1 hacked to death in Kalimpong... 9 of Singla died in road accident...congress for UT ...Asok potshot at Centre... Sikkim cutoff..

KalimNews: Morning murder mystery was solved by Kalimpong police within 5 hours. Bishal Rai 22 was arrested for murder of Rudra Bahadur Dhital 44 yrs and a resident of Sung Dung of Pudung Busty. 

At about 6.30 am people near Crown Lodge of Murgihatta found that Rudra a milk man was hacked to death in the same way as Madan Tamang ABGL President was murdered in a lane. Rudra was a very honest and friendly milk man serving milk to the villagers for nearly 15 years said a milk consumer of Dhital.

After getting the information  of murder police rushed to the spot and after primary enquiry sent the body for postmortem. At around 11am police got the information that the suspected murderer may be Bishal as Rudra was having a conflict with Bishal a contractor's supervisor regarding a permission for making a road through Rudra's land.

Immediately police could apprehend Bishal loitering near 10th mile Fatak in his bike WB 74F 9465. Bishal was interrogated and within half an hour he confessed of hacking Rudra with a Khukuri. Blood soaked jacket of the victim and the Khukuri hidden by Bishal was found in the Sadhu Dhara.

After the incident DP Singh SP Darjeeling visited Kalimpong and informed the media about the murder.

On enquiry he added that police has arrested Bishal u/s 302 IPC and will be prosecuted after further interrogation.

Bishal a resident of Relli Road is son of Late Bijay kr Rai 1st  Councillor of 23rd no.  Bong Dungra Constituency of DGHC. Dhital was Secretary of Kalimpong Milk Producer Association.

TitBits

KalimNews: DP Sharma SP of Darjeeling Police denied of assuring with any time limit for re-arrest of Nickole Tamang and stated that police is trying its best to find Nickole. On his visit to Kalimpong he said that police is not sitting idle but trying with its best effort.

Meanwhile Dr.Harka Bahadur Chhetri Spokesperson of GJMM objected on the statement issued by MPs Raja Bundela, Jaya Prada, Amar Singh and P Niroop during their visit to Dooars and Bagdogra and expressed resentment on the statement. He said that they donot know what is the ground reality so they should not comment on our agitation. Earlier MPs had stated that Interim Setup is a lollipop and it cannot solve the Gorkha problem and identity crisis, the only solution is formation of a separate state which cannot be achieved single handedly by GJMM.
GJMM supporters and leaders have been surrendering in the subdivisional court for cases filed against them by the police in fire and arson, road obstruction and other criminial cases during the 2008-2010 agitation of Gorkhaland and demonstrations thereof organised by GJMM. Since three days Kalimpong court is flodded with party supporters for surrender and granting bail. As per the information received from the Kalimpong Court all the accused of Kalimpong Subdivisions have been granted bail and only a few are yet to report and surrender in the court with petition for bail. 
Body found in Darjeeling
A decomposed dead body of Manibhusan Allay(27) a teacher of Vidhya Vikash Academy of Darjeeling was found near Rock garden. Ishak Khan and Sagarika Pakhrin are arrested by Darjeeling Sadar Police for the murder as per the FIR. The killers are his wife and her lover stated the police. 
Suicide in Kalimpong 
Ajay Kujur (27) of Kamalapur TE of Phansidewa died of suicide in Kalimpong. He was  guard of a businessman of Siliguri who had a house in Kalimpong. Kujur was hanging on a tree beside the house with a suicide note blaming none.

9+1 died in accident
KalimNews: In an accident 9 people died when their spacio vehicle bound to Siliguri  for a marriage from Barnesburg Division of Singla TE via Jorethang of Sikkim went off the road down hill near Malli at Chharchharey. People of Jorethang recovered the bodies and took them to Namchi Hospital. Of the dead Chandan Gupta 24 (driver of Majhitar), Manilal Subba 45, Vijeta Rai 25, Elisha Subba 24, Puja Chhetri 30, Durga Chhetri 17, Niraj Jogi 39, Daya Darjee 33, Niru Yogi 39 were identified while identity of a 11 year old girl could not be ascertained.  
In another incident a lone driver of a Bolero SK 02A 3925 also got killed when the vehicle skidded at about half a kilometer away from the same spot of Chharchharey on Malli Road. Roshan Dhanotia 25 was driving his father's vehicle died in the accident and his body was swept away by River Rangit.
Sikkim’s role in New Rupee Symbol
28 August, 2010: The entire credit goes to D Udaya Kumar who is the father of new rupee symbol of the nation. Due his remarkable brainstorming hard work on designing new rupee symbol the nation gets it official ‘New Rupee Symbol’. The impression of new currency symbol of rupee adds awesome glory in a currency both in terms of standard and global value.
On 15 July 2010 when the new symbol was official declared by the centre in ‘Black & White’, In Sikkim the Tri-Colour got added giving it a national pride. VoiceofSikkim.com made a very new colourful tri-colour ‘New Symbol’ and posted over the internet in yet another new flavour to add more nationalism into it.
VoiceofSikkim.com pledge the state government to verify the authencity of the report by investigating the truth that first tri colour image of new rupee symbol was designed by Sikkim. If it is found true than voiceofsikkim requests government to protect the first ever rupee tri colour image legally and term as a heritage of New India as well as State of Sikkim for coming generation.
Congress proposes union territory

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 27: The district hill Congress committee today said it would propose to the Centre to confer Union Territory status to the Darjeeling hills to end the ongoing agitation.

K.B Chhetri, president of the Darjeeling district Congress (hills), said he would meet the Union home minister P. Chidambaram and place the proposal before him.

“So far, the AICC had not sought any suggestion or opinion from the Darjeeling district Congress, be it the plains or the hills, on statehood. However, as the Congress-led central government is carrying out negotiations with the Morcha on the interim set-up, we will visit Delhi next month and propose conferring Union Territory status to the three hill sub-divisions of the district. This is the only way to meet the aspirations of the people and the final solution to the Darjeeling problem,” Chhetri said.

“Once formed, the Union Territory would be under the control of the Centre and will help in serving the purpose, as far as the lack of development and other grievances of the hill residents are concerned.”

Asok potshot at Centre- barb for delhi and advice too

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 27: Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya today accused the Centre of adopting double standards in hill matters.

“We have come to know that Prime Minister, while addressing a gathering of DGPs in New Delhi yesterday, expressed concern over the ongoing agitation in the hills and sought action against law breakers,” said the minister here this afternoon.

“It seems the Centre has realised that the hill issue cannot be resolved merely by negotiating with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said: “The situation in Darjeeling hill area also needs a careful watch. The writ of the state should be firmly established in all these areas. The state police and the central paramilitary forces should take firm action against those who take the law into their own hands.”

Bhattacharya also alleged that there was dichotomy between what the Centre preached and what it practised.

“Ever since the Morcha launched the agitation in the hills, we have been insisting on stringent action and sought paramilitary forces from the Centre. The paramilitary forces were sent to guard NH31A and to maintain law and order in the hills. The situation was improving but suddenly, the Centre withdrew the forces,” the minister said.

“If the Centre, that also the Prime Minister, feels strong action is to be taken against those violating law, why did the home ministry withdraw the CRPF then?”

Bhattacharya also alleged that the Congress had tried to forge a tie-up with the Morcha before Parliament polls last year. “However, the BJP succeeded and the Congress had to accept the defeat,” he said.

The minister also spoke on the escape of Morcha leader Nickole Tamang from Pintail Village. “We are not ruling out the possibility of Nickole Tamang getting help for the escape. Although his escape is a setback to the investigation, those involved in the murder of Madan Tamang will not be spared.”

Sikkim cut off by 7 landslides

PTI, Gangtok: Sikkim was cut off from the rest of the country as landslides triggered by torrential rains blocked NH 31A at nearly five places.

Torrential rains have lashed the mountain state for the past one week and Teesta river, in full spate, has washed away three women at Singtam, officials said.

Major landslides occurred at Lukhubir on the West Bengal side, at 20 miles and at three places at Singtam, sources in the Border Road Organisation, which is engaged in clearing the debris, said.

"We are trying our best to restore one-way traffic by tomorrow evening," a senior official told.

The landslides have left a large number of people, including tourists and vehicles stranded on the highway.

Some people were found trying to negotiate through the landslide in the torrential rain, the BRO sources said.

The rains have affected telecommunication and power supply in Gangtok.

A part of National Highway 31A that sunk in at 9th Mile, 16km from Gangtok on Friday; and drivers push their cars from near the Government Fruit Preservation Factory towards Singtam. Pictures by Prabin Khaling

TT, Gangtok, Aug. 27: Seven landslides struck a 15km stretch of NH31A and crippled traffic on Sikkim’s only road link with the rest of the country after heavy rain lashed the Himalayan state last night. A 31-year-old woman was washed away in one of the flash floods that followed.

The landslides, four of them major ones, occurred between 32 Mile and Singtam on NH31A, the stretch littered with slush and debris that came tumbling down from the hillside late last night and early this morning.

The landslides left at least 100 vehicles coming from Siliguri stranded on the Bengal-Sikkim border at Rangpo for sometime. While some passengers tried to walk and cross the slides, others returned to Siliguri. “The vehicles — there were lots of them — were told to stay put at Singtam for the night,” said A.K. Singh, the executive engineer of Project Swastik of the Border Roads Organisation that is in charge of the highway.

The first major landslide nearest to Gangtok was at the mouth of Topakhani, a 12-metre tunnel, 23km from here.

Personnel from the Project Swastik managed to clear some of the debris, enabling light vehicles to sneak through the tunnel, but they could not proceed beyond a few kilometres because of the second major landslide near the Chisopani bridge.

The other two major slides were near the Government Fruit Preservation Factory, 28km from Gangtok. The landslides here have eroded at least 30 metres of the road.

The landslide near Chisopani bridge appeared to be the most massive one, as the road remained buried under a pile of huge boulders, fallen trees and slush. BRO workers engaged in the restoration admitted that at least 48 hours would be required to clear the road.

Project Swastik chief engineer Brigadier Rajiv Sawhney said: “The major challenge to clearing the road was that the huge boulders could not be blasted because of the human settlements in the area.”

In South Sikkim, Mamta Rai, a citizen of Nepal staying at Manpari busty near Mamzing, was washed away by a flash flood last night.

“We have passed directions that the Mamzing Government Secondary School will be closed down till further notice as the institution is under threat because of landslides,” said South district collector A.K. Singh. 

All-weather wall stands tall with info of all hues

People scan the Wall in Darjeeling for quick information. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Aug. 27: If you live in Darjeeling, you can never afford to miss the Wall.

In the age of instant communications, the 15ft X 30ft wall at Chowk Bazar, bang opposite Sumeroo Manch that is the podium for all public meetings in Darjeeling, stands as the most trusted source of information for the people of the hill town.

Whether it is an announcement of a meeting, congratulatory messages, information on the venues of board exams or simply an observation that is to be shared, the Poster Wall has obliged the residents of Darjeeling for long.

“It used to be a place where cinema posters of Rink and Capital Hall used to be plastered. I think it was the ABGL that started putting up political posters on the wall in the early 1950s. And since then, the cinema posters have been forced to make way for other the posters,” said Nayan Prakash Subba, a retired police officer.

Even before the ABGL started putting up political posters, the wall was used by the managements of the two cinema halls to communicate information on items left behind by the viewers in the halls.

Perhaps the success in communicating the messages pushed the political parties to start using the wall to serve their end.

The importance of the Wall has been accepted even by the government. Two years ago when there was a spate of house burglaries in town during winter — a time when many shift to the warmer climes of the plains — Darjeeling police had put up posters informing the people to be vigilant of their surroundings.

“We have been so used to the Wall that unless we see any announcement put up there, we don’t believe them,” said Neetu Rai, a resident of the town.

In fact, the success of political programmes at times depends on the Wall.

“For the people of Darjeeling, the Wall is most important. None can deny its importance,” said Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Communication on instant political programmes, which need to be put into place within a span of a couple of hours — like the recent flash strike called by the Morcha — owe its success to the Wall.

The entire town may be deserted during political strikes but this is the one place in Darjeeling that always has a crowd in front. Even on normal days, the Wall makes every resident stop for a while.

Many have tried to find an alternative to the Wall and had started using a small wall next to the Darjeeling municipality building, as the Chowk Bazar one is always crowded with posters.

But the new place could not compete with the more illustrious space.

The Wall has had its share of stardom too.

It figured as one of the “stars of Darjeeling” in a documentary film fest organised by the mass communication department of St Joseph’s College (North Point) in 2008.

“The film The Silent Informer featured in Montage08, a documentary film festival organised by our college, was made on the Wall. The theme of the festival was ‘stars of Darjeeling’ and our students felt that the Wall was definitely a star for the people of Darjeeling,” said Vikram Rai, the head of department of the college.

Sanjay Biswas, a writer from Darjeeling, has also written a poem on the Wall in one of his books Aaakhabhari (eyeful).

Gorkhas to hold blood donation camp in Delhi

Gorkha shaheed sewa samitee media cell, Delhi:2^nd camp of blood donation at Indian Red Cross Society Blood Bank, New Delhi on 29 August. 
Gorkha Shaheed Sewa Samiti – an NGO has been working for the betterment of the society through its social welfare activities in Delhi. It is organising a

The underlying objective behind the said event would be to help the Indian Red Cross Society Blood Bank through its voluntary means for the betterment of the society as a whole, while also to commemorate the social event by paying homage to the martyrs of Indian freedom movement- Capt. Dalbahadur Thapa and Maj. Durga Malla of Indian national Army (INA), their contribution towards the nation cannot be remained unsung.

The chief guest on the occasion would be Honorable M.P of Darjeeling Mr. Jaswant Singh.

It has requested the people to participate in the blood donation camp .The camp will be organised in Indian Red Cross Society Blood Bank opposite to the Parliament house, 1 Red Cross road on from 11am to 4 pm.

Mahato killed in encounter

HT, Kolkata: Umakant  Mahato, one of the principal accused in the Jnaneshwari Express  accident  that  killed  148 passengers on May 28, was killed  in  the  early  hours  of  Friday  morning  in a gunbattle with the security  forces  inthe jungles near Jhargram, about 150 km to the west of Kolkata.

The  CBI,  that was investigating the train accident, had declared an award of  Rs 1 lakh on information leading to Mahato's arrest. A revolver and a cellphone were found next to  his  body.  A  motorcycle  without  a number, too, was found at a short distance away.

The  holster  of  the  revolver  has led the police to suspect that it was looted from police personnel only.

"Local  villagers  have  identified  the  body  as that of Umakant Mahato. However, we will wait for his family members to arrive and identify," said Praveen Tripathi, superintendent of police, Jhargram pilice district.

The  police  also  allege  that three to four squad members might have been injured in the battle before they escaped.

Police  detained  10  people near the spot, on the suspicion that they were given the  responsibility of alerting the Maoists if security forces arrived.

Jnaneshwari  Express  accident  is  one  of  the  worst  accidents in Indian Railways  history  with  the  accident being allegedly plotted by a team of Maoist-backed  tribal  leaders  in West Midnapore district. On May  28,  the  plotters  led  by Umakanto, cut out a few inches of the rail tracks near Jhargram and opened about 50 pandrol clips (that hold the rails on to the slippers).

As  a  result  Mumbai bound Jnaneshwari Express got derailed and four bogies tumbled  on  to  the  adjacent  tracks.  An  onrushing goods train ploughed through the compartments killing innocent civilian passengers.

Mahato  was  a  member  of the Maoist-backed tribal body People's Committee Against  Police Atrocities (PCAPA) and was one of the three persons on whom CBI had announced the reward.

The  other  two  are  Asit  Mahato  and  Bapi Mahato. Bapi has already been arrested while Asit, the top leader of the PCAPA is still at large.

Umakant Mahato was killed in a five-hour gunbattle that started about 1:30 in  the  night.  Police  have alleged that Umakant was with a Maoist squad under the leadership of Jayanto on Thursday night.

"There were 10 to 12 people in the jungle when the security forces launched the operation. The rest escaped," said Tripathi.

Friday's  operation  was  the  latest in a series of operations that are being launched at the dead of night.

The Jnaneshwari Express accident had pushed the CPI(Maoist) on the backfoot, earning  it  a  label  of 'mass murderer of innocent civilains'. Though the rebels  had  vehemently  denied  any  collusion  with  the  plotters of the accident, it sullied their image beyond repair.
भुटानी शरणार्थीको तीन पार्टीको कार्यगत एकता

Gulfnepal News Service, Kathmandu: स्वदेश फिर्तीको आशामा लामो समयदेखि पूर्वी नेपालको झापा र मोरङको शिविरमा शरणार्थी जनजवन बिताईरहेका भुटानी शरणार्थीको स्वदेश फिर्तीको आन्दोलनलाई शसक्त बनाउँन तीन पार्टीले कार्यगत एकता गरेका छन् । रिपोर्टस क्लब नेपालमा पत्रकार सम्मेलनको आयोजना गरि उनीहरुले कार्यगत एकताको घोषणा गरेका हुन ।

भुटानी शरणार्थीको स्वदेश फिर्ती आन्दोलन र प्रजातन्त्रको पुर्नबहालीको आन्दोलनलाई सशक्त बनाउन रोङथोङ किन्ले दोर्जी नेतृत्वको ड्रुक नेशनल काग्रेस बलाराम पौडेल नेतृत्वको भूटान पिपल्स पार्टी र डा डीएनएस ढकाल कार्यकारी प्रमुख रहेको भुटान नेशनल स्टेरिङ डेमोक्र्याटिक पार्टी विच कार्यगत एकता भएको हो ।

ड्रुक नेशनल काग्रेसका सभापति रोङथोङ किन्ले दोर्जिको नेतृत्वमा कार्यगत एकता गरेका ती दलहरुले आन्दोलनमा साथदिन भुटानी जनता र विश्वसमूदायसँग आग्रह गर्ने निर्णय गरेका छन ।

त्यसैगरी गिरफ्तार राजनीतिक बन्दीको तत्काल विनासर्त रिहाई गर्नु पर्ने निर्वाचनमा विना बन्देज सबै दलहरुले भाग लिन पाउने व्यवस्था गर्नुपर्ने नेपाल भारत र भुटानका जनतावीचको सम्बन्धलाई सुमधुर बनाउने लगायतका निर्णय पनि गरेका छन् । पत्रकार सम्मेलनमा भुटानी मानवअधिकारबादी नेता टेकनाथ रिजालले भुटानी राजाले जनतालाई मनोमानी ढंगले देश निकाला गरिरहेको दावी गर्दै त्यस्तो निरकंुसता विरुद्ध लडन मोर्चा प्रभावकारी हुने विश्वास ब्यक्त गर्नुभयो ।

बलराम पौडेलले भुटान फर्काउने विषयमा कसैले पनि चासो नदेखाएको भन्दै भुटानी जनताको अधिकारकोलागी लडेका दलहरुलाई निस्कृय रहेको नसोच्न चेतावनी दिनु भयो ।

जागिरमान लामाले नेपाल भुटान र बाहिर रहेका भुटानी शरणार्थीलाई समेटदै आन्दोलनलाई शसक्त बनाईने बताउनुभयो । थिन्ले दोर्जेले शरणार्थी समस्यालाई नेपाल र भारतको सरकारले बुझेर समाधानकोलागी पहल गरिदिनु पर्ने बताउनुभयो ।(shared from Kurseong Social Netwok ksnonline.org)

Poison whiff in calf death

Bireswar Banerjee,TT, Siliguri, Aug. 27: The body of an elephant calf was found in a tea garden near here this morning and with no external injury marks evident, forest officials suspect the animal may have died of poisoning induced by pesticides.

Foresters from Kurseong division and Sukna wildlife squad had been patrolling Simulbari Tea Estate, 20km from here, since last night when a herd of 40 elephants was spotted in the nearby Bamonpokhri and Lamagumba forest beats and the fringes of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.

The foresters were apprehensive that the herd might enter the garden.

“It was raining heavily last night. When we saw the herd trying to enter the garden, our guards steered the animals away. Around 4am, we spotted the body of the calf in the plantation near Lamagumba beat,” said Narayan Chandra Roy, the additional divisional forest officer of Kurseong.

“Trampled grass in and around the area where the body was found, suggested that the calf was roaming there before it died. It was probably restless. This, and the fact that there was no injury marks on the body, make us suspect that the animal died of some kind of poisoning,” said Roy.

Foresters have collected water and grass samples from the spot to check for insecticides.

“We will send the samples along with the viscera for forensic tests to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Calcutta,” a forest official said.

He said pesticides could be the cause of the animal’s death.

“Pesticides are sprayed in tea estates regularly. Chemicals often trickle down from the tea bushes to the ground because of heavy rainfall, and contaminate the water and grass. The calf might have consumed this,” the forest official said.

The garden authorities were not available for comments.

“We have also collected samples of body organs that would be sent for tests,” said Malay Maiti, one of the two vets from the state animal resources development department posted in Siliguri who conducted the post-mortem.

The foresters have ruled out the possibility of the calf being ill or injured.
SHIVA THAPA IN THE RING SCORING SECOND POSITION (SILVER MEDAL) IN THE 1st YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES IN SINGAPORE

POINTS TO PONDER

In 1987 a reporter asked Buta Singh, the then Home Minister, about similarities between  गोर्खा  and सिख  आन्दोलन .   Buta Singh said "एक  के  माथे  पे  खालिस्तान  है  दुसरे  के  माथे  पे  खाली  स्थान  है ".