GNLF arrest to calm hills

TT: Darjeeling, July 11: The Darjeeling district administration has arrested the GNLF’s Terai region leader, Rajen Mukhia, fulfilling one demand of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha that has threatened an indefinite strike in the hills from Monday. Two of Mukhia’s associates were arrested last night too. The Morcha, which told schools in the hills to send boarders home, has also demanded the transfer of K.L. Tamta, the inspector-general (north Bengal), and two other police officers. Yesterday, the police lathicharged Morcha supporters at Panighata for attacking Mukhia’s home. The Morcha announced the strike after that. Reacting to the arrests, Morcha assistant secretary Binay Tamang said: “We filed a complaint against 35 GNLF supporters and only three were arrested. This is a police ruse to provide them protection.” The schools in the hills are waiting for the Morcha to review its strike plan. Over 5,000 students will have to leave the hills within the next 48 hours — a task that seems impossible for the schools. Father Kinley Tshering, rector of St Joseph’s School (North Point) and head of the Anglo-Indian schools of the hills, appealed to the Morcha leadership “to review their announcement”. But the Morcha has not reacted to the appeal. TOURISTS LEAVE DARJEELING PTI: KOLKATA/SILIGURI: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha gave an ultimatum to the West Bengal government to meet its demands by July 13 failing which it threatened of an indefinite bandh in Darjeeling. Home secretary Ardhendu Sen said "tourists have almost all come down to the plains in view of the threatened strike by the Morcha". Asked about the ultimatum served by GJM to the government to concede its demands by mid day of July 13, Sen said it appeared that the Morcha was heading towards an indefinite bandh in the hills. District Magistrate Surendra Gupta said, "There are very few tourists in Darjeeling as this is the off season. Most hotels are empty. It will be not be a problem for the few tourists to leave." GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said that letter has been faxed to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee giving a noon deadline of July 13 for removal of North Bengal IGP K L Tamta and an inquiry into yesterday's baton charge on GJM supporters at Panighatta. Giri said over phone from Darjeeling that Additional SP Akhilesh Chaturvedi under whom the 'unprovoked' baton charge was initiated be punished Extortion whiff in rebel killings NARESH JANA, TT: Sirish (West Midnapore), July 11: The CPI (Maoist) today claimed responsibility for killing two “corrupt CPM leaders” in West Midnapore but the son of one victim said extortion was the motive as neither man was a CPM leader. Maoist leader Bikash today said Baren Mahato and Gurucharan Mahato were “punished for making money by duping poor adivasis” in Sirish, a village 25km from Lalgarh. But ration trader Baren’s 22-year-old son, Bishnupada, said: “My father was not connected with the CPM in any way. How could they call him a corrupt CPM leader?” Two days ago, some strangers visited Baren at home, Bishnupada said. They left after an argument. “My father said they had claimed to be Maoists and demanded Rs 50,000. He didn’t believe they were Maoists because we had not seen them in our village before. But obviously they were, for they carried out the threat to kill him if he didn’t pay up.” Sal leaf trader Gurucharan’s wife, Sulekha, said her husband was never a CPM leader. “He used to be a small-time worker,” she said. “They needed an excuse to kill him.” Manoj Verma, the West Midnapore police superintendent, also said the two seemed to have been killed for refusing to pay up. “The Maoists’ source of funds has dried up,” he said. Earlier, the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities used to collect money from villagers, probably for the rebels. But with the area now crawling with security personnel, the source of funds is gone. “They need money and are targeting villages where cops are not present,” Verma said. Around 8.30pm yesterday, about 50 Maoists along with about 300 people from nearby villages landed in Sirish hunting for CPM leaders and workers. They herded 15 of them into the CPM office, among them were Baren and Gurucharan. The Maoists held a kangaroo court that ordered Baren and Gurucharan be put to death. The two were taken to a forest and shot dead. The two other men who were also taken to the forest were let off after being made to sign on anti-CPM posters. CPM house burnt About 15 Maoists torched the house of a CPM leader in Salboni tonight. Police said when the Maoists did not find Sudarshan Das in his house, they set it on fire. SWINE FLUE -14 MORE CASES TALLY 183 New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) India Saturday reported 14 new swine flu cases, taking the total number of people infected with the influenza A(H1N1) virus to 183, according to the health ministry. “About 1,117 people have been tested so far of which 183 are positive for Influenza A(H1N1),” a statement issued here said. “Of the 183 positive cases, 131 have been discharged. Rest of them remain admitted to the identified health facility,” it said. Out of the 1,117 people, 340 were identified through the airport entry screening. Health officials said the new laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported from Delhi (4), Ahmedabad (2), Pune (3), Hyderabad (2) and Chennai (3). In Delhi, the four cases, including three teenagers, are from one family that had come here from Singapore July 8. They tested positive for the flu Saturday. In Ahmedabad, two people testing positive were part of a group of 40 students who travelled by American Airlines and had reached Delhi July 4. The two returned Ahmedabad July 7. The officials said the group of 40 students had gone to the US on a yearlong exchange programme through an NGO and had traveled back to India from Chicago the statement said. These students belong to Maharashtra (9), Gujarat (18), Karnataka (1), Tamil Nadu (7) and Delhi (5). “All of them and their contacts are being traced and also their modality of inland travel ascertained,” it said. In Chennai, a 34-year-old woman and her nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter tested positive for swine flu. Her husband has also been quarantined, the officials added. The family travelled by Saudi Arabian Airlines from Dammam in Saudi Arabia and reached Chennai July 9. “They were detected at the airport with low-grade fever and cough and admitted to an identified isolation facility,” the official said. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 94,512 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection have been reported from 135 countries till July 6. There have been 429 deaths globally, most of them in Mexico and the US.

RELAXATION IN EDUCATION NORMS FOR MINORITY

New Delhi, July 11: Minority education institutions in Bengal have asked Kapil Sibal and Salman Khursheed to relax norms for setting up new schools by a major central board, holding out the threat of confrontation.

The West Bengal Association of Minorities’ Educational Institutions (WBAMEI), the largest collective of minority education groups in the state, has written to human resource development minister Sibal and minority affairs minister Khursheed arguing that current norms indirectly thwart their rights.

In letters submitted to the two ministers today, the minority groups, including Christians, Muslims and Sikhs, demanded that rules followed by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) for setting up new schools be altered.

“We may otherwise be forced to adopt our rules and norms for setting up schools, which we are in any case allowed under the Constitution,” WBAMEI president Herod Mullick said.

Article 30 of the Constitution grants minorities the right to establish and administer their own educational institutions but the government can intervene in cases of mismanagement or corruption.

The CISCE conducts the Indian Certificate of Secondary Examinations for Class X and the Indian School Certificate exam for Class XII.

Under CISCE norms, at least half an acre in urban areas and an acre in rural areas are required for a registered education society to start a school. The association has demanded that the land required in urban areas be reduced to one-third of an acre for minority institutions.

The CISCE also has strict norms for infrastructure — size of classrooms, laboratories, libraries and playgrounds — and requires that private schools pay teachers salaries at government school rates.

The association said these rules favoured only those with large tracts of land and money, not those “genuinely interested” in education. “We are not saying that our schools should be allowed without any regulations. But to promote minority education, new schools can be put on probation to meet these criteria in time,” said Norton Emmanuel, one of the petitioners from Bengal.

A CISCE official said the norms could not be changed for one state. “The norms are aimed at maintaining minimum standards. If Bengal institutions are allowed leeway, the same will be demanded by institutions in other states.” But HRD ministry sources said they would take up the concerns raised by the Bengal minorities with the CISCE.

The association has also petitioned the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions — the country’s apex regulator for minority education. The NCMEI, it is learnt, has indicated support for the association’s demands.