Crutch attack victim kills self, 2 held - Suicide note blames ‘jealous’ tormentors for humiliation The mob with the body of Papu Singh Darnal in front of Darjeeling police station on Thursday. Picture by Suman Tamang TT, Kalimpong, Oct. 22: Apparently unable to live with the humiliation of being at the receiving end of slurs hurled by two men “jealous” of his success, a 46-year-old school teacher hanged himself to death today, a week after one of his alleged tormentors was released on bail. In a suicide note addressed to wife Bidya, while profusely begging her forgiveness, Papu Singh Darnal wondered why even in this modern age people belonging to the weaker sections of society have to face constant mental torture. “I had achieved some success in life, which made people like Jiwan Thapa jealous. He and his friend Bimal Rai used to mentally torture me,” reads the note. Thapa, aged 66, was released on bail on October 15, a day after he was arrested for assaulting Darnal following a heated argument between the two on October 13. Thapa, whose left leg has been amputated after a road accident, had assaulted Darnal with his crutch. Papu Singh Darnal Thapa not only got bail, but also the “weapon” he had used to hit Darnal after his defence lawyer argued that a crutch cannot be considered a “dangerous weapon”. However, this time round, Thapa and Rai, who have been booked for provoking suicide, may not find any one to defend them if the lawyers heed the request of the Nepali Damai Samaj, which has requested them not to take up the duo’s case. Darnal’s suicide resulted in a series of protests in Darjeeling. The residents of M.P. Road, where Darnal lived, carried his body to the Darjeeling Sadar police station at 12.30pm and threatened not to budge from there till Thapa and Rai were arrested. They handed over the body for post-mortem after the police assured them that the duo mentioned in the suicide note would be arrested. The Gram Sudar Samiti of Ward 21 threatened to call an indefinite Darjeeling bandh if the duo were not arrested within three hours. The All-Nepali Scheduled Caste Sangh warned it would move the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes if the police failed to book the culprits. At 5.30pm, both Thapa and Rai were arrested. “Both of them have been booked for abetting suicide,” said D.P. Singh, the superintendent of police, Darjeeling. Thapa is already facing charges under prevention of atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, he added. “It is a matter of concern that a man accused of attempt to murder got bail. We are very concerned about this incident and hope that better sense will prevail among people in our society after this incident,” said Deepak Parihar, vice-president of the Nepali Damai Samaj. Darnal, it appears, had decided to end his life much before he tied a noose around his neck and hung himself from a beam at the back of his small kitchen because the suicide note was dated October 20. However, none of his family members had any inkling about his state of mind. Darnal was recovering from the injury caused by Thapa’s assault. He was released from Darjeeling hospital on October 16. The Darnals have a daughter and son. Power dept loses crores for non-payment of bills Romit Bagchi, SNS, SILIGURI, 22 OCT: The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited stands to lose around Rs 42 crore due to non-payment of electricity bill by the residents of the Darjeeling Hills since May, 2008. According to the WBSEDCL officials, a majority of the Hill populace, though inclined to clear up the accumulated dues, is too scared of possible retaliation to take any initiative in this regard. The electricity bill boycott call as part of what the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leadership terms as the “Home Rule Movement”, was given in April, 2008 and, barring a couple of days in the early part of April, the bill payment procedure came to a standstill in all the three sub-divisions in the Hills. Even the state Governor, Mr Gopal Krishna Gandhi’s appeal to the GJMM leadership last week to lift the ban on the payment of taxes, electricity and telephone tariff in the larger interest of the country seems to have fallen on deaf ears. According to the superintending engineer and circle manager, Darjeeling D circle, WBSEDCL, Mr Sanat Ghosh, his department has been incurring a major loss for about one-and-a-half years due to the continuing bill boycott agitation. “Yet, we are helpless as the matter has assumed national dimension. Our function has boiled down to merely keeping the higher authority informed of the spiralling revenue loss,” he said. Recounting the extent of the bulging loss, Mr Ghosh said that they had no problem with the bulk consumers whose electricity consumption varied within the 50 to 500 KVA or was above. “For those consuming power within the 50 to 500 KVA range are required to deposit the bill amount in our Siliguri office and the payment is normal. In case of the consumption level crossing this limit and touching off above 500 KVA the consumers deposit the bill amount at Vidyut Bhavana in Kolkata,” he said. “But the problem is with the domestic consumers as the counters in the Hills remain closed. However, an initiative was taken to noramlise the bill payment procedure following the GJMM’s meeting with the state chief minister in April. But the GJMM activists intervened after a couple of days and closed the counters,” he said. Another senior WBSEDCL official, Mr Abhijit Moitra said that the general people were inclined to pay up the pending dues. “Some of them even came to Siliguri to clear up the dues. But the number dwindled as the fear enveloped the hills.” Responding to the situation the GJMM spokesperson Dr Harka Bahadur Chhetri said: “Withholding the bills is part of the movement for Gorkhaland. So far the revenues collected on this head was not spent for development in the hills. “However, we have asked the hill people to accumulate the bill amounts so that it could be paid when we come to power in future.” Two Sherpas airlifted TT, Gangtok, Oct. 22: The bodies of two mountaineers killed in an avalanche on Mount Thingchinkhang could not be brought down because of bad weather, but two injured Sherpas have been airlifted from Tshoka, located below the base camp, to Bagdogra. The second of the two victims has been identified as Sekar Sadasivan. The death of team leader, Mangesh Deshpande, had been confirmed yesterday. According to members of the rescue team, Deshpande’s body had been sighted while Sekar’s was yet to be located. The avalanche had occurred on Sunday after the team of four mountaineers had descended 500 metres from the summit at 19,712 feet. They had been accompanied by five Sherpas and the liaison officer of the Sikkim home department. Speaking over the phone from Yuksom, 138km from here, in West Sikkim where Mount Thingchinkhang is located, rescue team members said Shantanu Pandit and Parag Pendharkar have been reunited with the fifth mountaineer Anju Paniculam at Tshoka. Anju did not make the ascent as she had fallen ill at the base camp at 14,000 feet. Deshpande, like Pendharkar, was from Pune. Sekar and Anu are from Mumbai while Pandit lives in Vashi in Navi Mumbai. The Mumbai trio are members of city-based Chakram Trekkers. “All of them were brought down to Tshoka (about 10,000 ft above sea level on the way to summit) and they are doing well but are still in a state of shock. They will be airlifted either to Gangtok or to Siliguri once the weather improves,” a rescue team member said. Sources in the West Sikkim district administration said Sherpas Mingma Sherpa and Ang Dorjee Sherpa had been airlifted to Bagdogra this morning to be taken to a Siliguri nursing home. Their condition was stable. News of the avalanche and one of the deaths first reached Gangtok on Tuesday after a porter came down to Yuksom. The second death was reported yesterday when another porter descended the peak. GDNS TO CELEBRATE 100 Yrs OF NEPALI DRAMA SE, 23 Oct, DARJEELING: Gorkha Dukah Nivarak Sammelan (GDNS) has decided to organize the centenary celebrations of Nepali drama in India. A special seminar on Nepali drama along with a felicitation programme will be organized by GDNS on November 1 to commemorate the 100 years of Nepali drama in the country. It may be recalled that the first Nepali drama in India, Pahalman Singh Sawar’s ‘Atal Bahadur’ had been staged at Darjeeling in 1909. The drama had been directed by late Dhanvir Mukhiya. During these 100 years, over 300 dramas have been staged in Darjeeling along with innumerable street plays. However, the charm and pull of the dramas have slowly died here despite efforts to restore the glory of the Nepali dramas. Pranab endorses Cong’s plan to form SMC board SNS, SILIGURI 22 OCT: Pradesh Congress president and Union finance minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee has endorsed the Darjeeling district Congress’ plan to form the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) board keeping out the electoral ally Trinamul. As per Congress sources, Mr Mukherjee gave the green signal in a late night meeting held in New Delhi yesterday with the Siliguri Mayor Miss Gangotri Dutta, Darjeeling district Congress president Mr Shankar Malakar and the Congress Raiganj MP Mrs Deepa Dasmushi ~ who happens to be the party's observer for Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts. AICC general secretary in-charge of West Bengal, Mr K Keshava Rao was also present in the meeting. “We briefed Pranabda in detail about the latest situation vis-à-vis the SMC. Giving us a patient hearing, Pranabda told Gangotridi that she now has the huge responsibility to offer best civic services to the people of Siliguri and that she enjoys his full support and co-operation,” the district Congress president Mr Malakar said over the phone from Delhi. Adding on the issue, Siliguri Mayor Miss Gangotri Dutta said that Mr Mukherjee has given his blessings asking her to work hard for the benefit of the people of Siliguri. Both Mr Malakar and Miss Dutta however, denied confirming the news that the Congress was all set to announce the SMC's Leader of Opposition on 23 October and form the Mayor-in-Council (MIC) on 26 October. “I would not comment on this now, but we hope to complete the whole process as early as possible. May be in next two-three days,” Miss Dutta said. Other than the Siliguri delegation, Congress Jalpaiguri MLA Mr Deveprashad Roy also met Mr Mukerjee in New Delhi last night, but separately after the meeting on the SMC was over. “I have briefed Pranabda on some organisational issues in north Bengal, which I do not want to divulge to the media,” Mr Roy said. The Mayor and the Darjeeling Congress president, who suddenly flew off to New Delhi yesterday afternoon to meet Mr Mukherjee and Mr Rao, would return to Siliguri tomorrow noon. “We have also met the Union commerce minister Mr Anand Sharma and communications minister Mr Jyotiraditya Schindia over various developmental issues of north Bengal including the Tea industry. But I will talk on all this only after returning to Siliguri tomorrow,” Mr Malakar concluded. Meanwhile, reacting to the SMC development, Trinamul Darjeeling district president Mr Gautam Deb said that they were least bothered, as the Trinamul has made up its mind to sit in the SMC Opposition. House looted, 1 shot at TT, Siliguri, Oct. 22: An armed gang looted a house in a secluded area near Siliguri last night and shot at a family member before fleeing cash and ornaments worth Rs 1 lakh. Roshan, the son of Narbahadur Gajmer, was admitted to a nursing home in Siliguri and doctors attending to him said he was out of danger. Narbahadur is a retired a tea estate employee and his house is located at Vancibusty, 12km from here. “Around eight to 10 persons, equipped with firearms and swords, broke into our house at 2am. They burst some crude bombs outside the house during the operation,” said Kiran, another son of Gajmer. Campus clash TT, Siliguri: Two members of the Trinamul Congress Chhatra Parishad were beaten up, allegedly by some SFI supporters, outside Suryasen College on Thursday. The SFI said the clash was over personal issues and the attackers were not its members. State struggle TT, Cooch Behar: Kamtapur People’s Party (Nikhil Roy), the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party and the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association have joined hands with the All Koch Rajbangshi Students’ Union, Koch Rajbangshi Sahitya Sabha, Cila Roy Sena and three other Assam groups to form a Separate State Demand Committee. Bear attack TT,Gangtok: A bear attacked a group of people and clawed away a chunk of flesh from the leg of T.N. Sharma, the 42-year-old headmaster of Changey Junior High School, at Sangshu, Dentam in West Sikkim, on Wednesday. He was admitted to the STNM Hospital and his condition is stable. Mom murder TT,Jaigaon: Gosanar, a worker of Rungamuttee Tea Estate in Malbazar, allegedly killed his step-mother Merry Minz, 45, on Wednesday. Police said Gosanar had a quarrel with the woman, following which he had struck her with an iron rod. Relief for women buys freedom for OC - Bailed out

Flanked by gun-wielding and masked Maoists, officer-in-charge Atindranath Dutta (in spectacles) minutes before his release on Thursday evening in the Bhulagera forests of Lalgarh. A Maoist poster hung from his neck says ‘P.O.W. juddha bandir mukti sammelan (a meeting to release the prisoner of war)’. Picture by Samir Mondal TT, Oct. 22: The Maoists released Sankrail officer-in-charge Atindranath Dutta around 8 tonight at Bhulagera forest village in Lalgarh after striking a deal with the state government that allows 14 jailed tribal women to walk free. After 54 hours in captivity, Dutta was led to a gathering of journalists and lawyers at Bhulagera primary school, a white paper inscribed with the words PoW (prisoner of war) pasted on a piece of red cloth hung from his neck. “I wasn’t worried about myself; I was concerned about my parents, daughter and wife,” Dutta told the media, whom the Maoists had called for the hand-over after the government promised the rebels safe passage under the deal. Maoist leader Kishanji, his face covered like all the guerrillas’, ceremonially removed the red cloth from Dutta’s neck. “You are being released…. It is up to you whether you will continue to remain with the police, but don’t commit atrocities on poor people,” he said. The OC left with the journalists, walking 2km to the metalled road where the media’s cars were waiting. He was handed over to police at Jhargram town, 25km from Bhulagera, and will reach Calcutta tomorrow. Dutta’s wife Indrani said in Calcutta: “I can’t describe how relieved I am. But I shall feel sure of his release only when I see him with my own eyes, I guess.” Kishanji said the release had been delayed because early this morning, the joint forces encircled part of the Punnapani forest near Dharampur adjoining Lalgarh and appeared to be shooting at what they thought might be rebel hideouts. “I wanted to release OC babu earlier, but with the police beginning their operations, the process has been delayed,” Kishanji had said in the morning. “Unless the forces stop their operations and remain confined to their camps for the next 24 hours, we will not take responsibility for OC babu’s life.” The firing stopped soon, but government sources suggested Kishanji had no intention of releasing Dutta so early and had all along planned to do so after sunset to avoid being attacked after the release. “The Maoists had made it clear they would release Dutta only after the judge granted the Adivasi women bail, which he did in the afternoon,” the officer said. In keeping with the deal, the government did not oppose the bail petition of the women who had been arrested on September 22 for allegedly attacking the police. They will be freed tomorrow after formalities are complete. The deal was struck after Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said yesterday afternoon that a “negotiation and settlement’’ was needed with the “kidnappers’’. The government decided to contact the Maoists through “unofficial channels”. A source said: “If any harm came to the officer, the state’s image would have taken a beating.” A senior inspector-general got in touch with an aide of Kishanji with help from an officer of West Midnapore police around 8pm. The rebels had initially asked for the release of Lalgarh leader Chhatradhar Mahato, withdrawal of the joint forces from Lalgarh and bail for the women. But the government rejected the first two demands and the Maoists quickly climbed down under pressure. “The women were not hardened terrorists, just supporters of Mahato’s (People’s) Committee,” an officer said. “Although their release is a huge victory for the Maoists — as they will be seen to be with the tribals, fighting for their cause — the government’s message that for every policeman killed, 25 Maoists would be killed had also sunk in.” It was to keep up this pressure that the morning offensive at Punnapani was launched. “The idea was to zero in on their base… to send the message that if they didn’t release the OC even after the (women got bail), the forces would attack their hideout and kill or arrest several of them,’’ a source said. Dutta said he was told past midnight “that I might be released today”. The OC, who was in the same off-white T-shirt and trousers that he wore when he was taken hostage on Tuesday afternoon, said he had been shifted frequently. “The Maoists were initially aggressive but later they co-operated with me.” Atindranath’s wife Indrani after his release. (Amit Datta) Refusing to elaborate on the deal, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said: “We tried all possible ways to get him (Dutta) released and eventually that fetched results.’’ Director-general of police Bhupinder Singh said: “I am not concerned about the means or whether our government reacted at gunpoint. I only know the results.” He, however, indicated this was not the end of the anti-Maoist offensive: “We are certainly not into Gandhian philosophy.” The DGP also said that bail for the tribal women did not mean action against them would cease for ever. “Bail doesn’t prove their innocence. We will frame chargesheets and submit them in court. Then it is for the court to decide whether the accused will be punished,” he added. Kishanji said it was a “great victory” for the people of Lalgarh. “This is the first time that we have released a PoW,” he said. HOME-COMING ~ Mr Atindranath Dutta, with a placard reading `Prisoner of War`, being set free on Thursday.- SUPROMIT MAITY, SNS Tale of co-operation, watched by captors Forest freedom from Kishanji Kishanji takes off the PoW label stuck on the police officer. (Amit Datta and Samir Mondal) TT, Oct. 22: His Maoist abductors lined up behind him, faces covered and guns slung on their backs, Atindranath Dutta spoke about his “co-operative” captors after CPI (Maoist) leader Kishanji released him before cameras in a West Midnapore forest. “I feel relieved. I want to tell my family that there is nothing to worry about,” said the Sankrail officer-in-charge after over 50 hours in Maoist captivity. Standing before journalists at Bhulagera in Lalgarh, about 30km from Jhargram, the officer recounted the kidnap, stay and release, often referring to the Maoists as onara —a term of respect generally used while speaking about elders. Before the interview started, Kishanji took off a red cloth that was hung from the officer’s neck with a paper stuck on it, saying: “Juddha bandir mukti sammelan (a meeting to release a prisoner of war).” Recounting Tuesday’s kidnap, Atindranath said: “I was not at the police station during the incident (when bike-borne Maoists attacked the police station) but I heard gunshots. I was returning to the police station after lunch at my quarters when a woman pointed a 9mm pistol at me. Before I could react, others blindfolded me and put me on a motorcycle and drove me to their den.” He said: “Initially, they were aggressive but when I reached their den blindfolded, they became co-operative. No one tortured me. No one told me why I was kidnapped but I heard from those who captured me that they have demanded release of some women.” Asked about his stay, he said: “I ate whatever they ate. They gave me rice, dal, vegetables and puffed rice.” Did he know where he had been kept? “I was with them but I am not sure where I was. In captivity I was taken to several locations,” Atindranath said. After over 50 hours with the Maoists, had his attitude towards them changed? The officer again said the Maoists had been “co-operative”, then added, “but I cannot predict how much aggressive they will become later”. “I want to say that the government should think about development in tribal areas. I will tell the government to sit for talks with the Maoists.” Asked about his area of operation — Sankrail — the officer said the Maoists were not so active in the area but at the same time “security was inadequate”. Would he continue as a police officer? The officer said he would take a call after talking to his family. When his slain colleagues, sub-inspectors Dibakar Bhattacharya and Swapan Roy, were mentioned, Atindranath said he was sad that they had been killed. “I feel deeply sad for the death of my two colleagues. I worked with them for so long. They were very co-operative,” he said. Earlier in the evening, speaking to his wife Indrani through STAR Ananda, Atindranath said he was safe and in good health. “I will return tonight. But I will have to go to Jhargram police station first to report there.” Indrani then gave the cellphone to their two-year-old daughter Oindrakshi but the line got disconnected. After the line was reconnected, Atindranath told his family: “I know you are anxious about me. I will return soon.” Late at night, he set off from Jhargram for Calcutta. Women who ‘liberated’ OC NARESH JANA, TT, Midnapore, Oct. 22: The government had opposed bail to the 14 Lalgarh women, whose release order won officer Atindranath Dutta his freedom today, though police have not been able to gather enough evidence against the accused. Chandicharan Mahapatra, the public prosecutor in the Midnapore sessions court, said: “We didn’t oppose the bail because the police could not produce enough evidence .” The women had been charged with rioting with arms and deadly weapons, preventing government servants from performing their duty, attempt to murder, waging a war against the state, raising funds and planning for such acts, sedition, the arms act and unlawful assembly. All the charges, except that of unlawful assembly, are non-bailable. A source in the court said: “The police could not give an adequate injury report to prove that they were attacked with deadly weapons.” The court also gave bail to seven men arrested on similar charges in Salboni. Their release was not part of the swap. If somebody is charged under a bailable section, the police station concerned has the authority to release the accused on a personal recognition bond. In a case of non-bailable offence, the accused has to be produced in court within 24 hours of arrest and the judge decides if bail should be given. If the police are unable to file a chargesheet within 90 days of arrest, the accused gets bail. The 14 women, aged between 20 and 40, were granted bail on a bond of Rs 2,000 each. The order for their release was sent to the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Jhargram today. The women and one man, arrested with them, would be freed tomorrow from Midnapore Central Jail. Today was the scheduled hearing of the bail petition that the government told its lawyers not to oppose. Suman Das Mahapatra, public prosecutor in the Jhargram court where the case was first heard, said: “The arrested women and the man directly helped the Maoists by attacking the police. That is why we had opposed the bail.” On September 3, security forces had arrested the 15 after an alleged attack on the personnel at Tashebandh in Lalgarh. An officer said the police had gone to raid the village with information that Maoists injured in an encounter on September 2 were hiding there. “When the security forces reached Tashebandh, a large number of villagers circled them. They were armed with bows and arrows, knives, choppers, bamboo sticks and pipe guns. They attacked us using the women as a shield. The police then raided Tashebandh and Bansber and arrested the 15,” said a police officer. Police protest Over 200 policemen today protested in front of West Midnapore police superintendent Manoj Verma’s office alleging the government was not bothered about two constables abducted by Maoists but released 15 people to get an OC freed. “The government went out of its way to get Atindranath Dutta released but has done nothing for Kanchan Gorai and Sabir Mollah, abducted in Lalgarh on July 30,” said a policeman . Sabir’s mother Jahanara Bibi has said she would speak to Kishanji for his release.