With an objective to pass the panchayat election peacefully, North Dinajpur district administration started a move to seize all licensed arms from civilians. After gaining instructions from North Dinajpur district magistrate Mr Sukumar Bhattacharjee the move for collection of arms started in all police stations of the district last week. In the meantime the civilians deposited around 200 arms in all nine police stations of the district.
The North Dinajpur police super Mr SB Purnapatra said “Before elections any deterioration of law and order may happen by the misuse of such licensed arms of the civilians. So a move has been initiated to collect their arms for a certain period. Special attention is given to those persons who belong to political parties and involved themselves in election campaign works for their parties. We are issuing letters to such people requesting to deposit their arms to the nearest police station. If they fail to deposit the same by stipulated period a lawful measure to be taken against them.”
Archive for May, 2008
Police seize licensed arms before polls in N Dinajpur – The Statesman
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008Villagers to boycott polls, demand inclusion in N Dinajpur – The Statesman
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008Demanding inclusion in North Dinajpur district, residents of Kurbanpur, a village in South Dinajpur district have decided to boycott the panchayat polls. No nomination has been filed from the area either.
According to the villagers, their area is adjacent to Raiganj, the district headquarters of North Dinajpur, which is why they are demanding the inclusion in North Dinajpur district. “Otherwise, we have to travel to Balurghat, which is the South Dinajpur headquarters for official work, involving time and money. The demand has been a long-standing one,” said the villagers.
“Unless the authorities comply with our demand, the village as one would boycott the panchayat and all subsequent elections,” the villagers added.
The district administration is undecided on the matter and could not promise to accede to the demand. “It is a serious matter and can be sorted out at the highest level,” South Dinajpur district magistrate Mr Swapan Chatterjee, said.
Meanwhile, licensed gun holders in South Dinajpur district have expressed dissatisfaction with the election commission’s instruction to deposit their firearms at local police stations 21 days before the panchayat polls. Expressing insecurity, the gun owners met the IC of Balurghat police station today. More than 400 licensed gun holders residing within the jurisdiction of the Balurghat police station have started depositing their guns at the police stations.
Father lodges complaint against headmistress for beating daughter – The Statesman
Sunday, May 4th, 2008After a class XII girl was severely beaten up in school Mr Subir Sarkar, the girl’s father, lodged a complaint with Raiganj police station against Mrs Madhuchhanda Das, the head mistress of Raiganj Girls’ HS School yesterday. He said the headmistress, beat up his daughter, for no reason, consequently injuring her in the school premises .
It was learnt that in the morning yesterday Mr Subir Sarkar visited Raiganj Girls’ HS School with his daughter Puja Sarkar to meet up the fees of computer education of the school. After making the payment when Puja Sarkar along with her father was returning from school office room, the headmistress allegedly intercepted the girl at the veranda and beat up her as because she turned up in the school without uniform.
Mr Subir Sarkar, the guardian said: “yesterday she visited the school to meet up the computer fees. So she did not wear school uniform. But suddenly the headmistress turned up and started to thrash her severely. When I tried to dissuade her from attack she did not listen to me. My daughter got hurt on her head in this attack”. Mrs Madhuchanda Das said: “yesterday the girl visited the school wearing a sleeveless frock. So I scolded her against her choice of dress in side the school. The subject of beating her does not arise”.
A police officer of Raiganj police station said: “on the basis of a complaint we instituted an inquiry into the incident.
Polls: Security enhanced in N Dinajpur – The Statesman
Sunday, May 4th, 2008In a bid to conduct the panchayat polls peacefully, 2900 temporary guards would be ap-pointed during the rural elections in North Dinajpur. Besides, 1500 trained guards from the Centre would be deployed at different booths to conduct fair elections, Mr SB Purnapatra, SP, North Dinajpur said.
“We will soon begin the process to appoint the 2900 temporary home guards. In the process priority will be given to retired home guards, ex-Armymen, NCC cadres and trained civil defence volunteers,” Mr Purnapatra added. The North Dinajpur administration has started a process to identify sensitive booths in the district.
District hospital faces blood shortage – The Statesman
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008The blood bank at the Raiganj district hospital is facing an acute shortage of blood, much to the concern of the patients admitted. Friends and relatives of patients are finding it hard to collect a unit of blood and donors are rare. The problem, according to doctors, intensified as blood donation camps cannot be held now as the preparations for the panchayat poll is in full swing.
A staff of the blood bank in Raiganj district hospital Mr Brojen Chakraborty said: “The patients’ friends and relatives are being asked to manage donors for blood required for their patients. In most cases, they fail to arrange donors.” Mr Surya Gupta of Karandighi whose relative is admitted for treatment, said: “We required one unit of ‘B’ positive group of blood for our patient but the blood was not available in the blood bank. We could not get hold of a donor either. So, the surgery of our patient has been held up.”
The superintendent of Raiganj district hospital Dr Swapan Kumar Paul said: “The blood crisis arose after the workers’ unions and political parties, who took the initiative to organise bringing blood to the hospital stopped holding blood donation camps as they are busy with panchayat elections.”
“To reduce the crisis we have requested some social welfare organisations to hold blood donation camps in order to save the patients. Some non-political organisations assured us that they would organise blood donation camps shortly,” he said.