BRIEFS 12-07-2004

Cong two on capital mission

Calcutta, July 11: Former state Congress chief Somen Mitra and working president Pradip Bhattacharya left for Delhi today fuelling speculation about a change of guard in the party’s Bengal unit.

State party chief Pranab Mukherjee, now the defence minister, had expressed his desire to quit the post after he was elected to the Lok Sabha. Mitra and Bhattacharya will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “They will also meet Pranabbabu and discuss organisational polls,” said a state Congress functionary.

ECL unrest

Durgapur: Citu supporters gheraoed Eastern Coalfields Ltd officers Vinod Kumar and R.P. Gupta at Kenda for over 13 hours, from Saturday morning to midnight. They were protesting the suspension of two union members accused of triggering violence.

Rape cloud

Barasat: A doctor, Rabin Burman, was arrested on Sunday for allegedly raping a patient at North 24-Parganas’ Minakhan, about 70 km from Calcutta.

Police said a 24-year-old woman, whom Burman was treating for over a month, claimed on Saturday that she was raped. Her father barged into the chamber hearing her groan but Burman had fled.

In Bongaon, 60 km from Calcutta, Sushama Mondal, 20, was raped and killed. North 24-Parganas police chief Parveen Kumar said Mondal’s killers are being traced and Burman is being quizzed.