Hooch tragedy: Trinamool Congress passes the buck to CPI-M

Even as the death toll in hooch tragedy continued to soar in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, the Trinamool Congress government blamed it on its predecessor CPI(M).

Minister for Commerce and Industry Partho Chatterjee squarely blamed the opposition party for orchestrating Tuesday's hooch tragedy.

Chatterjee alleged that CPI(M) leaders in the area had gone into hiding and it showed the clear complicity.

"Why have the CPM leaders in the area gone into hiding if they are innocent," the minister asked.

"Mamata Banerjee has clearly said today that now is not the time for playing political games. But we know the people responsible for the tragedy belong to the CPM," he added.

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Catch a helicopter to visit Poush Mela next year

SANTINIKETAN: Trip to Poush Mela is set to become easier. A private company has planned to launch helicopter services between Kolkata and Santiniketan. The company which set up its stall at the Mela this year, is likely to begin its services from next year.

"We have set up this stall to verify the interest of the people. Right now we run passenger helicopter services in between Kolkata and some other tourist spots of Bengal. We hope that very soon we may start such services between Kolkata and Santiniketan," said an official of the company. "On the very first day of the fair, a good number of visitors enquired about this service and showed interest. The approximate fare will be Rs 6000," added the official.

Though the Mela draws a large number of visitors, it has somewhat lost its rustic sheen and charm this year.

Gone are the days when people from different tribes would roam about at the Poush Mela grounds, admiring the stalls set up by local artisans. Only a few years back, the Mela wore a different look, with visitors engrossed in adda sessions at 'Kalor Dokan' and folk songs being played in the background. Fast forward to 2011, Poush Mela has got a corporate makeover.

For the last few years, Poush Mela has been divided into two parts. The portion at the Purono Melar Math ( the old fair ground) accommodates stalls of various departments of Visva Bharati and some stalls selling books, handicrafts and indigenous items. The aim of the fair organizers was 'to maintain the serenity and flavour' of the Mela in this comparatively smaller area. But the bigger area of the fair in Bhuban Danga is flooded with hundreds of stalls ranging from political literature to latest cooking gadgets. Needless to say, the crowd in the old fair ground was visibly thinner than in the Bhuban Danga on Friday.

Visitors have also witnessed this change. Sudip Roy, a school teacher from North Bengal came to Santiniketan for the first time to visit Poush Mela. Roy said, "We thought Poush Mela must be something unique. Barring the morning prayer I could not find any difference in between Poush Mela and some other big fair."

Tagore scholar and former teacher of Visva Bharati Somendranath Banerjee echoed Roy's feelings. "Gurudev Rabindranath wanted this fair as a platform for marketing the village crafts and to boost the village economy. He wanted the urban people to patronize the artisans. But now I too find no difference. This should not be a fair to sell motorbikes or computers. What is more shameful is that the artisans, the dokra workers, woodcraft workers and Patuas are found sitting in dark corners on the bare ground. But consumer goods are sold in dazzling stalls."

The University authoritities, however, refused to comment on the corporatization of the fair. They instead felt that the Poush Mela is now more 'organized'.

"You see we have published a route map, set up drop-gates, arranged for uninterrupted power. The fair is now pollution-free and use of plastic is banned at the fair ground," said an official of the fair organizing committee.

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Gunmen chase, kill realtor in bustling Howrah locality

A promoter was chased down a busy road by 8-10 gunmen in Howrah on Thursday morning, cornered in a residential locality and shot and hacked to death in front of horrified women and children. HOWRAH: A promoter was chased down a busy road by 8-10 gunmen in Howrah on Thursday morning, cornered in a residential locality and shot and hacked to death in front of horrified women and children. The gang brandished weapons and slashed at an elderly woman as they swaggered their way out, triggering a near stampede among local residents.

The brazen killing is a major embarrassment for the newly set up Howrah police commissionerate. The police were slow in responding to the incident and are still struggling to fix amotive for the murder or identify the gang. A police officer said there were a number of criminal cases pending against the victim, 40-year-old Gautam Roy alias Barka, as if this justified the murder.

Roy was an established promoter who had handled projects in several parts of Howrah. He lived in a flat on GT Road with wife Mana and two sons - the younger barely three months old. According to his family, Roy left home around 10.45am on Thursday and headed for Howrah court for an appointment with a lawyer.

Just outside his apartment complex, he met a friend on a motorcycle who offered him a lift till Bandhaghat, about 4km away. It was only when the promoter got off the bike at Bandhaghat that he realized he was being followed. He immediately made a dash down Sri Aurobindo Road. Instantly, a group of goons broke out of the rush-hour crowd and gave chase.

Locals said that there were 8-10 criminals and all of them brandished weapons. The chase went on for nearly 400 metres after which Roy turned into Sambhu Halder Lane. This was when the criminals first fired at him, locals said. They weren't sure if Roy was hit but he managed to enter a building that had shops on the ground floor and residences above. By then, locals had locked the collapsible gate that led to the stairs. Roy was trapped.

The gang riddled him with bullets in the head and chest and hacked him repeatedly with a chopper after he slumped on the ground.

"There were many people, including women and children, on the streets. The criminals casually sauntered out after killing the man and started pointing their weapons at us. One of them slashed out with a chopper. There was a mad rush as people tried to get out of the way. I saw 68-year-old Sankari Ghosh hit on the hand by a chopper blow. She fell down and hurt her head also," a local resident said. She has been admitted to TL Jaiswal Hospital.

The Malipanchghara police station is barely 2km away but it took police nearly 15 minutes to reach the spot. Roy was taken to Howrah district hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. "It seems an old business rivalry was behind the murder. Roy had several criminal cases pending against him. We are investigating the matter," said Rupesh Kumar, ACP (North Howrah).

Roy's relatives, however, said he was being threatened by extortionists for quite some time. "He never discussed business at home but there was an attempt on his life last month. The police were informed then. We received several threat calls recently and my husband looked disturbed," Roy's wife Manu said.

The commissionerate at Howrah, came up on September 1, 2011, to curb criminal activity. It's been nearly four months now but Howrah residents say they do not feel any safer. Few crimes have been solved in the last few months. Among them is the gruesome murder of a 28-year-old woman in her house in Bally on Friday evening.

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6 babies die in 6 hours at Malda hospital

MALDA: The horror of crib deaths is back to haunt Malda district hospital. On Thursday night, six newborns died in the hospital within six hours.

The babies were aged between 1 and 70 days. Apart from one, all were born in the hospital itself. Hospital authorities claimed that a severe cold wave along with ailment since birth was the reason behind the babies' death. Worse, 50 more children suffering due to the cold are battling for their lives. The mercury touched 8.8°C in Malda on Friday.

Jahanara Khatun of Manikchak had brought her ailing 70-day-old baby to Malda district hospital on Thursday. The baby was suffering from respiratory problems. Around 12.30 am on Friday, she succumbed to her ailment. Anjana Mandal of Kaliachak, who delivered her baby in the hospital on Wednesday, lost it soon after. The girl died in the newborn unit of the hospital on Thursday night.

Salma Biwi of Kaliachak saw her baby dying in front of her eyes. Soma Sinha of Ratua (mother of a 5-day-old baby), Rakhi Das of Chanchal (mother of a 2-day-old baby) and Malsa Khatun of Kaliachak (whose baby was 11 days old) also lost their babies on Friday morning.

Superintendent of the hospital, Dr R R Samanta, said: "Most of the babies were suffering from respiratory problems due to the severe cold wave sweeping the district. We tried our best to treat them, but could not."

It may be recalled that from November 8, 128 children died in this hospital. Following the series of deaths, a Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) was inaugurated in the hospital this month. It was hoped that the crib deaths would some down with the opening of the unit.

Doctors opined that the difference in temperature between the mother's womb and the atmosphere outside can be fatal for the babies. "It is true that the SNCU helps the sick babies immensely. But the number of seats in the unit being only 12, most of the babies do not find place there," Samanta said. He conceded that at least 50 more babies in the newborn ward need treatment in SNCU immediately, but can't be admitted.

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Don takes on Feluda in year-end box office bout

KOLKATA: It's Don versus the super sleuth this Christmas. With King Khan back to cross swords with his rivals and Feluda ready to rough it out in the wild, the battle on the silver screen couldn't have got more riveting. Even as the mercury dipped, Kolkata warmed up to the box office heat generated by the twin release of mega thrillers on Friday - Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don 2 and Sandip Ray's Feluda adventure 'Royal Bengal Rahasya'.

The city raised a toast and soaked in the Yuletide spirit with the two greats taking each other on. Thousands flocked to multiplexes and stand-alone theatres to catch the movies on the first day. Tickets moved faster than the underworld kingpin.

"Don ko pakarna mushkil hi nahi na-mumkin hai" was on everyone's lips coming out after watching the latest offering from the Don franchise, clearly giving the verdict. "Don 2 is a classic thriller which keeps you on the edge of your seat every single moment of the film. It's a finely crafted film and I hope the makers are already in the process of making the third part. The chase must continue," said Bollywood junkie Rashmi Somani.

It's not only the Badshah who will be minting money with his big Christmas release, our very own Feluda is not far behind giving SRK a stiff competition. Armed with his magojastra, Pradosh Mitter and company doesn't disappoint a wee bit. "The movie is too good with some very good visuals. It's a complete family film and a great way to usher in the festive season. I don't mind coming for a second time," said Meenakshi Mitra, who came to watch the film with her daughter at South City Mall.

Made at a cost of Rs 100 crore, Don 2 is a visual spectacle shot at locations around the world with mind-boggling special effects. 'Royal Bengal Rahasya' could be more sedate in comparison, but definitely makes up with its suspense factor. For Kolkatans, the return of the cerebral Feluda is reason enough to rush to the theatres.

Cineplex staff manning ticket counters said both the movies have received a stupendous response. The craze to catch these films is such that all shows are running choc-a-bloc with seats filling up fast. Prime-time shows in the afternoon and evening have been sold out. Don 2 and Royal Bengal Rahasya are being screened in 28 and 21 theatres respectively.

"Both the movies have opened really well. And with the Christmas weekend we are expecting a good turn out. We have a lot of advance bookings and it will just get better with the winter vacations on and everyone being in a festive mood," added an Inox official. For a date with the dare devil Don you will need to shell out anything between Rs 250 and Rs 450. A ticket to watch Feluda and team on the big screen you need to pay around Rs 80-180.

You may also log on to book your tickets online or rush to the nearest box office at the earliest on Saturday. The tickets are disappearing fast and thick as movie mania gripped city folks in this festive season eager to catch the twin releases.

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Wife of main accused in hooch tragedy, three others held

Canning (WB), Dec 25: A senior police officer said that a CID team arrested Noorjahan Bibi, who is the first wife of 'khora' Badshah, besides his right hand man Bakkar alias Bakreswar and another accomplice Ghulam Rasool from a house at Canning's Kargil locality.

Shambhu Patro, owner of the house and Bakkar's brother-in-law, was also detained for interrogation by the team from Kolkata during the raid.

At least 173 persons had died of the 369 admitted to hospitals after consuming the hooch, allegedly supplied by the syndicate run by 'Badshah', at liquor dens near Sangrampur rail station area on December 13 night in West Bengal's worst-ever illicit liquor tragedy. Police, earlier had arrested two persons in connection with the incident.

The hooch victims including labourers, rickshaw pullers and hawkers were admitted to Diamond Harbour sub-divisional hospital in South 24 Parganas district and M R Bangur Hospital and National Medical Hospital in Kolkata.

The victims fell ill after consuming spurious liquor at several illegal joints near the station in Mograhat area and the death toll shot up in the next two-three days.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the deaths occurred due to methyl alcohol toxicity which led to respiratory and cardiac failure.

The issue figured in the Assembly with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee having announced a CID inquiry into the tragedy which took place less than a week after the major fire in AMRI hospital which left 93 dead.

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