12-hr strike in Dooars after Tigga’s death

Santi Tigga

TT, May 15: Several trains bound for the Dooars were diverted or cancelled today because of a 12-hour strike called by the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad and the Congress to protest the death of Santi Tigga, a Territorial Army guard found dead while on police watch yesterday.

Officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway said they diverted the New Delhi-bound Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express, Patna bound-Capital Express and Sealdah-bound Kanchan Kanya Express.

“Two local passenger trains have been cancelled while two others were regulated and short-terminated because of the strike,” an NFR official said.

Tigga, the first woman to be recruited in the Indian Territorial Army, was abducted on May 9 and found tied near the Chapramari wildlife sanctuary in Jalpaiguri the next day.

A letter in Bengali found in her pocket said the district magistrate “should tell the chief minister and the President of India to make arrangements to repay investments made in different chit fund companies in the state to the people… within 36 hours”.

Yesterday, Tigga was found hanging from the ceiling of a bathroom at the railway hospital in Alipurduar. She worked for the railways and police guards had been posted at the hospital to give her security. But they were not around when Tigga went to the bathroom.

Her brother Joyprakash alleged that Tigga had been harassed by the police during questioning.

Rajesh Barla, the Kalchini block president of the Parishad, said the railways and police were to blame for her death. Around 250 people from Kalchini block assembled at the subdivisional hospital in Alipurduar and resorted to a demonstration for an hour, demanding an inquiry or else they would not take Tigga’s body from the hospital.

Yesterday, the Parishad made the announcement for the 12-hour strike, after which the railways decided to divert or cancel some trains.