Fresh violence at Satali Tea Estate in Hasimara

Jalpaiguri, 9 March : The situation in the Dooars has once again turned volatile, with fresh violence reported from the Satali Tea Estate in Hasimara. Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) supporters allegedly beat up a GJM leader and his wife on Sunday after police picked up six ABAVP supporters, following a complaint lodged by that leader. Although the six tribals were released on Monday morning, it did little to control the violence.
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KPP's North Bengal bandh had partial impact
Siliguri, 9 March : North Bengal bandh called in protest against the local administration on Monday had partial impact in the state barring the three sub-divisions of Darjeeling district and a few pockets, official sources said.
The 24-hour bandh was called by the Kamtapur Progressive Party after Jalpaiguri district administration refused to allow the party to hold election rally at Mainaguri on Sunday. The rally was expected to be addressed by former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung, JMM leader Shibu Soren among others.
Life came to a halt in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong as the bandh was supported by GJM. Its impact was also felt in the outskirt of Siliguri particularly in Shibmandir, Bagdogra and Naxalbari areas, known as KPP stronghold, officials said. The bandh also affected life at Mainaguri and Dhupguri areas of Jalpaiguri district with shops, markets and offices remaining closed and private vehicles off the roads.
North Bengal's IG, K L Tamta said no law and order problem was reported from anywhere and adequate security arrangements have been made in all the six districts of the region.
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Jessore GOC and pilot killed in Army Chopper crash
Tangail, 9 March : General Officer Commanding of Jessore area Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam and pilot Lt Col Md Shahidul Islam were killed as their helicopter crashed after running into power lines in Tangail on Monday. The chopper was travelling from Jessore to Mymensingh when it went down near Elanga at 7.50am, said an ISPR release.
Gen Rafiqul was to pick up the GOC of the 19th Division in Mymensingh en route to a conference at army headquarters in Dhaka, said the statement released around 11.30am (BDST).
The helicopter crashed after hitting electric wires, it said. District police chief Abdul Mannan had earlier told reporters, the chopper went down into a ditch near Roha Primary School.
Another army officer, named as Maj Saif, was injured and has been taken to Dhaka Combined Military Hospital, said Tangail police.
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Tribal bar on Lok Sabha polls and police
Midnapore, 8 March : Tribal outfit People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities today threatened not to allow police to enter its stronghold Lalgarh during the general election.
“Polling personnel will have to come and conduct the Lok Sabha polls without police or paramilitary forces,” Chhatradhar Mahato, a leader of the committee, said today. Spread across 150sqkm, the Lalgarh police station area has over 70 polling booths.
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Bangladesh identifies over 150 BDR mutineers
Dhaka, 8 March : More than 150 BDR soldiers, suspected of involvement in the massacre of 73 Army officers, have been identified by investigators, who are also focussing on possible “militant and extra-Bangladesh links” to the bloody mutiny in the paramilitary force in Dhaka nearly two weeks ago.
Officials familiar with the investigation into the 33-hour revolt in the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on 25-26 February said that more than 150 rebel soldiers were identified after screening of photographs and video footages while 36 had been detained so far as interrogation of suspects was underway.
“We have been using the television footages and still photographs captured by the journalists during the mutiny to identify the rebels while interrogation of the arrested soldiers was underway,” an official told reporters.
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Trapped leopard beaten to death, claws chopped
Jalpaiguri, 8 March : A leopard was beaten to death and its claws chopped off by villagers at Dhumkipara forest in Madarihat on Saturday evening. The hapless animal, that had got caught in a trap laid to catch rabbits, was dumped at the Dhumkipara tea-garden. While the carcass has been sent for a post-mortem, forest officials of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar have launched a search for the culprits.
Around 3 am on Sunday, some villagers spotted the carcass of a leopard lying at the tea-garden. They informed the forest department which sent a team of officials immediately. It was discovered that all four claws of the animal had been chopped off. According to the divisional forest officer of Cooch Behar, the claws were chopped for the tiger's nails that are worn for good luck and health by locals.
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LeT linkman formed terrorist outfit in Bangladesh: KP
Kolkata, 8 March : Kolkata Police Sunday claimed that a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) linkman has formed a terrorist outfit in Bangladesh to operate in bordering Indian states.
Abu Taher, an alleged associate of the Pakistan-based LeT formed Tanzeem-e-Mohammadi in Bangladesh, police sources said here. Taher was arrested in Kolkata Friday.
“Taher has confessed that he formed a wing called Tanzeem-e-Mohammadi in Bangladesh and used to operate in bordering states of India,” Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF) officer told Bengal Newz.