MLA on fever death

Siliguri, July 6: MLA Rudranath Bhattacharya today asked the people of Siliguri not to panic after a four-year-old girl died of encephalitis in a nursing home here this evening.

Bhattacharya, who is himself a doctor, said Alana Ghosh, a resident of Deshbandhupara, was admitted to the nursing home four days ago with high fever that later turned out to be encephalitis. “But it was not Japanese encephalitis, which is a mosquito-borne disease. This was a single case and residents here, particularly those who have children, have nothing to worry.” Encephalitis causes an inflammation of the brain because of a virus attack. Symptoms include headaches, fever, confusion and in more serious cases seizures and tremors.

Five held

Alipurduar: Madarihat police arrested Ramesh Baraik, his father Ramsingh, brothers Bhushan and Manoj and mother Bhagobati on Tuesday for allegedly murdering Ramesh’s wife. The deceased’s family members had alleged that on June 26, Ramesh and his relatives had poured kerosene on Biva and set her on fire. Biva succumbed to the burn injuries at the Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital on June 30. Her family members had lodged a complaint against husband Ramesh and the in-laws on the basis of which they were arrested. They were produced in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate in Alipurduar on Wednesday and remanded in jail custody for 14 days.

Road deaths

Raiganj/Siliguri: Abdul Mazid, 61, and his granddaughter Sihal Nasrin, 5, died when the motorcycle they were riding was hit by the Delhi-bound Radhikapur Express at an unmanned level crossing near Hemtabad in North Dinajpur on Wednesday. After the accident, residents of the area blocked the tracks from 7am for five hours, demanding that guards be posted at the level-crossing. Radhikapur-bound trains from Calcutta, Barsoi and Katihar were delayed . In another incident, Raja Shil, 21, and Biswajit Mondal, 18, of Patiram near Matigara died after the motorcycle they were riding hit a pick-up van at Jorpokhri near Phansidewa this afternoon. Shyam Majumdar, who was also on the two-wheeler, suffered injuries and has been admitted to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.