Maoists again kill two CPM activists in W Midnapore
Landmine detonated to blow Purulia community hall
Shalboni (West Midnapore), 14 July : Suspected Maoists again killed two CPI(M) activists here Tuesday and triggered a landmine blast, raising questions over the effectiveness of the security operation to flush out the rebels from this area in West Midnapore.
The bodies of the two CPI(M) workers - Swapan Debsingha and Tarini Mahato were found near a ditch in the forest area of Memul under Shalboni police station. Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told Bengal Newz in Kolkata. Armed Maoists had abducted the duo Monday night. Sources in Memul said the incident on the 27th day of the security operation launched in West Midnapore by the state government to free the area of the leftwing rebels has triggered panic among the villagers. Senior police officers have rushed to the spot. The ultras also detonated a landmine that damaged a portion of an under-construction community hall at Barabazar in neighbouring Purulia district Monday night.
On Friday, the Maoist rebels abducted and lynched two CPI(M) activists in the Chandra area of Sirsi village near the Kotwali police station of the district. န Photo : PTI

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Bandh continues in Hills, Centre agrees to hold talks

PTI, Siliguri, 14 July : Notwithstanding the Centre's nod for talks, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) sponsored indefinite bandh continued for the second day today, crippling life in three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district.

GJM Press and Publicity Secretary, Benoy Tamang said over phone that the Centre had decided to have third round of tripartite talks in Delhi on 24 August with the GJM delegation led by the party's General Secretary Roshan Giri in New Delhi on Monday night. But, the offer for talks was not enough to review the bandh decision. Besides a political solution to Gorkhaland demand, there were other demands too, he said. Their demands include transfer of the Inspector General of Police (North Bengal), K L Tamta, ASP (headquarters), A Chaturvedi and SDPO, Kurseong, Partha Paul and unconditional release of all GJM supporters, he added.
Sikkim remained cut off as the life line, national highway 31a passing through Darjeeling hills was also affected by the bandh. All shops and business establishments remained closed. No one turned up for duties either in the state or central government offices. Tea gardens and cinchona plantation in Kalimpong were also not functioning. န Photo : Ajay Shah and Reuters

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BDR-BSF odds over illegal migrants

Dhaka, 14 July : India's Border Security Force has demanded that Dhaka take back 346 illegal migrants who are on hunger strike demanding repatriation to Bangladesh. Bangladesh has said India must prove their nationalities.

The Indian side made the demands at the ongoing BDR-BSF talks in Dhaka saying all the hunger strikers, captured in the Bay of Bengal near the Andaman-Nicobar Islands earlier this year, spoke Bangla and have been claiming themselves as Bangladeshis. Maj Gen Mainul Islam, director general of Bangladesh Rifles, told on Monday, "We have made it clear at the meeting that Bangladesh will not repatriate anyone unless their nationalities are confirmed as Bangladeshis." The BDR chief said the home ministry had confirmed only 149 of them as Bangladeshi. Islam said the Indian border force delegation, led by BSF chief ML Kumawat, told Bangladesh regarding the immigrants, "They say they are Bangladeshis and have been staging hunger strikes in West Bengal. You must take them back."
But, Islam said, "The Rohingyas, fleeing Myanmar, also speak Bangla and may identify themselves as Bangladeshis. Staging a hunger strike alone does mean Bangladesh can recognise them as Bangladeshis." န Photo : AP and Nasirul Islam

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BSF completes fencing of 1,800 Kilometer along Indo- Bangla border
ANI, New Delhi, 14 July : Fencing of about 1,800 kilometers along the India-Bangladesh border has been completed under Phase-II of the project, Border Security Force (BSF) issued statement informed here on Sunday. The BSF also says that infiltration and cross border movement of militancy along porous stretch of border in Meghalaya and Assam continues to raise concerns.
The statement stated that BSF had planed to complete 2,579.22 kilometer of border fencing and 1,422.45 kilometer of road construction along the border under Phase-II at a cost of Rs 4,393.67 crore by 2010. The installation of floodlights along 2,840.90-kilometer stretch of West Bengal sector is in progress. A total of 383 border outposts would be set up within 2014, the statement says.
Meanwhile, objection by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has also stalled the fencing work in 55-kilometer stretch of the border where fencing cannot be erect at 150 yards from zero line. န Photo : AP

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WHO helps KMC in malaria fight
Kolkata, 14 July : The World Health Organisation (WHO) has come to the rescue of KMC in its fight against malaria. Specific suggestions to prevent malaria from spreading in the city were made to municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay by H G Thakur, the WHO-nominated expert in public health.
The latter said the civic body should make judicious use of its entomologists to detect the nature of any change in the method of killing mosquito larvae in malaria-prone areas. According to Thakur, KMC must ascertain whether the chemicals it uses to destroy mosquito larvae and kill adult mosquitoes are effective. The expert also recommended mapping areas where malignant malaria patients are becoming resistant to chloroquine. Thakur was told that the mapping survey has been conducted in only two of the 141 KMC wards.
Other malaria-prone areas are Dum Dum, Cossipore, Bagbazar, Hatibagan, College Street, Bidhan Sarani, Amherst Street, Taltala, Park Circus, Tiljala, Ballygunge, Jodhpur Park, Behala, New Alipore, Lake Gardens, Golf Green and Tollygunge.