Naxalbari CPM office ransacked

TT, Siliguri, Jan. 6: The CPM office at Naxalbari was ransacked by unidentified men late last night soon after SSB jawans and people of Totaramjote clashed when the men in uniform tried to take away cows kept in the village to be allegedly smuggled across the India-Nepal border.

"After the problem yesterday, some people rampaged through different areas of Naxalbari. They also ransacked our party office," Gautam Ghosh, a member of Darjeeling district secretariat of the CPM from Naxalbari, said. "We have filed a complaint with police and want their arrest."

Today, around 100 CPM workers assembled in front of Naxalbari police station and demonstrated for around 30 minutes disrupting traffic.

"In protest against what happened yesterday we have called a business strike tomorrow. The police and the administration have completely failed," Anil Saha, secretary, Naxalbari Byabsayee Samiti, said.

The SSB officials said they had fired in the air and five persons, including a 12-year-old boy, suffered bullet injuries. Sukumar Roy, 25, one of them, died last night.

A press release issued by K.M. Cariappa, publicity officer, SSB, Ranidanga, the Siliguri sector headquarters, said: "... Finding no other option, our men fired eight rounds in blank to disperse the crowd. Nine SSB personnel have suffered injuries ..."

Today, minister Gautam Deb visited Totaramjote.