Animal Attack Pictures: Wild Leopard mauls six in Siliguri

In a horrifying moment, a fully grown leopard pounced on a forest guard in Siliguri

An unidentified forest guard aims his rifle as he is attacked by a wild leopard (Panthera pardus) at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri on July 19, 2011. Six people were mauled by the leopard after the feline strayed into the village area before it was caught by forestry department officials. Forest officials made several attempt to tranquilised the full grown leopard that was wandering through a part of the densely populated city when curious crowds startled the animal, a wildlife official said.

 

AFP PHOTO/Diptendu DUTTA

CRPF personnel posted on Sikkim 31-A National Highway

Traffic resumes on Sikkim highway

Gangtok,May 16: Two companies of CRPF were re-deployed today on NH31A even as the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha tried to enforce its 48-hour bandh for the second day today.


The comeback of the paramilitary force follows yesterday’s violence in which 10 Sikkim-bound vehicles were damaged by alleged Morcha supporters on the highway, the Himalayan state’s only road link to the rest of the country. The shutdown is part of the Morcha tactics to pile pressure on the government to include the Terai and some parts of the Dooars in the proposed interim set-up for the hills.

Traffic between the two states resumed today with the help of Bengal police who escorted the vehicles along the national highway amid sporadic attempts to stall vehicular movement.At 1.30pm today, a Sikkim government vehicle from Siliguri was stopped and its windscreen and windows smashed at Sukhapool, 4km from Rangpo, the gateway to the Himalayan state.

Earlier around noon, an army convoy bound for Gantgtok, had a narrow escape when a large tree came crashing down on the highway at Tarkhola. Police said there was evidence that the base of the tree had been hacked at with axes. The crown of the tree blocked the highway till it was cleared 30 minutes later.

Gangtok police said the first batch of vehicles along with 10 Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) buses were allowed to proceed to Siliguri from Rangpo with police escort at 10am. Two Bengal police vehicles with armed men in khaki led and brought in the rear of the convoy.

Till 4pm, a total of 214 vehicles had left Rangpo (for Siliguri) and 175 vehicles had entered Sikkim, the police posted at the border town said.

The SNT plied eight extra buses with police escort to clear stranded passengers in Siliguri. “We ply six buses to Gangtok daily and the first one departs at 7.30am. Yesterday only two buses could leave because of the trouble on NH31A,” said Tulsi Prasad Sharma, the SNT traffic inspector said. “Today, 14 buses left under police escort.”

A long queue of more than 600 passengers had been waiting at the SNT terminus in Siliguri from 4am, but only only half of them could be issued tickets. With the Darjeeling tour with its toy train ride foiled, Diane from Estonia and Amy and Cecilia from Hungary were determined to travel to Sikkim. “No vehicles were plying yesterday and we came here very early in the morning and got our tickets after standing in queue for three-and-a-half hours,” said Diane.

This morning, two of the three companies of CRPF moved into two camps — at Reang on NH31A and at Pintail Village in Siliguri — vacated only about 20 days back. Later, they hit the road on patrol duty.
K.L. Tamta, the inspector-general of police, north Bengal, said: “Two companies have been deployed in Kalimpong and Rambhi and another one is posted at Pintail Village off NH55. They have been requisitioned to maintain law and order along the highway.”
Sikkim governor Balmiki Prasad Singh who was speaking at the 35th State Day celebration at Chintan Bhavan in Gangtok said the “frequent trouble in the neighbouring region” often hindered movement of passengers and goods along NH31A for days together.

Fun spot Savin kingdom

Don’t want to hop from one pandal to another and jostle for a view of Durga idols? Well, then take a plunge in the cool waters at Savin Kingdom or enjoy a cultural evening at Lifestyle. Here’s a peek at what is on offer for you during Puja.

SAVIN KINGDOM: When it comes to fun unlimited, the only amusement park in north Bengal located on the fringe of Siliguri takes the crown.

And if you want to enjoy the fun at a discounted rate, visit the amusement park and water kingdom there not before 12 noon and not after 3pm on Saptami, Astami, Nabami and Dashami.

Special attractions: Striking cars, monorails and flying saucer, break dance, paratrooper, tame the bull, wave pool, shower hobs, giant water bucket and artificial waterfall.

Charges: Entry tickets at Rs 100 for adults and Rs 80 for kids — Rs 50 and Rs 40 less than normal rates — for the amusement park. There is a 50 per cent discount on packages that come for Rs 180 and Rs 120 on regular days at the amusement park. “The discount rates are applicable only from 12pm to 3pm for the four days during Pujas,” said Alok Bhattacharjee, the manager (administration), Savin Kingdom.

NH 31A to remain closed in night for five days

Siliguri, 28 AUG: The National Highway 31A, which connects Sikkim with Siliguri, would remain closed to traffic from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. for five days starting tomorrow for repairs, said the state home secretary, Mr Ardhendu Sen today. “Traffic movement would be normal during the day hours,” he added.
The state government would prepare a comprehensive plan to combat frequent landslides in the hills, the home secretary said after completing his four-day visit to the Darjeeling hills to assess the restoration and rehabilitation works after the recent landslides. “A committee of experts would be formed to chalk out plans to combat landslides,” said Mr Sen. “The estimated cost of landslide damage is Rs 150 crore while the amount is Rs 430 crore in case of Aila,” he added.
“Around 450 houses were completely damaged in the landslides and 300 houses were damaged partly. Around 1300 families are now staying in the relief camps,” said the Darjeeling district magistrate, Mr Surendra Gupta.
The administration is trying to finish repairs before the puja so that the road conditions do not affect tourism during the puja,” said Mr Gupta.
The government would repair the Hill Cart Road, connecting Darjeeling with Siliguri, soon. Though light vehicles are plying through the road, heavy vehicles are still not allowed, the home secretary said.

NH 31A hits hills economy

Vehicles ply on 27 Mile, a landslide-affected stretch of NH31A, after fresh mudslide on Monday.
Gangtok,August24: National Highway 31A, considered to be the lifeline for Sikkim and Kalimpong, could well spell death for the economy of these areas in the autumn tourist season if the landslide-ravaged road is not repaired on time.

The rain-triggered landslides and cave-ins have reduced the highway to a potholed and slushy track at numerous places, leading to frequent traffic jams and increase in travel time from two hours to more than double for Siliguri-bound vehicles from here.

Transporters, travel agents and hoteliers are hoping the road will be repaired on time for the tourist season. That possibility, however, looks unlikely, though the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the highway, has promised to carry out the repair on a war footing once the rain stops.

The monsoon normally ends in early September, but given its delayed arrival this year, it can go up to the middle of next month. That has worried the travel sector because the tourist season is expected to have an early start in the last week of September coinciding with Durga Puja. This means the BRO, at best, will hardly have 10 days’ time to repair the badly damaged road.

The commander of 764 Border Road Task Force, M.A.N.V. Prasad, however, said he was confident that the major portions of the road, barring the 14-km stretch from Teesta to Rambi, would be repaired (not black-topped) by the start of the season. The major trouble spots, he said, were Likhubhir near Teesta and a stretch located 3km from Melli towards Sikkim.

“There are other four or five new spots beyond Melli and Rangpo which are of concern, but we will manage them,” Prasad said and added that work on black-topping the Teesta-Rambi stretch would start in early October.

Prasad’s assurance should sound music to the ears of the hoteliers, who have been receiving encouraging response for the season. “Bad roads will definitely affect the inflow of tourists, but I am hopeful that the highway will be repaired by then,” said Sanjogita Subba, the president of the Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association of Kalimpong. Bookings for the season have been good, she added.

For the transporters, the time is not so good though. T.D. Bhutia, the president of the Janmukti Chalak Mahasangh, affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said the business had gone down by at least 30 per cent in the past one week because of the road condition. “Only those who are compelled to travel are hitting the roads. Our vehicles are breaking down more frequently because of the road, raising the maintenance cost,” he added.

Bhutia said he was especially worried about the worst-affected stretch at 27 Mile, which is maintained by the NHPC. “The NHPC should sit with the administration and restore the road to motorable condition. On our part, we are willing to keep our vehicles off the road for a couple of days to facilitate the work.”

The transporters’ body is willing to sit with the BRO and show them new accident-prone sites that have emerged on the highway. “Many stretches of the road have become very dangerous for driving. The BRO must do something for the sake of safe driving,” Bhutia said.

Gangtok to Siliguri : Now a 10 hours trip

RANGPO, August 23: With the Mile 27 stretch along the National Highway 31-A still under landslide debris, commuters from Sikkim travelling to and fro Siliguri have been taking around nine hours to reach their destinations.

At least 10 places along the Highway had been hit by landslides, triggered by torrential rains over the past week. All these stretches, except Mile 27 area near Rambi have been cleared by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

The NHPC, who is undertaking the construction of the Teesta Lower Dam at Mile 27, has also come under public criticism for distancing themselves from restoration work and for failing to bring about permanent solution to the recurring landslide problem at this stretch.

The NHPC authorities, on the other hand, have been saying that restoration works are on at this stretch, which comes directly above the dam site.

First suspected swine flu case in N Bengal

SILIGURI, Aug 10 (PTI) In the first suspected swine flu case in north Bengal, a youth has been admitted to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) here shortly after he returned from Pune.
Sudev Sarkar (27), a resident of Sukurpara of Jalpaiguri district, was referred to NBMCH by Jalpaiguri district hospital last night, Nodal Health officer Dr Rudra Bhattacharya told PTI today.
Sarkar fell sick with cough and fever at Pune where he had gone around one and a half month ago and got admitted to the Jalpaiguri hospital after return on August 7.
While samples of his swab had been sent to Kolkata for tests, his wife and cousin Shyamal, who brought him to NBMCH, were also kept in isolation ward for observation despite not displaying any flu like symptoms.

A double-lane parallel for NH31A

Gangtok, Oct. 31: An alternative route plan for a stretch of the National Highway 31A connecting Sikkim is ready to be concretised. The proposal had been pending for more than a decade.
In the first phase, the double-lane highway will connect Melli in Darjeeling district to the border town of Rangpo along the Sikkim side of the Teesta, a distance of 26km. The alignment of the single-lane NH31A is along the Bengal side of the river. .
Since in Sikkim, four-laning of the highway is not possible because of the fragile nature of the soil, the idea is to build a new one and upgrade the existing one.
The Sikkim roads and bridges department has invited expressions of interest from an empanelled central list of approved consultants to survey, investigate, design and prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposal. The bid includes construction of tunnels and bridges and interested consultants have been asked to submit their detailed credentials by the first week of December.
The work will be carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in consultation with the state government. The rivers Teesta (upto Rangpo-Singtam) and Ranikhola (Singtam-Ranipul) will be the median for the highway.
The second phase of the project will cover Ranipul to Tashi View Point above Gangtok Both the phases are likely to be tendered together. While an exact cost has not been calculated and will be finalised only after the DPR is ready, an approximate expense brings it to Rs 5 crore per kilometre.
At present, there is only the single lane NH31A, which connects the state with the rest of the country. With the new plan now likely to see the light of day, NHAI aims to do away with connectivity woes. Landslides and frequent bandhs in neighbouring Bengal — there was one there yesterday and another one today— often chokes the only lifeline of Sikkim. The Pawan Chamling government had proposed the alternative route way back in 1996.
The principal chief engineer-cum-secretary of the state roads and bridges department, G.P. Sharma, confirmed that the plan has been sanctioned under the Special Area Road Development Programme, a central package to link several state capitals of the Northeast. All roads to the district headquarters will also be double-laned under this scheme. The second phase plan is likely to be cleared by the Centre by March next year, Sharma added.
Earlier, the NHAI had called for tenders for the construction of a four-lane highway on a build-own-operate basis but met with lukewarm response as construction companies were told to recover their investment from toll imposed on the road. The present volume of traffic cannot meet the high cost. In addition, the nature of the soil did not permit a four-lane.

Bagdogra airport will have four more parking bays

Bagdogra, Oct. 10: Bagdogra airport will have four more parking bays by Puja next year, allowing seven aircraft to anchor there at any given time.
“The work order for apron extension has already been issued and the job is expected to be completed by next Puja,” said airport director K.K. Bhaumik. The apron is that part of the aerodrome which is set aside for loading, unloading or maintaining aircraft.
The Airports Airport Authority of India (AAI) has allocated Rs 18 crore for the project, the director added.
At the moment, the three existing bays at the airport are just enough for the four flights that come in and go on an average every day.
“With all these flights operating between 12 noon and 4pm, the bays are just enough to handle the traffic. But if there is an increase in flights and airlines, especially during those four hours, it may become difficult to get by with just three bays. That is why we are building four more,” Bhaumik said.
The Indian Air Force, which runs the Bagdogra air base and manages the runway and other basic requirements and facilities, has given a no-objection certificate to the apron extension project, which will take up about 48,000 square metres of additional tarmac area.
“In fact, we have given permission for the construction of three more bays (on top of the four to be constructed now), but I hear that the AAI will construct them in the second phase,” said Group Captain Chandramouli, the station commander of Bagdogra air force base.
However, he could not say when the second phase would begin.
There are also talks of a new terminal building. “A preliminary round of discussion was held recently between the AAI, the district administration and the air force for the construction of a second terminal building to cope with the increase in passenger flow,” said Bhaumik.
“When the airport does get international status, the old building will be the international terminal, while the new one will handle domestic traffic,” the director added.
The airport is yet to get signal from the civil aviation ministry for upgrade to international status, but there is no let up in preparations for it. Bhaumik was among the three AAI directors who attended a seven-day course in Switzerland on international airport management last month.
In addition, a new automatic door opening mechanism has been installed at the exit point of Bagdogra airport and a foreign exchange counter is on the anvil.
But Bhaumik warned that even after the permission for upgrade comes, several steps must be taken before the airport actually gets international status. These include setting up of customs and immigration, plant quarantine and a health check-up centre and more counters, besides a separate terminal building,” the airport director said.

Song sung blue in Siliguri

Friday October 5, Last Saturday, when Siliguri exploded in violence, it was an event that was waiting to happen. The victory celebration for Indian Idol 3, Prashant Tamang, turned sour, with the Nepalese and non-Nepalese population in the township ending up battling each other. For several hours violence raged. Police jeeps were set on fire, armed bands of youth looted shops, and it seemed imminent that the violence would spread to the hills of Darjeeling along communal lines. Fortunately that did not happen. A curfew was imposed in Siliguri town and the army was called out to defuse the explosive situation.
It would be naïve to read the flare-up as a minor, isolated event. The outburst was an expression of the tensions underlying this multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and highly strategic region, and demonstrated the fragility of its social fabric.
Prashant Tamang had emerged in the course of the popular TV talent show as a great idol for the Nepali community. There have been other icons, too, like footballers Shyam Thapa and Baichung Bhutia or, on a different plane, Subash Ghisingh. This predilection to create heroes - which sometimes translates into mass hysteria - reflects the passionate search for identity of a community that often finds itself on the margins of Indian society.
It is extremely significant to trace the gradual building up of the 'Indian Idol' fever. A vast region, centred around Darjeeling and covering eastern Nepal and Sikkim, had virtually turned into a simmering cauldron over the contest. There were early signals of the shape of things to come. A BSNL office in Darjeeling was vandalised by Tamang supporters, who alleged that the service provider had miserably failed to ensure that the SMS votes polled by them reached the jury in time. When Tamang entered the final phase of the contest, the angst took on multiple dimensions. Tamang became the rallying point for the Nepalese across geographical boundaries and the urban-rural divide.
Ever since the Gorkhaland movement, its propagator Subhash Ghisingh had marked out a fine distinction between those he called the 'Gorkhas' of Darjeeling and the Nepalis of Nepal. The surge for a 'Gorkha' identity saw the emergence of the Gorkhaland movement of the mid-eighties. The 'Indian Idol' contest was probably the single biggest emotive factor that unified the people here after the struggle for Gorkhaland, and it evoked the earlier movement. At the same time, it is interesting to observe that on the Tamang issue, the Nepali-Gorkha distinction disappeared, and the two communities almost forged a single identity comprising Darjeeling-Sikkim-Nepal. This was almost a mirror image of the coalescing of the Khasis, Garos and Jaintias in Meghalaya in favour of the other contestant, Amit Paul. For example, in the final leg, jeep loads of Tamang supporters from Nepal with Nepalese flag fluttering atop their car bonnets would arrive in Darjeeling. They would campaign around the hills, enjoying the generous hospitality of the locals. There were even designated hotels in Darjeeling where they would camp for days together to whip up the 'Idol' frenzy. Tamang fan clubs sprouted in large numbers, many backed by political bigwigs.
In neighbouring Sikkim, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling could hardly ignore the signals as the madness spread to his state. Sikkim's politics is largely under the control of the Nepalese so much so that even in constituencies reserved for ethnic Bhutias and Lepchas, almost 70 per cent of the electorate is Nepalese and even Bhutia or Lepcha nominees have to depend on the support of the Nepalese to win the polls.
Another aspect of the 'Indian Idol' contest was that it was on a popularity rating through SMS votes. This is where the muscle flexing came in. The Tamang fan clubs that sprouted all over the hills were patronised by a businessmen-contractors combine. Funds were raised to buy cell phone recharge cards and volunteers were recruited whose sole job was to ensure maximum polling. According to one estimate, Tamang is said to have polled over 10 crore votes over the entire selection process. Its total cost would be over Rs 30 crore if each SMS is calculated at Rs 3.
Such an expensive campaign invariably had its pitfalls. There were allegations of extortion and high-handedness. Vehicles plying from Siliguri to Darjeeling and Sikkim had to pay for cell phone re-charge cards. The local business community saw it as a business opportunity and "donated" generously. In the process, the Nepalese-non Nepalese divide got deepened and took an extremely ugly turn in Siliguri - testifying to the region's rapidly changing demography.
The only reprieve was that the local administration acted fast and contained a possible backlash in the hills. But the inherent, latent hostility continues to remain in the region.

Higher room tariff awaits tourists in Sikkim & Surrounding areas

Gangtok,October4: Tourists and visitors to the region must get ready to shell out more on accommodation.
Most upmarket hotels in Siliguri and the hills have hiked their room tariffs by anything between 10 to 30 per cent, the highest in recent times. Though hoteliers insist that the hike is in keeping with rising costs, they also know they can bank on a huge demand for accommodation in these places.
“The demand is getting stronger, which is why we can now afford to increase the rates,” said Vived Baid, the managing director of The Cindrella Hotel in Siliguri. Baid called the hike “long overdue”, but added: “We have increased our rates by only 10 per cent.”
A double deluxe room at Cindrella, for example, will now cost Rs 3,500 plus taxes instead of Rs 3,200.
Vikash Kothari, the managing director of Sinclairs Group, said it’s been six years since they last increased their room tariffs. “Except for suites, in which case the hike is about Rs 1,000, our guests will have to pay only Rs 100-Rs 200 per room more at all our properties in Siliguri, Darjeeling and Chalsa (in the Dooars),” he added.
Kothari said it was difficult to raise rates in Siliguri where “business depends solely on the corporate clientele”. “Siliguri being a Category C city, the entitlement for visiting officials is very low here compared to the metros.”
The story is different in the hills though. New Elgin in Darjeeling has hiked its rate by 30 per cent, its double rooms now costing Rs 5,500 instead of Rs 4,400. “Increasing costs forced us to raise our room tariffs,” said manager Badal Biswas, adding that the rates were flat for the past three years. Elgin Group has increased tariff in two other properties—Silver Oaks in Kalimpong and Norkhill in Gangtok—by similar margins. Other hotels like Mayfair and Cedar Inn in Darjeeling have followed suit.
Tour operators are divided in their reaction to the increase. While Raj Basu, a Siliguri-based tour operator, called it “justified”, P.Lachungpa of Gangtok disagreed.
“Gangtok is getting costlier because of the hotels. In the long run we will lose out to other cheaper destinations if this goes on,” Lachungpa said.

PEACE MARCH AFTER IDOL UNREST

Darjeeling/Siliguri, Sept. 29: The Prashant Fan Club prevented the Siliguri fire from spreading to the hills by calling off today’s 12-hour bandh and protest march against yesterday’s violence in the plains.

Hill politicians assured would-be Puja tourists they were welcome and had nothing to fear about “security and hospitality”.
Curfew was lifted in most of Siliguri from 2pm, barring 11 specified areas around the court, the scene of the street battles and eight-hour hostage drama. But the army and the BSF continued their vigil.

In Darjeeling, GNLF leader Bimal Gurung announced around 11am that “in the interests of peace”, the bandh was being withdrawn.

The GNLF had not taken a stand on the bandh but Gurung’s stature had ensured that streets in Darjeeling and Kurseong remained deserted in the morning. Later, some shops in Darjeeling opened and vehicles began plying.

Kurseong continued to stay indoors but allowed vehicles travelling between Darjeeling and Siliguri to pass. Mirik saw a peaceful rally.

District magistrate Rajesh Pandey, speaking after an all-party meeting in Siliguri, said: “The situation is totally under control.”

Schools and colleges will remain closed on Monday but public examinations, such as railway recruitment, will be exempt. Pandey appealed to the people to ignore rumours such as the ones that sparked yesterday’s rioting.

Inspector-general of police (north Bengal) R.J.S. Nalwa said pro-Prashant Tamang marchers had “manhandled” a patient yesterday in front of a hospital, prompting retaliation by shopkeepers and bystanders. “But the story about a pregnant woman being kicked was false.”

Pandey confirmed that the march organisers had taken permission.

Red FM Issue a Media Statement on Indian Idol issue

Delhi, 29th September, 2007: Red FM hails Prashant Tamang's victory in Indian Idol and has been supporting his entire journey right from the start. As soon as we got to know that a section of the people have misinterpreted some of the statements in our show as being insulting, we have proactively cleared our stand. As the leader in the national FM broadcasting space we are in the business of music and providing joy to all our listeners. Our shows and RJ’s use humour and satire in their presentation and the popularity of their shows is there for all to see. There is nothing deliberate or intentional in anything that they do. Indeed, Red FM is committed to promoting musical talent across the country and given the talent in the North East that area will continue to be our special focus. It is therefore unfortunate that some vested interests are seeking to make political capital out of an innocuous comment made during the morning show and which has been taken out of context.We have not intentionally caused hurt to the sentiments of any person or any particular community, caste or creed. However in the event any inadvertent slight or offence has been caused to the sentiments of any person or community we tender our apology for the same. We had done so on air on September 28, 2007 as well. We also take this opportunity to categorically state that we as an organization have the highest regard for all communities, sects, religions and it has never been our intention to cause any offence to any community or to hurt any sentiments of any person or community. We would continue to subscribe to the programming code and ethics and keep producing award winning and popular programming interlaced with humour and wit. It is this interaction with the people of India which has helped us become the leader in the metros and which brings so much joy to the larger Red FM family-our listeners.

For further information contact:

Ruchi Agrawal/ Pradnya Dike Genesis Burson-Marsteller,

MumbaiPh: 09819 55 4878 / 09819 16 9248

Email: ruchi.agrawal@bm.com / pradnya.dike@bm.com

Indian Idol protests: Siliguri curfew lifted

Saturday, September 29, 2007 (Siliguri): Curfew has been lifted from areas under Siliguri police station after violent clashes in the north Bengal town on Friday but prohibitory orders are still on, in at least nine localities. More than 60 people have been injured in the incident. The Darjeeling hills have been cut off from the plains due to Friday's clashes. The district administration will hold a meeting on Saturday evening to take stock of the situation.The violence sparked by comments made by a Radio Jockey against the Gorkha community spiralled out of control and resulted in the army being called in. The Radio Jockey had made these remarks while referring to local boy Prashant Tamang who recently won the Indian Idol competition. All schools, shops and offices are shut and the army continues to take out flag marches. According to the Darjeeling district magistrate the army and BSF will continue to patrol the sensitive parts of the town till Saturday night. Tamang, in a message to his fans, requested them to maintain peace.

Curfew continues in Siliguri

Siliguri, Sept. 29 (PTI): Curfew, clamped to quell violence that erupted over the alleged derogatory comment on Indian Idol Prashant Tamang by a Delhi-based FM channel, continued for the second day today paralysing the normal life in this commercial city.
Life was also hit in Darjeeling sadar and Kurseong sub-division of Darjeeling district in a dawn-to-dusk bandh call given by the Prashant Tamang Fan Club in protest of the comment which they said had "hurt the sentiment, tradition and culture of the Gorkhas."
"No untoward incident was reported from anywhere as four columns of the army and two companies of para-military forces held a flag march in the town," Darjeeling District Magistrate, Rajesh Pandey, said.
"The curfew would continue as long as the situation demands," he said and asked all the institutions, shops, markets, government and private offices to remain closed till further orders.
He also asked the people to remain indoors.
Darjeeling police has lodged a formal FIR against the Delhi-based FM channel and a team would leave for the national capital to probe the incident.
Meanwhile, an all party meeting has been called by the West Bengal Minister for Municipal Affairs and Urban Development and MLA from Siliguri, Ashok Bhattacharya, here during the day to restore peace in the hills.
Tamang, in a message to his fans, requested them to maintain peace and tranquility saying "violence has no place in song or music."

Prashant Tamang appeals for peace, restraint in Siliguri

Prashant Tamang spoke to The Telegraph from Kathmandu, moments before he performed in front of a packed house there this evening. He was felicitated by the people of Nepal for becoming the Indian Idol 3.
Whatever has happened in Siliguri today was uncalled for. I was shocked to hear about it. I want my people to exercise restraint and be more tolerant. I am appealing to them to be sensible since no matter what happens, the result of Indian Idol will not change. I want peace to prevail and amity to be restored.
Even I felt bad when I heard that certain comments were made about my community. This should not have happened. But corrective action is being taken and the matter should rest there.
My people should remember that I have been crowned Indian Idol 3 and they should forget about everything else and enjoy the moment.
Let us celebrate this occasion and not bother about anything else.
I appeal to all not to indulge in any kind of violence, as this will show us in poor light. Thanks to people’s blessings and love, I have been crowned Indian Idol. I want to make them all proud by achieving more fame. We should forget about what has happened as this will only affect my work and I will not be able to concentrate. I have been working very hard to bring out my new album and this will be my gift to all of you.
So please do not spoil the moment and pray for me. Thank you.

(The Telegraph)

The Prashnat Fans call hill strike Today

Darjeeling, Sept. 28: The Prashant Fan Club has called a 12-hour general strike across the hills tomorrow to protest against the flare-up in Siliguri today.
More than 50 people were injured when a mob clashed with police after rumours of a Prashant Tamang fan rally preventing patients from entering the Siliguri district hospital started doing the rounds. The rally of 5,000 was protesting against remarks made by the radio jockey of a Delhi-based FM channel.
Bimal Gurung, a GNLF leader from the Singamari-Tukvar area and an adviser to the fan club, said: “We protest against the incidents that took place in Siliguri. Strong action must be taken against the FM station, failing which we will take to the streets.”
Gurung made the announcement at Chowk Bazar around 6.30pm. Given the leader’s stature here, observers feel the strike will be total.
The GNLF leader added that strike has been called to ensure that no untoward incident takes place across the hills tomorrow. “The people here are in a volatile mood. We must ensure that there is peace, but if justice is not delivered to us we are ready to take to the streets.”
Though Gurung is a GNLF leader, the party has not taken a stand on the strike.
Dawa Pakhrin, the president of the GNLF’s Kalimpong branch committee, said: “We will maintain peace and tranquility across the hills but it is the duty of the administration to maintain law and order.”
D.T. Lepcha, the deputy inspector-general (Darjeeling range), convened a peace meeting here that was attended by senior leaders of the GNLF, the ABGL and the CPRM. Members of Darjeeling Bar Association were also present.
Soon after the incident in Siliguri, Kurseong MLA Shanta Chhetri met Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Writers’ Buildings.
“The chief minister condemned the comments by the radio jockey. I have been informed that the state home secretary has already written to the information and broadcasting ministry requesting them to seek an explanation from the radio station,” Chhetri said from Calcutta.

SILIGURI EXPLODES - Rumours fuel riot on streets

Siliguri,Sept. 28: A Delhi radio jockey’s alleged taunts at Indian Idol 3 winner Prashant Tamang became the trigger for street riots in an ethnically divided Siliguri today, prompting police firing, army intervention and an indefinite curfew.
A local mob’s attacks on the mainly Nepalese supporters of Tamang and then the police left at least 50 people injured, including two men hit by police bullets. The army and the BSF were patrolling the town tonight.
Some 5,000 people, including 800 schoolchildren, were marching against RJ Nitin’s alleged derogatory remarks about Tamang’s Nepalese origins when they were stoned, chased and besieged around 11.35am after rumours accused them of hooliganism near a hospital.

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About 800 of the protesters who ran into the compounds of a court and the district telecom office were trapped inside for eight hours before the army rescued them at 7.45pm.
“There were more than 50 schoolchildren with us. They had nothing to eat through the day,” said marcher Avinash Tamang.
Outside, the mob stood guard, braving repeated baton-charges and tear-gassing by police and ignoring back-to-back proclamations of Section 144 by the district and subdivision administrations.
The rumours spread across the town prompting crowds elsewhere to torch a Tata Sumo with a Sikkim number plate at Collegepara and a police vehicle at Hospital More in the afternoon. Outside the court, the first mob burnt a motorbike.
The police, who had driven four buses and three vans inside the court compound abandoned plans to rescue the rallyists and called for BSF and army help.
The BSF could do little till the army arrived from Sukna at 7pm. Forty-five minutes later, the first batch of besieged rallyists was taken out in three police buses, three army trucks and two police vans, escorted by troops. The second batch came out at 8.30pm in five vans.
Indian Idol, a TV music talent hunt decided by voting via text messaging and phone calls, had stoked regional sentiments but failed to divide Siliguri. Both Nepalese and non-Nepalese had voted for Tamang, 24.
The marchers had set out from Darjeeling More towards the subdivisional office 2km away to hand over a written demand for an apology from the FM channel.
“I urge you all to maintain calm, otherwise I may not be able to concentrate in my career,” Tamang said in a TV appeal in Bengali and Nepali.
The rumours that sparked the rioting could not be verified but it’s possible that a minor quarrel had taken place between some of the marchers and a patient’s relatives. In the first few minutes of the clashes, the rallyists, too, had vandalised about 50 makeshift stalls outside the courthouse.
The police fired “seven rounds” around 4.30pm. One bullet struck Biswajit Das, a shopper from Jalpaiguri district, in the back while a second lodged in trader Acchalal Prasad’s right thigh.

RJ Nitin apologises to Indian Idol Prashant Tamang

New Delhi, Sept 28: The radio jockey, whose comments against Indian Idol Prashant Tamang created an outrage among his fans, has apologised to the singer.
A spokesperson of the Delhi-based Red FM channel said Nitin, the radio jockey, has tendered "an apology if he had unintentionally hurt the sentiments of anyone."
"The RJ also had a telephonic interview with Tamang two days ago and the singer had told him that there was nothing of that sort which was derogatory to him," he said.
In response to some people finding the RJ's comment objectionable, the spokesman quoted Tamang as saying on air, "There is nothing like this...It is a misunderstanding.. Nitin has not said anything of the sort."
Nitin's remarks against Tamang on air on September 24 had created an outrage among his fans. (Agencies)

Prashant Tamang appeals for peace in Siliguri

Kolkata, Sept. 28 (PTI): 'Indian Idol' Prashant Tamant today appealed for peace in Siliguri after violence and arson rocked the this commercial town, where curfew was imposed and the army called in.
"I urge you all to maintain calm, otherwise I may not be able to concentrate in my career," Tamang said in an appeal on a private TV channel in Bengali and Nepali.
Tamang expressed hope that peace would return "and everyone will remain as happy as ever."