Road mishap

 

COOCH BEHAR, Dec. 31: Dense fog played a disastrous role on the morning of the last day of the outgoing year. A jeep rammed into a speeding locomotive causing serious injury to a manager of a tea estate at Baro Salmari area under Ghoksadanga police station in Cooch Behar district.

 

Police said Mr Sanjay Kumar Gupta, manager of Dolong Tea Estate in Dooars, was going towards the tea garden driving his jeep at early morning of today. He was alone in the vehicle. At that time the entire area was under deep fog. At an unmanned level crossing between Falakata and Domohini railway stations the jeep rammed into the speeding Up Okha Express at about 6-10 a.m. The vehicle got damaged and Mr Gupta received serious injury. He was sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. Cooch Behar ASP Mr James Kujur said a probe started into the incident. []

 

CPM-Trinamul clash in Tufanganj

 

COOCH BEHAR, Dec. 31: In a clash between Trinamul Congress and CPI-M supporters twenty Trinamul Congress supporters were injured last night.

 

Cooch Behar District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said a conference of their party was held at Chhoto Mahadever Dham Primary School premises in Nakkatigachh on yesterday. He also attended the conference. After the conference when the Trinamul Congress supporters were returning home a gang of CPI-M goons attacked them with iron rods and sticks. The attackers forcefully took away their bicycles too. On being informed policemen from Tufanganj appeared there and rescued some of the injured men. Five of the injured were shifted to Tufanganj sub-divisional hospital, Mr Ghosh said.

 

The Trinamul Congress leader alleged that local CPI-M leaders provoked their supporters to attack the Trinamul men. It is nothing but a part of the plan to cow down the opposition party prior to the three-tier panchayat polls, he alleged. A case was lodged this morning at Tufanganj police station but no one was arrested, he said.

 

District CPI-M secretariat member and also the Natabari MLA, Mr Tamser Ali said he has no knowledge about any clash that occurred at anywhere in Tufanganj. It may be a fabricated one, he opined.

 

When asked, the additional superintendent of police, Mr James Kujur said though no one was arrested in connection with the clash an inquiry started into the incident. On the otherhand, District Trinamul Congress president Mr Ghosh declared that they would call a 'thana gherao' movement at Tufanganj shortly if the police fail to arrest the persons involved in the attack on Trinamul Congress supporters. []

 

Lucky escape

 

COOCH BEHAR, Dec. 31: Passengers of a Tufanganj-Siliguri express bus escaped luckily from a road mishap this noon. The incident occurred at Pundibari in Cooch Behar. Police said a cyclist suddenly appeared in front of the bus. The driver of the bus of North Bengal State Transport Corporation tried to save him and as a result the bus came out from the road. Five passengers received minor injury. []