Suicide after snub

Krishnagar, May 24: A nine-year-old boy hanged himself yesterday after his mother scolded him for hitting his elder sister at Karimpur in Nadia, 180 km from Calcutta.

Police said Avijit Swarnakar, a Class IV student of Patabuka Primary School, was locked up by his mother for slapping sister Aparna, a student of Class VIII. When his father Shanti Swarnakar returned home and opened the door, he was hanging from the ceiling fan. “Avijit used his sister’s dupatta to hang himself. He pulled up a chair on the bed to reach the fan,” said the Tehatta sub- divisional police officer.

Naxalites held

Midnapore: Two top CPI (Maoist) leaders were arrested from Banspahari in West Midnapore, 220 km from Calcutta, on Monday night. District superintendent of police Ajay Nanda said Sunil Roy, aged around 70, was a politburo member and Patit Paban Haldar a member of its central committee.

Cong charge

Bolpur: Tapasi Bauri, a Congress candidate for Bolpur municipality, which went to polls on Sunday, has lodged a complaint with police alleging that CPM supporters set fire to her thatched house on Monday night. The blaze was put out before the firemen arrived. “The Congress knows it will lose in the polls. So, its leaders are trying to defame us,” said the CPM’s Samir Bhattacharya.

Anthrax scare

Behrampore: Three people were diagnosed with anthrax at Kandi in Murshidabad, about 225 km from Calcutta, on Tuesday. District chief medical officer of health Sachchidananda Sarkar said the trio ate meat of a sick goat last week. Over 50 cases of anthrax have been reported in Murshidabad this year.