Girl killed in road accident

Cooch Behar, Feb. 3: A 13-year-old girl was killed when she fell off the bicycle she was riding and a truck ran over her at Ghoksadanga this afternoon.

Namita Barman fell off the bicycle after it was hit by a van on the Ghoksadanga-Mathabhanga state highway. A truck coming from the opposite direction crushed the Class V student under its rear wheels. A girl riding pillion was injured in the accident. After the incident the driver of the van was beaten up by local people who also blocked the road for an hour. Namita was a student of Premdanga Dewan Barman High School and she was on her way to Unishbigha when the accident happened. Payel Barman, who was on the bicycle with Namita, has been admitted to the Mathabhanga subdivisional hospital with a fractured arm.

Bail denied

Malda: Eleven people, who had been arrested in connection with the attack on policemen and vandalising a police outpost at Mothabari in Kaliachak, were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days on Friday. The police outpost was ransacked on Thursday after a villager was mowed down by a speeding truck on the Mothaibari-Malda state highway. Six policemen were injured in the attack.

Power protest

Jaigaon: Residents of Rajadanga in Jalpaiguri district blocked the Odlabari-Mainaguri state highway for five hours on Friday to protest the delay in supplying power in the area. The agitators alleged that although electric polls had been planted in the locality two years ago, no connections were provided by the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited.

Rice seized

Balurghat: Eighteen sacks of rice, suspected to be stored illegally, were seized from a godown at Buniadpur near Bansihari on Friday. Banamali Roy, the block development officer of Bansihari, said it was suspected that the rice was meant for preparing mid-day meals in schools. Each sack contained around 300kg of rice. Ajoy Sil, the owner of the godown, has been detained.