Couple commit suicide

Malda, Aug. 31: A young couple hanged themselves at their house in Bottali near Bamungola this afternoon.

Neighbours spotted their bodies hanging from the wooden beams of their hut and informed police. Malda superintendent of police Bhuban Mondol, said Sanjib Sikdar, 28, and Basanti, 24, had been married for five years and were childless. He said depression had led them to commit suicide. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

Boy drowns

Malda: Abdus Salam, a Class VIII student of Chanchol Sahaghati High Madarsa, drowned while swimming in a pond in Netaji More on Tuesday afternoon. Abdus’s mother, Sajeda Bewa, told the police that the 14-year-old boy had gone to bathe in the pond along with his friends around 2pm, but he did not come back. Later, his body was found floating on the pond.

Teacher forum

Siliguri: Part-time teachers of seven colleges in and around Siliguri formed the Bengal College Part-Time Teachers’ Welfare Association on August 29. The body aims to unite all part-time college teachers and fight for their job and financial security. The association members will meet the college authorities this week to discuss their demands.

Ganja arrest

Siliguri: The additional district and session’s judge, Rabindranath Samanta, on Tuesday sentenced Md Gulzar Ali to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Gulzar was arrested on November 30, 2009, and 23kg of ganja was recovered from him. If Gulzar fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve another two years in prison.

Jumbo raid

Jaigaon: A herd of 10 elephants damaged seven huts and paddy fields at Damdim Tea Estate on Monday night. The animals had entered the estate from the nearby Reti Forest and returned there after the raid.

Body found

Siliguri: Pradhannagar police recovered the body of an unidentified youth from the bank of the Panchanoi near Dagapur on Tuesday.