicle. It was a nightmare,” he said.
In Bazar Gaon of Karandighi, the worst affected block in the thunderstorm, every hut was levelled to the ground. “Eight or nine of our people died. It struck out of the blue. One moment we were cursing the heat and the next we were fleeing for our lives. People were lifted off their feet and hurled about like toys,” said 63-year-old Md Abdul Salam. Hundreds of villagers packed into the only pucca building around, a high school. “At daybreak, we went back to see our lives utterly devastated,” said Salam.
In Tunivita, between Forest Para and Bazar Gaon, divine intervention saved the 80-odd families. Most of them were out attending Manasa Gaan — a concert of devotional songs — when the storm struck. “Had we been sleeping, many of us would have died,” said Omar Farooq. “I left my house for the concert. Fifteen minutes later, when I staggered back in the thunderstorm, it was gone. The whole house had vanished.”
Only Kartik Biswas’ family had not gone to the programme. The villagers found the 70-year-old paralysis patient, his wife and children trapped under their collapsed house. They were rescued badly injured.
Subhro Maitra | TNN
Kulik (Raiganj): In the dead of night, they stood on a deserted highway, clutching each other by the waist, some tying gamchhas around one another in a desperate live-together-die-together bid. None of them had any hope of seeing the sun rise. When huge trees were being smashed like toothpicks, what chance did a few shivering men and women stand?
The tornado tore into them, lifting them off the ground. After brief seconds of terror, their screams drowned in the roaring wind, their feet would touch the earth. Then, the horror would start all over again.
All around them, tin roofs, branches and debris flew about like missiles. Suddenly, everything stopped. The wind vanished. The nightmare had lasted 45 minutes. Now, they have to battle its scars.
In Forest Para (so named because it is next to the biggest bird sanctuary in Bengal), the freak storm that lashed three states and killed at least 107 people at midnight on Tuesday, smashed everything around. Luckily, it killed none here. Fifty km away, in Bazar Gaon, nine people died and around 50 are still missing. No one knows where the tornado blew them away.
The storm struck when most people were outdoors, thanks to the unbearable heat. Seventy-year-old Nathni Mahato remembers smiling as the first cold gust of wind hit his face at 11.30pm. “Within seconds, I realized it was not a gentle night breeze. The wind came roaring in. It was unbelievably strong and seemed to pluck me up. I rushed into my hut to wake up my wife,” Nathni told TOI on Wednesday, standing amid the ruins of what was once his hut.
In the few seconds it took for him to reach his shanty, the wind was already tearing up everything inside. His wife cowered, terrified. Together, they battled their way out. “There was not even a second to pick up any valuables or even money. We heard a rending noise. The roof was torn off the rafters and blown away. We couldn’t believe our eyes. Then, we heard one loud noise after another,” said Nathni. It was the sound of trees crashing. “I screamed, but no sound came out. I have never been so terrified.”
A large tree tottered and slammed against an electricity tower. They both crashed. In an instant, the lights went out. In the darkness, there was only the sound of trees being wrenched from their roots, huts being smashed and people screaming.
They all ran to NH-34. In the lightning flashes, Nathni saw his hut pounded to nothing. “There was a forest bungalow nearby but going there meant risking being crushed under a falling tree. We tied ourselves to each other and prayed.”
Around the same time, Subhankar Sengupta, deputy field director of Buxa Tiger Reserve, was closing in on Raiganj on his way to Kolkata. “I have seen many a storm, but none like this. It started as a blinding sandstorm and quickly turned into a tornado. Our SUV was lifted off the ground. We could see branches twisting and flying around. Tin sheets slammed into our vehicle. It was a nightmare,” he said.
In Bazar Gaon of Karandighi, the worst affected block in the thunderstorm, every hut was levelled to the ground. “Eight or nine of our people died. It struck out of the blue. One moment we were cursing the heat and the next we were fleeing for our lives. People were lifted off their feet and hurled about like toys,” said 63-year-old Md Abdul Salam. Hundreds of villagers packed into the only pucca building around, a high school. “At daybreak, we went back to see our lives utterly devastated,” said Salam.
In Tunivita, between Forest Para and Bazar Gaon, divine intervention saved the 80-odd families. Most of them were out attending Manasa Gaan — a concert of devotional songs — when the storm struck. “Had we been sleeping, many of us would have died,” said Omar Farooq. “I left my house for the concert. Fifteen minutes later, when I staggered back in the thunderstorm, it was gone. The whole house had vanished.”
Only Kartik Biswas’ family had not gone to the programme. The villagers found the 70-year-old paralysis patient, his wife and children trapped under their collapsed house. They were rescued badly injured.
Half-Hour Spell Of Destruction Leaves Lakhs Homeless
Tornado catches N Bengal & Bihar sleeping, 107 dead
Subhro Maitra & Bhuvaneshwar Prasad | TNN
Raiganj/Purnia: Nature’s 30-minute Tandava in the dead of night left a trail of destruction along its path, with at least 72 dead and 200 injured in North Bengal and east Bihar. The toll from a tornado that whipped up wind speeds ranging from 80 to 125kmph is likely to go up as information trickles in from areas cut off after communication lines snapped.
The tornado ripped through nearly 100,000 homes in Bengal’s North Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri districts and Bihar’s Araria, Kishanganj, Supaul and Purnia. “From evidences like twisted trees and poles, the depth of the thundercloud and the volume of devastation, the storm appears to be a tornado,” said G C Debnath, director, Regional Meteorological Centre.
In North Dinajpur alone, 38 deaths were reported from four blocks that bore the brunt of the storm’s fury. Additional district magistrate P K Dutta said 18 deaths occurred in Karandighi block and eight in Raiganj. Three more died in Hemtabad and two in Kaliaganj. Most of the deaths were caused by houses collapsing. The police barracks in Raiganj was flattened.
“The casualties were high because the storm struck when people had retired for the night and were caught unawares,” Dutta said. Healthcare facilities in the districts are under tremendous strain with hundreds of injured pouring in at centres meant to treat a dozen.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is keeping track of rescue operations and has been constantly on the phone coordinating with officials, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said. State disaster management minister Mortaza Hussain said 20,000 tarpaulins, dry food and garments had been sent to the affected areas. Civil defence minister Srikumar Mukherjee and tourism minister Manab Mukherjee are camping in the area and supervising relief and rescue operations.
In Bihar’s Purnia, Araria, Kishanganj and Katihar districts, at least 69 people were killed and 125 injured as the storm ripped apart homes and hurtled people to death. Many died when the storm turned tin roofs into deadly missiles, slicing through people who fell in their path. The Araria district jail’s 50-foot-high wall also caved in. “We are shifting the 650 inmates of Araria jail to Purnia jail,” a jail official said.
The worst-hit was Araria, where officials put the death toll at 33.Uprooted trees blocked National Highway 34, stranding traffic for hours. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1.5 lakh to next of kin of the deceased besides ordering construction of pucca houses under Indira Awas Yojana.
THE KILLER STORM
The tornado whipped up wind speeds ranging from 80 to 125kmph It ripped through nearly 100,000 homes in Bengal’s North Dinajpur & Jalpaiguri districts
39 deaths reported in North Dinajpur; 18 in Karandighi, 8 in Raiganj
69 deaths reported in Bihar; 33 in Araria, 29 in Purnia, 6 in Katihar, and 1 in Kishanganj ....published in TOI on 15.3.2010
Subhro Maitra & Bhuvaneshwar Prasad | TNN
Raiganj/Purnia: Nature’s 30-minute Tandava in the dead of night left a trail of destruction along its path, with at least 72 dead and 200 injured in North Bengal and east Bihar. The toll from a tornado that whipped up wind speeds ranging from 80 to 125kmph is likely to go up as information trickles in from areas cut off after communication lines snapped.
The tornado ripped through nearly 100,000 homes in Bengal’s North Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri districts and Bihar’s Araria, Kishanganj, Supaul and Purnia. “From evidences like twisted trees and poles, the depth of the thundercloud and the volume of devastation, the storm appears to be a tornado,” said G C Debnath, director, Regional Meteorological Centre.
In North Dinajpur alone, 38 deaths were reported from four blocks that bore the brunt of the storm’s fury. Additional district magistrate P K Dutta said 18 deaths occurred in Karandighi block and eight in Raiganj. Three more died in Hemtabad and two in Kaliaganj. Most of the deaths were caused by houses collapsing. The police barracks in Raiganj was flattened.
“The casualties were high because the storm struck when people had retired for the night and were caught unawares,” Dutta said. Healthcare facilities in the districts are under tremendous strain with hundreds of injured pouring in at centres meant to treat a dozen.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is keeping track of rescue operations and has been constantly on the phone coordinating with officials, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said. State disaster management minister Mortaza Hussain said 20,000 tarpaulins, dry food and garments had been sent to the affected areas. Civil defence minister Srikumar Mukherjee and tourism minister Manab Mukherjee are camping in the area and supervising relief and rescue operations.
In Bihar’s Purnia, Araria, Kishanganj and Katihar districts, at least 69 people were killed and 125 injured as the storm ripped apart homes and hurtled people to death. Many died when the storm turned tin roofs into deadly missiles, slicing through people who fell in their path. The Araria district jail’s 50-foot-high wall also caved in. “We are shifting the 650 inmates of Araria jail to Purnia jail,” a jail official said.
The worst-hit was Araria, where officials put the death toll at 33.Uprooted trees blocked National Highway 34, stranding traffic for hours. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1.5 lakh to next of kin of the deceased besides ordering construction of pucca houses under Indira Awas Yojana.
THE KILLER STORM
The tornado whipped up wind speeds ranging from 80 to 125kmph It ripped through nearly 100,000 homes in Bengal’s North Dinajpur & Jalpaiguri districts
39 deaths reported in North Dinajpur; 18 in Karandighi, 8 in Raiganj
69 deaths reported in Bihar; 33 in Araria, 29 in Purnia, 6 in Katihar, and 1 in Kishanganj ....published in TOI on 15.3.2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Begging there, loving it here
Alms And The Men: Pucca House, TV & Cellphone — All From Begging Stint In Punjab
Subhro Maitra | TNN
Malda: Beggars can’t be choosers, right? Wrong. For this band of intrepid alms-seekers from Malda, the right to choose is a perk that comes with the job — from TVs and mobile phones to how big their homes will be, they have made all the correct choices.
“The mud houses are vulnerable to floods, you know. So this time I had a pucca house built with concrete,” says Anath Halder. The 60-year-old, originally a fish-net weaver by profession, switched to begging once his eyesight started failing. When it became difficult to sustain his family of wife and four sons with the meagre earnings, Anath decided to try his luck in Punjab. He has never looked back.
“I left two of my sons here in Malda and went to Gurdaspur with my wife and other two sons. In a few months, I had saved up some money,” Anath says. How much? He doesn’t want to elaborate, but enough for him to open a bank account back home in Bulbulchandi, Malda. “The house had become weak after last year’s flood, so I decided to rebuild it,” he says. He has also married off two of his sons. Anath is now preparing to return to Punjab for another stint.
Hundreds like Anath from Malda have taken up begging in the cities of north India. Most of these families are Bangladeshi migrants hailing from Bulbulchandi, Aiho in Habibpur block, Bamangola block and other places near the India-Bangladesh border. They go in groups to pilgrimage cites and temple towns like Mathura, Vrindavan, Benaras and Amritsar in groups to beg. “Many of them never return as they have few family commitments. They take diksha and eventually adopt madhukari (begging as a livelihood). There’s nothing wrong in it,” says Subal Mandal of Aiho.
Dobapara in Bulbulchandi is one such village that houses a number of migrant beggar families. Located just 5 km from the Bangladesh border, most residents crossed over years ago. On this side, life has settled into an easy rhythm. While a few family members go away for months to beg, others tend to the cattle and fields.
Septuagenarian Nirmala Halder first went to Dinanagar in Punjab about 15 years back. “I had some gynaecological problems and needed to have an operation. But my sons were in no position to pay for it. So I decided to earn for myself and went with some villagers to Punjab. Even after paying for rent, food and travel, I managed to save at least Rs 1,000 each month.” After spending five years there, Nirmala had enough money to come back for treatment to Malda.
But once her convalescence was over, Nirmala couldn’t ignore the pull that her life in Punjab exerted on her. She went back to Dinanagar — returning home after a year always meant enough money for the impoverished family of two sons.
Do they ever face problems while begging so far away from their homes? “Sometimes police harass us, especially in Delhi, but we have identity cards,” said Radha Halder. They get quarters on rent and cheap food. Is there a commission to be paid? “No, we don’t have to share our earning with anyone. Rather, travelling by train is free as well. Who will ask beggars for tickets?” quips Radha.
The next generation — the sons and daughters of beggars — see nothing wrong with the profession. “Everybody in our village is doing this. Even I had gone to Punjab for two months. I’ll go there again. is there any work for me here?” asks 16-year-old Achintya Halder.
Asim, a 28-year-old youth, studied up to Class V and went to Dinanagar as a minor. “But once I grew up, it became difficult for me to beg. I switched to collecting plastic and other recyclable waste.” Today, he has enough to keep his family in rented accommodation in Punjab. He even has a TV and mobile phone at home. “I never take my mobile to work. It may attract unnecessary attention,” he says...published in TOI on 7.3.10
Subhro Maitra | TNN
Malda: Beggars can’t be choosers, right? Wrong. For this band of intrepid alms-seekers from Malda, the right to choose is a perk that comes with the job — from TVs and mobile phones to how big their homes will be, they have made all the correct choices.
“The mud houses are vulnerable to floods, you know. So this time I had a pucca house built with concrete,” says Anath Halder. The 60-year-old, originally a fish-net weaver by profession, switched to begging once his eyesight started failing. When it became difficult to sustain his family of wife and four sons with the meagre earnings, Anath decided to try his luck in Punjab. He has never looked back.
“I left two of my sons here in Malda and went to Gurdaspur with my wife and other two sons. In a few months, I had saved up some money,” Anath says. How much? He doesn’t want to elaborate, but enough for him to open a bank account back home in Bulbulchandi, Malda. “The house had become weak after last year’s flood, so I decided to rebuild it,” he says. He has also married off two of his sons. Anath is now preparing to return to Punjab for another stint.
Hundreds like Anath from Malda have taken up begging in the cities of north India. Most of these families are Bangladeshi migrants hailing from Bulbulchandi, Aiho in Habibpur block, Bamangola block and other places near the India-Bangladesh border. They go in groups to pilgrimage cites and temple towns like Mathura, Vrindavan, Benaras and Amritsar in groups to beg. “Many of them never return as they have few family commitments. They take diksha and eventually adopt madhukari (begging as a livelihood). There’s nothing wrong in it,” says Subal Mandal of Aiho.
Dobapara in Bulbulchandi is one such village that houses a number of migrant beggar families. Located just 5 km from the Bangladesh border, most residents crossed over years ago. On this side, life has settled into an easy rhythm. While a few family members go away for months to beg, others tend to the cattle and fields.
Septuagenarian Nirmala Halder first went to Dinanagar in Punjab about 15 years back. “I had some gynaecological problems and needed to have an operation. But my sons were in no position to pay for it. So I decided to earn for myself and went with some villagers to Punjab. Even after paying for rent, food and travel, I managed to save at least Rs 1,000 each month.” After spending five years there, Nirmala had enough money to come back for treatment to Malda.
But once her convalescence was over, Nirmala couldn’t ignore the pull that her life in Punjab exerted on her. She went back to Dinanagar — returning home after a year always meant enough money for the impoverished family of two sons.
Do they ever face problems while begging so far away from their homes? “Sometimes police harass us, especially in Delhi, but we have identity cards,” said Radha Halder. They get quarters on rent and cheap food. Is there a commission to be paid? “No, we don’t have to share our earning with anyone. Rather, travelling by train is free as well. Who will ask beggars for tickets?” quips Radha.
The next generation — the sons and daughters of beggars — see nothing wrong with the profession. “Everybody in our village is doing this. Even I had gone to Punjab for two months. I’ll go there again. is there any work for me here?” asks 16-year-old Achintya Halder.
Asim, a 28-year-old youth, studied up to Class V and went to Dinanagar as a minor. “But once I grew up, it became difficult for me to beg. I switched to collecting plastic and other recyclable waste.” Today, he has enough to keep his family in rented accommodation in Punjab. He even has a TV and mobile phone at home. “I never take my mobile to work. It may attract unnecessary attention,” he says...published in TOI on 7.3.10
Friday, March 5, 2010
Woman accuses hubby of kidnap
Subhro Maitra MALDA: Having an affair with someone linked to the corridors of power is fine, but if it doesn't culminate in marriage, the results can be disastrous. Eighteen year-old girl Himadri Burman learnt it the hard way after she broke up with senior CPM minister Sailen Sarkar's domestic help Ananta Roy and married Subhas Burman. The love story soon took a turn for the worse, with Himadri lodging a kidnap complaint with police against her husband within two days of their elopement and marriage. Subhas has been arrested.
In her complaint with Gajole police, Himadri claimed she was drugged and kidnapped by Subhas. Himadri's father Biswanath Roy, who accompanied her to the police station, refused to open up. Roy only hinted that he was under "pressure".
Soon after the marriage, police reached Subhas Burman's Gournandanbati house at Bamangola on Saturday and asked Himadri to show an age proof. The verification over, Himadri told police that she had married Subhas voluntarily. Subhas also pleaded with police not to disturb them as they were leading a happy married life.
Villagers have questioned the police's motive, and why the officers had come despite no one lodging a complaint. Subhas had reportedly hinted that Ananta, Himadri's former fiance, had pulled strings.
On Sunday, the newlyweds went to a local fair. Suddenly, Subhas found his wife missing. Unable to spot her, Subhas went to Bamangola PS to lodge a diary. But police reportedly detained him. This was the same time that Himadri lodged the drug-and-kidnap complaint against him. "I was not conscious when police came to Subhas's house on Saturday as I had been drugged," she claimed.
Ananta could not be reached for comments. Even CPM minister Sailen Sarkar is not taking calls. Sarkar has told CPM's Malda secretary Jiban Moitra that he had no hand in the development. "The minister told me that he has no role," Moitra said.
Malda SP Bhuban Mandal said, "We arrested Subhas after the girl lodged a complaint."..published on 2.2.2010
In her complaint with Gajole police, Himadri claimed she was drugged and kidnapped by Subhas. Himadri's father Biswanath Roy, who accompanied her to the police station, refused to open up. Roy only hinted that he was under "pressure".
Soon after the marriage, police reached Subhas Burman's Gournandanbati house at Bamangola on Saturday and asked Himadri to show an age proof. The verification over, Himadri told police that she had married Subhas voluntarily. Subhas also pleaded with police not to disturb them as they were leading a happy married life.
Villagers have questioned the police's motive, and why the officers had come despite no one lodging a complaint. Subhas had reportedly hinted that Ananta, Himadri's former fiance, had pulled strings.
On Sunday, the newlyweds went to a local fair. Suddenly, Subhas found his wife missing. Unable to spot her, Subhas went to Bamangola PS to lodge a diary. But police reportedly detained him. This was the same time that Himadri lodged the drug-and-kidnap complaint against him. "I was not conscious when police came to Subhas's house on Saturday as I had been drugged," she claimed.
Ananta could not be reached for comments. Even CPM minister Sailen Sarkar is not taking calls. Sarkar has told CPM's Malda secretary Jiban Moitra that he had no hand in the development. "The minister told me that he has no role," Moitra said.
Malda SP Bhuban Mandal said, "We arrested Subhas after the girl lodged a complaint."..published on 2.2.2010
Bank fraud with a twist, lakhs swindled
Money gone by the time authorities are alerted
Subhro Maitra | TNN
Malda: Faking currency notes does not hit the headlines anymore. The in-thing now is forging internal bank advice from branches not interconnected under a system called the core business solutions (CBS). It’s a flourishing business in Malda, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur. Kayesh Ali from Englishbazar tried this trick with the State Bank of India’s Amrity branch and withdrew Rs 19.25 lakh.
Ali deposited a cheque issued from Central Bank Of India’s Unnao branch in Uttar Pradesh. SBI’s Amrity branch in Malda where Ali deposited the cheque made the payment after routine verification. Days after releasing the cash, SBI’s reconciliation cell in Mumbai found to their surprise that there was no such account holder in CBI’s Unnao branch and the transaction was a fraud.
But how then did the SBI make the payment to Ali without checking the account? Investigators detected the fraud after taking it up with the SBI bank authorities.
Under the existing system, for cheques issued from non-CBS branches of banks other than SBI, the bank manager on receiving the cheque sends a letter to his counterpart in the area seeking advice whether to make the payment. The SBI branch manager, in this case the Unnao branch in uttar Pradesh gets in touch with CBI Unnao and sends the advice. The communication is done through courier agencies.
The police during investigation spotted a racket hand in glove with the courier agency. They take out the original papers and forge them including signatures of bank managers. So what the bank manager of SBI’s Amrity branch received as advice from his counterpart in Uttar Pradesh was a forged one. It said that the account holder had sufficient money and the cheque could be honoured. The bank manager acted on the advice and made the Rs 19.25 lakh payment to Ali. A similar fraud was detected in Malda’s main branch. The cheque was again issued from CBI’s U n n a o branch. It was a highvalue cheque of Rs 53.50 lakh. Two similar cheques of Rs 15.50 lakh and Rs 19.58 lakh have been deposited at two branches of SBI, Malda. However, the SBI has kept the cheques on hold after they got a hint of the forgery from its regional office.
Police have rounded up two persons Samarendra Mandal and Nibaran Ghosh in this connection from Ratua and is also looking for Kayesh Ali who withdrew the money. Investigators fear that an inter-state racket have been operating in the districts for quite sometime before it caught the notice of the bank authorities. According to police, the racket includes among others persons from the courier agency.
“The miscreants managed the original letter of SBI’s Amriti branch to the SBI manager Unnao seeking clearance of the cheque from the courier agency in Malda. They then forged the letter of clearance and also the signature of SBI bank officials in Unnao and sent it to SBI’s Amriti branch by courier”, said Kalyan Mukherjee, additional superintendent of police in Malda.
Subrata Mandal, officer of the SBI Amrity branch, made the payment of Rs19.25 lakh based on the forged letter. Mandal has been suspended. SBI has showcaused Mandal asking him how he made payment based on the forged letter within a week.
Following his suspension, the SBI Officers’ Association on Thursday called an indefinite strike in all 37 SBI branches in Malda and South Dinajpur demanding unconditional withdrawal of the suspension order....published in TOI on 5.3.10
Subhro Maitra | TNN
Malda: Faking currency notes does not hit the headlines anymore. The in-thing now is forging internal bank advice from branches not interconnected under a system called the core business solutions (CBS). It’s a flourishing business in Malda, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur. Kayesh Ali from Englishbazar tried this trick with the State Bank of India’s Amrity branch and withdrew Rs 19.25 lakh.
Ali deposited a cheque issued from Central Bank Of India’s Unnao branch in Uttar Pradesh. SBI’s Amrity branch in Malda where Ali deposited the cheque made the payment after routine verification. Days after releasing the cash, SBI’s reconciliation cell in Mumbai found to their surprise that there was no such account holder in CBI’s Unnao branch and the transaction was a fraud.
But how then did the SBI make the payment to Ali without checking the account? Investigators detected the fraud after taking it up with the SBI bank authorities.
Under the existing system, for cheques issued from non-CBS branches of banks other than SBI, the bank manager on receiving the cheque sends a letter to his counterpart in the area seeking advice whether to make the payment. The SBI branch manager, in this case the Unnao branch in uttar Pradesh gets in touch with CBI Unnao and sends the advice. The communication is done through courier agencies.
The police during investigation spotted a racket hand in glove with the courier agency. They take out the original papers and forge them including signatures of bank managers. So what the bank manager of SBI’s Amrity branch received as advice from his counterpart in Uttar Pradesh was a forged one. It said that the account holder had sufficient money and the cheque could be honoured. The bank manager acted on the advice and made the Rs 19.25 lakh payment to Ali. A similar fraud was detected in Malda’s main branch. The cheque was again issued from CBI’s U n n a o branch. It was a highvalue cheque of Rs 53.50 lakh. Two similar cheques of Rs 15.50 lakh and Rs 19.58 lakh have been deposited at two branches of SBI, Malda. However, the SBI has kept the cheques on hold after they got a hint of the forgery from its regional office.
Police have rounded up two persons Samarendra Mandal and Nibaran Ghosh in this connection from Ratua and is also looking for Kayesh Ali who withdrew the money. Investigators fear that an inter-state racket have been operating in the districts for quite sometime before it caught the notice of the bank authorities. According to police, the racket includes among others persons from the courier agency.
“The miscreants managed the original letter of SBI’s Amriti branch to the SBI manager Unnao seeking clearance of the cheque from the courier agency in Malda. They then forged the letter of clearance and also the signature of SBI bank officials in Unnao and sent it to SBI’s Amriti branch by courier”, said Kalyan Mukherjee, additional superintendent of police in Malda.
Subrata Mandal, officer of the SBI Amrity branch, made the payment of Rs19.25 lakh based on the forged letter. Mandal has been suspended. SBI has showcaused Mandal asking him how he made payment based on the forged letter within a week.
Following his suspension, the SBI Officers’ Association on Thursday called an indefinite strike in all 37 SBI branches in Malda and South Dinajpur demanding unconditional withdrawal of the suspension order....published in TOI on 5.3.10
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