3 buses damaged, 388 held in Cooch Behar

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 31: Barring some stray incidents the Trinamul Congress sponsored bandh passed off almost peacefully in Cooch Behar district today. Functioning of government offices, courts and banks were affected due to poor attendance. Passenger vehicles excepting some NBSTC buses were off the roads. Shops and other establishments were found closed in this town. In the sub-divisional towns the bandh evoked a mixed response. 388 pro-bandh men including senior Trinamul leaders – Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh, Md Abdul Jalil Ahmed, Mr Niranjan Dutta and Mr Tapan Deb Roy - were arrested during the day. Trinamul leaders however claimed that more than 1100 of their supporters were arrested.

 

Bandh supporters damaged two NBSTC buses in Cooch Behar town. A driver and two others were injured in stones pelted by the bandh supporters. Police arrested 168 persons at Ghoksadanga where six persons were injured in a clash occurred between Trinamul and CPI-M men. Four were injured in a clash at Nazirhat in Dinhata. []

 

PHOTO : Trinamul supporters being arrested in front of Cooch Behar Sadar SDO office on Wednesday.

 

Village under threat of river erosion

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 31: Existence of Kodaldhowa village under Nishiganj-I Gram Panchayat in Mathabhanga is under threat due to massive erosion of Mansai and Dharala rivers. Villagers demanded immediate construction of an embankment to save their lives and properties.

 

Dharala and Mansai rivers are grabbing farmland and homesteads of villagers in Kodaldhowa for the past few years. Now, these two rivers approached closer to the village. It is feared that the entire village may wash out if the two rivers unite once. As the residents are mainly dependent on agriculture the farmlands are their lone source of earning. The erosion of the two rivers is posing threat to the livelihood of the villagers.

 

It was learnt that there are about 1300 voters in Kodaldhowa village. They expect the authorities may take an initiative to construct an embankment before the next three-tier panchayat elections. Nishiganj-I Gram Panchayat sources said they already submitted a proposal to the higher authorities for construction of an embankment. []

 

BJP demands probe

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 31: Submitting a memorandum to the state Governor through the district magistrate today the Cooch Behar district unit of BJP demanded a thorough probe into the death of Subhas Patoari who was allegedly killed in police lathicharge on 27 October in Baxirhat. On that day violence occurred there during demonstration of villagers against alleged practice of corruption of two local MR dealers.

 

District BJP president Mr Nityananda Munsi said in the memorandum they also demanded Rs 5-lakh as compensation to the family members of Patoari and unconditional release of all arrested persons by lifting all cases initiated against them. He also demanded steps against corrupted modified ration dealers. []