IG-CID visits Dinhata

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 7: A high level team of senior police officials including the IG-CID Mr R Thyagaraju, the IG (North Bengal) Mr RS Nalwa and the special IG (Jalpaiguri range) Mr Adhir Sharma visited Dinhata today. They talked with the Dinhata SDO Mr Debaditya Chakraborty and local police officials and inquired about the violence that occurred on Tuesday. They also visited the hospital and inquired about the health of the policemen who were wounded during the clash between police and Forward Bloc activists.

 

Later, returning from Dinhata the officials visited the Jagir Chilakhana residence of the deceased NVF constable Krishnakanto Barman and consoled the bereaved family members. Barman was seriously injured during the clash and died yesterday.

 

During their visit here the team members talked with Cooch Behar SP Mr Anil Kumar and other senior officials. They inquired about the reasons why the police had to open fire on Forward Bloc demonstrators at Dinhata during the law-violation programme.

 

When contacted over phone, the IG-CID Mr Thyagaraju denied making any comment about their visit to Dinhata. "I only accompanied IG (North Bengal) Mr Nalwa", he said. []

Forward Bloc to review situation to launch fresh stir

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 7: Cooch Behar district unit of Forward Bloc will discuss the situation that came up after death of its five activists in police firing at Dinhata on Tuesday. The party will organise a two-day workers' convention on 9-10 February to discuss the issue. In that convention the leadership of the party will listen the opinions of the grass-root level workers to study the pulse of the supporters.

 

On 11 February the district secretariat meeting of the party will be held to chalk out the next phase of movement. Meanwhile, the party will continue its pre-scheduled programmes of movement, according to the Cooch Behar district Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha.

 

Is the Forward Bloc considering any plan to revive its stance of no participation in Left Front programmes in Cooch Behar district? Such a decision was adopted and practised after the previous Assembly elections. In that elections the Forward Bloc had to accept defeat in two seats in Cooch Behar district – Dinhata and Sitai. It held the CPI-M responsible for the defeat and declared its no-participation policy in Left Front sponsored programmes. Replying a question over it Mr Guha said that the issue might come up for discussion in the next secretariat meeting of the party. Meanwhile the district unit of the party will follow the direction of the state committee.

 

When asked about the FIR that was lodged against Mr Guha and six other top ranking leaders of the party in connection with the violence that was occurred during the law-violation programme on Tuesday, Mr Guha made it clear that they are ready to meet any eventuality.

 

"The police may arrest us but they cannot damage the morale of the party workers. If they think that by arresting the leaders they will be able to make our party a sailor-less ship, they are living in fools' paradise", Mr Guha commented. If the leaders were sent to jail then the workers will run the party and continue the movement. Anyone can hatch ill-motivated plans but in no case one can be able to dominate the Forward Bloc, he said. "It is impossible to suppress or eliminate our party", he opined. []

 

Rs 3-lakh per victim  : FB assistance

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 7: The Forward Bloc will extend financial assistance to the family members of the victims of police firing. Cooch Behar district Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha announced that they would extend financial assistance of Rs 3-lakh per victim to the family members of the five activists who were killed in police firing. The party will collect the fund for the purpose from supporters, sympathisers and well-wishers. []

Fresh culling drive plan in Cooch Behar,

Anthrax situation reviewed

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 7: Though the culling drive was declared completed in Cooch Behar district the authorities concerned are considering launching of a fresh drive to cull the hidden backyard birds like chickens and ducks. Before leaving for New Delhi today the Central observers from Union animal resources development department - Dr S Negi and Dr Vijay Kumar advised the local ARD officials to launch a fresh culling drive to stop any chance of spreading of avian flu virus.

 

The Central observers visited all the affected areas in the past few days in three blocks from where deaths of backyard birds were reported. As the samples were tested positive of bird flu a massive culling drive was conducted in villages under Dinhata-I, Dinhata-II and Mathabhanga-I.

 

The observers expressed their satisfaction about the culling drive and the mop up operation done in those areas.

 

Later, in a high level meeting they reviewed the situation and it was decided that the Rapid Response Teams (RRT) will do culling till 10 February if they get chickens that are still kept hidden.

 

After the stipulated date the ARD personnel may commit culling but in that case no compensation will be extended to the owners of the birds.

 

The Central observers also visited the Bhojaner-chhara village under Mathabhanga-II block from where anthrax cases were reported. It may be recalled that six cows died of the disease at that village in last week. Dr Negi and Dr Kumar inquired about the vaccination process undertaken in that area to combat the spreading of anthrax.

 

On the otherhand, a joint director of ARD department Dr Lakshmi Narayan Bandyopadhyay (Siliguri) and a senior scientist of the department Dr Basudeb Dutta (Kolkata) are still in this district. They are reviewing the bird flu and anthrax situations by visiting the affected areas regularly. Today, they visited the villages in Dinhata-I and Dinhata-II and inquired if death of any bird occurred after the recently concluded culling drive.

 

ARD department sources here claimed that about 1,200 cattle were vaccinated so far as precautionary measure to anthrax in Mathabhanga-II block. []

 

Bereaved family members of NVF (National Volunteer Force) constable Krishnakanto Barman at their residence at Jagir Chilakhana village in Cooch Behar (West Bengal). Barman received serious head injury during the massive violence that occurred at Dinhata during the Forward Bloc's law-violation programme on Tuesday. He was on duty with police force. Five Forward Bloc activists were killed in police firing and many received bullet injury on that day.

Forward Bloc supporters staged roadblock at the entrance of Dinhata town by blazing motor tyres on Wednesday noon during the bandh called by the Forward Bloc. The bandh was called to protest the killing of five Forward Bloc men in police firing during a law-violation programme at Dinhata of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal on Tuesday.

 

The charred remains of a police van that was blazed by irate Forward Bloc supporters near the office of the sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Dinhata in Cooch Behar district on Tuesday. The van was found parked at the same place beside the road on Wednesday.

FIR against FB leaders, 52 arrested

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 6: An FIR was lodged at Dinhata police station on behalf of Dinhata SDO, Mr Debaditya Chakraborty against seven Forward Bloc leaders and some activists of the party. They were accused with several charges including damaging and ransacking of government property, setting fire to police vehicles and a car of an ACJM, rioting and killing of a policeman. Confirming the lodging of the FIR the district magistrate Mr Rajesh Kumar Sinha said he is yet to receive the details of the FIR.

 

Among the seven accused leaders there are the secretary of district Forward Bloc Mr Udayan Guha, ex-MLA of Sitai Mr Nripen Roy, Mr Hiralal Das and Mr Sankar Dutta.

 

Commenting on the FIR Mr Guha said, "Police did what their duty! But everyone knows what was the role of us at Dinhata yesterday. Even today the police are taking our co-operation in Dinhata to maintain peace. But, the SDO lodged FIR against 59 Forward Bloc activists including me. Yesterday they arrested forty persons. The total number of arrested persons till today is 52 including the persons in hospitals. The dead persons were also shown arrest. Let the police do their duty."

 

When tried over phone the SP was not available to comment on the FIR and the figure of arrest.

 

Mr Guha claimed that there was enough provocation for opening fire yesterday and the police had created that provocative situation. He however said that there was no need of firing on FB supporters as the administration was aware of the law violation programme. Without taking measures to pacify the situation the police gunned down five FB men, Mr Guha alleged. []

 

Policeman dies, death toll rose to six

Bandh : MP arrested

FB, Trinamul teams visit Dinhata

 

COOCH BEHAR, Feb. 6: The Forward Bloc sponsored bandh passed off almost peacefully in Cooch Behar district today. No untoward incident was reported during the day, police said. Forward Bloc and SUCI supporters took out separate slogan shouting rallies today in support of the bandh.

 

Forward Bloc sources claimed that the bandh was total. District Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha said fifty or more bandh supporters including Cooch Behar MP (Lok Sabha) Mr Hiten Barman) were arrested at Mathabhanga today.

 

It was learnt that the pro-bandh men damaged seven lorries at Ghughumari near Cooch Behar town this morning. Additional police forces were deployed in Dinhata and other places to keep the situation under control. Special IG (North Bengal) Mr Adhir Sharma is here since yesterday to monitor the situation.

 

According to police sources the District Police officially reported firing of 22 rounds yesterday on the Forward Bloc activists at Dinhata who came to participate in a law violation programme. But Forward Bloc sources claimed that the police fired fifty or more rounds Five of the injured died but four were identified till now. The killed four are - Niren Haldar, Indrajit Chakraborty, Swapan Mohanta and Pradip Barman, according to Cooch Behar (West) MLA Mr Akshoy Thakur. They failed to identify the fifth man because the head and face of the deceased turned distorted due to bullet injury, Mr Thakur said.

 

Cooch Behar SP Mr Anil Kumar said an NVF jawan named Krishnakanto Barman died of head injury at early hours of today. He died during sifting him to Siliguri in a serious condition. Yesterday Barman and about twenty policemen received serious injury when the FB activists attacked them at Dinhata, the SP claimed.  

 

Today, a team of Forward Bloc leaders including Mr Naren Chatterjee, Md Hafiz Alam Sairani and Mr Paresh Adhikary visited Dinhata and inquired into yesterday's incident. They met the bereaved family members of the persons who were killed in police firing yesterday. They also inquired about the health of the injured persons at hospitals in Dinhata and Cooch Behar.

 

Another delegation led by Trinamul Congress leader Mr Subrata Bakshi, Mr Saugato Roy (MLA), Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh, Mr Niranjan Dutta and PDS leader Md Saifuddin Chaudhury visited Dinhata today. They visited Dinhata sub-divisional hospital and Cooch Behar MJN Hospital and inquired the condition of the persons who received bullet injury yesterday. They condemned the police firing on democratic movement. []

An injured FB supporter at Dinhata sub-divisional hospital.

 

Damaged and burning vehicles at Dinhata.

Agitated Forward Bloc supporters demonstrate in front of Cooch Behar Sadar SDO office after learning death of their four comrades at Dinhata in police firing. In Cooch Behar on Tuesday.