Four rafter Swept away by Teesta 3 Dead

River rescue mission goes awry, 3 dead Raft overturns in swirling Teesta, six swim to safety 

TT, Kalimpong, May 20: Three persons drowned and one was missing when a raft carrying 11 men on a search-and-rescue mission was sucked into a whirlpool in the swirling white waters of the Teesta this morning.

Not so safe? Rafting on the Teesta, an adventure sports; and Saran Chhetri at the Kalimpong hospital. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

The lone river guide in the raft, Roshan Rai, was instrumental in saving the lives of the other six who managed to reach dry ground. Most of the youths on the raft that went down at 27th Mile near Rambi police outpost, about 25km from here, were related to each other. The six managed to escape with minor injuries.

The condition of one of them, Saran Chhetri, who is the president of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s Teesta unit, was initially thought to be serious. He is now doing fine at the Kalimpong subdivisional hospital.

The dead have been identified as Gaurav Chhetri, 20, Pranesh Chhetri, 23, and Balkumar Chhetri. The missing person is Tika Pradhan. All of them were residents of Teesta Bazaar.

“The body of Pranesh was recovered from near 27th Mile, while that of Gaurav and Balkumar were found at Kalijhora (about 15km downstream),” said a police officer.

Suren Pradhan, one of the two men admitted to the Kalimpong hospital, said his team was on a search mission, looking for the body of Ganesh Chhetri, Saran’s elder brother, who is believed to have drowned in the river six days back.

“When we were almost near the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation dam site at 27th Mile, the rapids of the river suddenly started getting taller, and we got sucked into what I think was a whirlpool. I struggled to swim to safety. My lifejacket saved me,” Suren said. However, the whirlpool was so vicious and the current of the river so strong that the lifejackets were of little help to the three dead and the missing man. “Not everybody in the raft knew swimming. Had the river guide not kept his composure and assisted others to swim ashore, more lives could have been lost,” said Sukbir Lama, the chief of the Action Adventure and Rescue Group based in Teesta Bazar.

Lama and other river guides were assisting the police in the search operation following today’s incident. “The swollen water of the Teesta is making our task difficult. Actually, given the rain in the last few days and the resultant rise in the water level, it was not advisable to have taken to the river today,” said a river guide.

The guide said that overturning of rafts, which are allowed to carry 12 passengers in one trip, is frequent. “During such an event the rafters cling on to the ropes on the side of the raft and keep afloat with the help of their lifejackets while the current carries them. The guides on board set the raft right side up so that everyone can clamber aboard and resume the white water adventure sport. However, it was unfortunate that most of those on board today did not know how to swim and panicked,” the guide said.

The Chhetri family has been scouting the river ever since the disappearance of Ganesh, who was last seen on the riverbanks near Teesta Bazaar.

Asked if any rule has been flouted by not informing the police about the search mission, a senior administrative officer said: “Anybody can search for his or her family members. There is nothing wrong in that. The district magistrate has been informed about the accident.”

PTI,Siliguri, 20 May : Four members of a river rafting team were today drowned after their boat capsized in the turbulent Teesta in Darjeeling hills.
The bodies of three members were fished out while another was still missing, a police officer said. The 11-member team had set off in the morning to locate the mentally-challenged brother of one of its members who went missing from home earlier and was believed to have been spotted in the area, he said. The light boat, which was moving along the stream to track any movement near Rambhi, suddenly toppled around 10:30 am and those on board were swept by the swift current, the officer said.

KalimNews: Addressing an assembly of Ex Army Gorkhas Bimal Gurung chief of GJMM at Deolo, Kalimpong said that some members of the Association are withdrawing their promised support due to their differences which should be amicably settled.

ABGL will hold its league day today in Chowk Bazar, Darjeeling. CPRM reminded that it is a day to prove whether GJMM is truely democratic or not. 

A security force of GNLF similar in the lines of GLP is formed in Panighatta,  A small contingent of youth were seen in the Panighatta area doing their free hand exercises. Another source said that this is the master contingent while mass selection of the force will start from 30th May.  

10 person from different areas were arrested for attack on vehicles at Tarkhola during the 48 hrs strike called by GJMM. Later they were released on bail.

ABAVP has declared that it may support GJMM if the area of the proposed state be restricted to three hill subdivisions and it is named other than Gorkhaland. It is welcomed by GJMM and CPRM.

Reports of attack fire and arson by Khasi people on Gorkhas and fleeing of Gorkhas of  Meghalaya to Assam is continuing. from some remote areas of  Meghalaya. 3 days of strike in protest against killing of Khasis by Gorkhas in Langpih called by Khasi students' union and others in Meghalaya ended yesterday. 

KalimNews: Contacting to the people of Lad Rymbai in the Jowai region of Meghalaya it was found that many have left due to fear of attack but there is no threatening or cases of attack till today. Still people fear of attack.  Shillong is almost normal now, adds our source.

WEATHER WARNING: Squall with 50-60kmph likely to occur in Sub-Himalayan ranges of Darjeeling and Sikkim in within 12 hrs. Possibility of Heavy Rain or Thundershower  within 48 hrs.

Gorkha agitation causes immense losses

ANI, Siliguri, May 19 : The numerous calls for strikes in west Bengal’s Siliguri have badly affected the economy and development works in the region.

Strikes and shutdowns called by organizations like Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), Bangla-O-Bangla Bhasha Bachao Committee (BOBBBC) have caused great damage to the region’s economy.

The business machinery in the city mainly consists of retailers, wholesalers, dealers, distributors and small-scale entrepreneurs, all of who have suffered losses.

“Our business is more dependant on the area situation. If strike continues like this, people cannot come on time and it will automatically affect the business,” said Biman Roy, the owner of a shopping center.

With repeated outbreaks of violence in the region over the past two decades, investors have not undertaken any new project in the area, either.

“These types of shutdowns are not in favor of businessmen. One day shutdown in Siliguri itself causes the transaction loss of eight crore rupees and overall transaction loss would be around 12 crore rupees,” said Biswajit Das, Secretary of the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries of North Bengal (FOCIN).

The tourism industry alone employs a large number of people, but due to shutdowns, many tourists reluctant to stay in Siliguri out of fear of violence. 

Cook burns boy’s face

TT, Alipurduar, May 20: A Class II student suffered scalds when a cook at a school in Karjipara yesterday threw hot water at his face for frequently coming to the kitchen to know whether mid-day meal was ready or not.

Rakesh Pandit, a student of Karjipara BFP School, is presently undergoing treatment at Alipurduar Subdivisional Hospital and has been kept under 24-hour observation.

Feeling hungry, Rakesh had gone to the kitchen repeatedly and he wanted to know from the two cooks how much more time they would take to prepare the lunch that is given to students.

Arati felt irritated by Rakesh’s consistent queries and in a fit of rage threw hot water at the boy. The water fell on the boy’s face and he started screaming, inviting the attention of the local people.

The villagers admitted Rakesh to the Bhatibari rural hospital. They alleged that the teachers had not bothered to get the student hospitalised.

Ranjan Pandit, the boy’s father, lodged an FIR against Arati with Samuktala police.

Today, the villagers locked up the school, 17km from here, for an hour, demanding action against the cook. They prevented the entry of the teachers and students.

Mahendra Nath Karji, a member of the village education committee of the school, said: “We will not tolerate this kind of acts by Self Help Group members (who are engaged for the mid-day meal scheme) and will definitely take action against the accused.”

The headmistress, Mahamaya Sutradhar, denied the charge that the teachers had not taken the responsibility to hospitalise the student. “In fact, we took him to the hospital. There is no doubt that such an incident took place because of the cook’s carelessness.” 
Poachers arrested
PTI, Namchi (Sikkim), May 20 : Three poachers were arrested in a reserve forest in Sikkim, officials said today.
"Three persons were arrested last night on charges of killing a barking deer in a reserve forest at South district," Namchi ACF (Wild Life) N Lamichaney said.
"Acting on a tip-off, forest officials raided the spot and found the trio camped there," he said, adding that blood stained kukris, guns and venison were seized from them.

Boundary disputes

PTI, Guwahati: The Assam government on Wednesday said it is ready to resolve the boundary dispute with Meghalaya through a "give-and-take policy".

The government had already sent a proposal to the Meghalaya government to resolve the issue and "if they accept it we will take the process of dialogue forward," state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah told reporters here.

The issue would be resolved only through dialogue and mutual understanding, he said.

"The major area of dispute is Assam's boundary with Meghalaya at Karbi Anglong where frequent clashes take place. We need to resolve all such outstanding issues. The ball is now in Meghalaya's court and we need to solve it by adopting a give and take policy," he added.

Langpih, where four people were killed on May 14 following a clash between two communities, was not the only place of dispute between the two states but there were several other areas bordering the two states where dispute prevails. 

HDR flays ‘false’ media reports

TST, SHILLONG: The State Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh on Wednesday refuted various media reports about incidents of "communal violence" and said the district authorities have been asked to make people understand that the issue is a boundary dispute with Assam and nothing beyond it.

"I have directed DCs of four districts to call Rangbah Shnongs and explain to them that this issue is not communal but it is a boundary dispute issue with Assam," the minister told reporters here on Wednesday.

"This issue has nothing to do with the communities and I have requested people not to disturb the communal harmony in the State," he said.

The Home Minister also came down heavily on a section of media for "indulging in false reporting" at a time when the State is tense over the Langpih incident.

Several incidents of violence in different parts of the State mostly in Jaintia Hills were reported in different newspapers after the Langpih incident.

"I have contacted the DCs and they told me that the reports are false," he asserted.

The Home Minister said he has also directed government officials to contact the respective news reporters and seek explanations on their "false reports."

Meanwhile, Our Jaintia Hills Correspondent reports that incidents of attack and threatening against the Nepali community still continued in the district.

There area also serious allegations from some community leaders that they have not been provided due protection from the Jaintia Hills district administration.

Over a few hundred people left Lad Rymbai in night buses on Wednesday, according to reliable sources. The people from the community fled toward Silchar, sources said adding that "they are scared to take the Jowai-Guwahati route to leave the district." The people said they would board a train from Silchar to Guwahati, according to the sources.

Appeal for Peace

TST, Shillong: The All Meghalaya Assamese Association (AMAA) and the Socio-Cultural Assamese Students' Association (SCASA) in a joint meeting held on Monday condemned the killing of innocent people in Langpih on May 14.

In a resolution, the meeting demanded institution of judicial inquiry to book the culprits. The two associations also appealed to all sections of people to maintain peace and harmony.

Meanwhile, the A chik Citizens Welfare Organisation also condemned the Langpih incident.

The organisation urged the State Government to take measures to stop the problem of influx to avoid such incidents.

The Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE) has also condemned the Langpih killings.