Cricket suicide

Suri, Nov. 14: Rabindranath Adhikari, 27, set himself ablaze last night apparently unable to bear India's loss to Pakistan at Eden Gardens.

The resident of Batikar in Birbhum, about 210 km from Calcutta, did not get to watch his team's defeat on television as he went for the immersion of the local club's Kali idol. His elder brother Debabrata said: 'On returning, he only asked me if India had won. He was always upset after India's defeat in a cricket match. Last night, he could not accept that his team had lost even after piling up nearly 300 runs.'

Police said Debabrata woke up to the smell of kerosene around 12.30 am and saw smoke billowing out of his brother's room. When he broke open the door with the help of neighbours, Rabindranath was dead.

Prasad

Midnapore: Forty-two people took ill last night after they ate Kali puja prasad at North Kasimpur in Mahishadal, East Midnapore. Among those admitted to the local primary health centre, about 120 km from Calcutta, 12 were said to be in critical condition.

Border trip

Krishnagar: About 100 schoolchildren were taken to the Zero Line for a feel of the border with Bangladesh. They were escorted past the border gate at Nonagunj in Gede, about 140 km from Calcutta, by a BSF officer. Bangladesh Rifles jawans, who were at first surprised by the unusual gathering, shared sweets with the children.