Bail plea rejected

Raiganj, May 29: The bail plea of Hamidur Rahman, the Congress MLA who has been accused for the death of North Dinajpur district CPM committee member Akbar Ali in Chopra on April 30, has been rejected. Rahman has been booked under IPC 325, 326, 307 and 302 for “attempting murder” and “possession of illegal arms”. Subdivisional judicial magistrate Santanu Ray rejected Rahman’s bail appeal and declared June 12 as the next date for hearing.

It has been reported that CPM activists had tried to prevent lawyers from representing Rahman but finally Gurudas Sarkar had agreed to take up Rahman’s case. The district Congress has decided to gherao the Chopra police station on June 3 demanding bail for the MLA. “I want a CBI probe and not an investigation by the police,” said Rahman.

Hunger strike

Cooch Behar: Eight activists of SUCI went on an indefinite hunger strike from Thursday in front of the office of the district inspector of schools in protest against charging “extra fee and donation” from students of Posterjhar High School in Cooch Behar town. A spokesman of the SUCI said the school had been demanding much more than the government rate of Rs 63 as admission fee. They demanded that the excess amount be returned immediately. They also demanded an end to the alleged terror tactics resorted to by SFI activists.

Suicide

Siliguri: Twenty-one-year-old Neelema Biswas committed suicide by consuming poison at her Dhamnakhari residence in Phansidewa on Wednesday night. No suicide note was found. Police later picked up her husband and mother-in-law. Neelema was married to Biswajit, a wage labourer, two years ago.

Woman killed

Malda: Khukia Mondal (50), was killed when her brother attacked her with a sickle following an altercation over sale of mangoes at Bhima village under Kaliachalk police station on Wednesday. According to the police, there had been a dispute between Khukia and her brother Dharani Das over a plot of land. There are six mango trees on the plot. Dharani sold the mangoes without giving Khukia her share. An altercation started and an enraged Dharani killed her with the sickle. Dharani is absconding.