Capt Ram Singh Thakur Memorial Football Tournament

INA Captain Ram Singh Thakur.

Born on 15th August 1914.

Died on 15^th April 2002.

Translated from Hindi by Ms Jyoti Thapa Mani

Captain Ram Singh Thakur Memorial Vikas Samiti, KhanyaraVPO Khanyara, Tehsil Dharamshala, Zilla Kangra, Himachal Pradesh 176218

Captain Ram Singh Thakur Memorial Football Tournament invitation

Captain Ram Singh Thakur was a Swatantra Sainani (Freedom fighter) who not only composed the tune for the National anthem Jana Gana Mana, but also composed the tunes for many other desh-bhakti (patriotic) songs. It is our pride that he belonged to Village Khanyara.

Since 2006, in his memory, on his birthday the 15^th of August, we have started an annual football tournament. Last year we had decided to hold it for three days, but this year we are holding it from 13 to 15^th August. This year, 15 teams from Zilla (District Kangra) will be participating in the competition.

It is requested that for this tournament, you with family members and friends kindly are cordially invited. During the three days tournament on 13, 14 and 15, kindly do come to provide us encouragement.

We will be grateful,

Captain Ram Singh Thakur Memorial Vikas Samiti

Bagdogra – Possible new Druk Air destination

FROM KUENSEL – BHUTAN’S ENGLISH NATIONAL NEWSPAPER

By Kesang Dema

Civil aviation authorities are looking into the possibility of adding Bagdogra as a new destination to Druk Air’s existing flight routes in India.

A bilateral meeting between the two governments held in Delhi last month indicates that Bagdogra had already been granted as “an additional point of call” for the designated airline of Bhutan by the civil aviation ministry in India.

“With this agreement, Druk Air could operate services to Bagdora and beyond, particularly to Bangkok and Kathmandu via Bagdora,” said the director general of civil aviation department, Phala Dorji.

“If Druk Air is interested to use this route, we have to inform the Indian authority about the plan to operate from Bagdogra and give them three months’ notice,” he said. The time would allow the Indian government to make preparations on their side.

He said that the Druk Air would have to consider other obligations and also see .whether they could cope with the new route given the existing number of aircrafts.

“They’ll also have to do certain marketing in terms of traffic and study the feasibility of operating beyond Bagdogra,” he said.

In order to fly from Bagdogra to Bangkok and Kathmandu, a proper agreement needs to be drawn up with the respective authorities in Thailand and Nepal.

“We can still fly passengers from Bagdora to Bangkok but need to get clearance from the authority in Thailand to fly passengers from Bangkok to Bagdogra. Same is true in case of Nepal,” said Phala Dorji.

Prachanda may be elected Premier on Friday

FROM GULF NEWS

KATHMANDU: A special assembly ruling Nepal will elect a new prime minister later this week, a post likely to go to the chief of former Maoist rebels who fought a bloody civil war in the Himalayan nation.

The Maoists scored a surprise win in a special assembly election in April but did not achieve a parliamentary majority, sparking a power tussle which left Nepal struggling to form a new government four months after the polls.

“The new prime minister will be elected on Friday,” said Mukunda Prasad Sharma, a spokesman for the assembly. He said nominations by political parties must be filed on Thursday.

The prime minister will be elected by a simple majority in a house that now has 595 members. The Maoists hold 227 seats in the assembly.

The centrist Nepali Congress party, the second biggest group in the assembly, said key cabinet positions, including the defence and home portfolios, should be evenly distributed by the Maoists if they head the new government.

“Maoists can’t run the government if they are put in a wheelchair with their hands and feet tied together,” Prachanda said.

Gorkhas throw weight behind ‘Robin Hood’ for new state

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

DARJEELING, India: After two decades of an armed struggle for a separate state, a million-plus ethnic Nepalese Gorkhas in India’s northeast are hoping their new plain-speaking leader will deliver them the homeland they have long yearned for.

In the hilly tea-growing region of Darjeeling – where the Gorkhas constitute the majority – the demand for a new state within India dates back to almost a century, when the country was under British colonial rule. This time, however, it is hard to find anyone – even among non-Gorkhas who have lived in this scenic region for decades – who does not back and believe in the possibility of a “Gorkhaland”.

One of the reasons for this new, quiet optimism is the emergence of a political leader who has been dubbed a local “Robin Hood” by many for raising money to help poor people learn new skills and get jobs.

“People say all that because they have seen my work. I have risen to this position from the bottom,” Gorkha leader Bimal Gurung said, sitting in his tiny Darjeeling office full of posters and table-top statues of Hindu gods.

Gurung, 44, split last year from the Gorkha party that had led the earlier movement for a homeland to form his own political outfit. Though the eastern West Bengal state in which Darjeeling is located has firmly rejected the Gorkha demand, Gurung says he will have a new state. “I am confident that we will get Gorkhaland by 2010. Most leaders come forward for votes but I am not interested in being a minister,” Gurung said.

“I am just a conduit for people’s aspirations. The Gorkhaland is meant for today’s generation.” Gorkhas – most of whom were brought to the Darjeeling hills by the British when they started tea plantations in the region in the 1840s – say they deserve a homeland because of their ethnicity, different language and culture.

The question of identity is an emotional subject in the region, where violent protests broke out last year after a Gorkha man was mocked by a radio station after he won the popular “Indian Idol” singing contest on television. Gurung was quick to capitalise on the new wave of pride since he had won a major share of credit for singer’s victory by raising money to encourage people to send phone messages to vote for him.

Chamling undoing Bhandari’s “historical mistake”, says SDF

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

Gangtok: Limboo Tamang communities would have got ST recognition and seat reservation in the state Assembly two decades ago in 1987, if the then Chief Minister, Nar Bahadur Bahadur Bhandari did not do a “historical mistake” by refusing a relevant proposal of central government. It is the present Pawan Chamling government which is undoing the mistake. This is said in a press release of Sikkim Democratic Front issued by SDF deputy publicity secretary, Ambar Rai, as a rejoinder to allegations on the matter by Mr. Bhandari against the SDF government in a public meeting at Malbasey in West Sikkim on Sunday.

The release points out that Chief Minister Dr. Chamling has already obtained ST recognition for Limboo Tamang and he is also hopeful of giving them Assembly seat reservation. Recalling Mr. Bhandari’s political track record, the release says “When in power, Mr. Bhandari invariably criticized Congress in every public address. Now he is state president of the same party nurturing hopes of coming to power again”. The release condemned SPCC president’s “insulting” remarks against state panchayats and reminded him that “he participated in the last panchayat election but failed miserably”.

Preparation of human resources is the need of the hour: Dr. Mahendra Lama

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, August 12: The Vice Chancellor of Sikkim Central University, Dr. Mahendra P Lama today informed that the reformative education and the inter-disciplinary courses are the new and unique features offered at the varsity. He was addressing a gathering of students and teachers in the 19th Foundation Day Celebration of the colleges managed under Rhenock Educational Society held today at the auditorium of Himalayan Pharmacy Institute in Majhitar.

The VC also said that the varsity will focus on preparing an army of knowledge and wisdom with its wide range of courses adding that “dedication, hard work and commitment from the students are crucial at this stage.” Dr. Lama also urged the students to go for more intensive research works in various subjects such as biodiversity, biotechnology, environmental science and many more.

“Preparation of human resources in Sikkim is the need of the hour and this area need to be given top priority,” he added. Highly appreciating the management of Rhenock Educational Society, the Vice Chancellor said, “This is what we exactly want from the colleges to be under Sikkim University.  DK Sarkar, the Registrar of North Bengal University, who was present as the guest of honour said that the effort put on to impart the quality education by Rhenock Educational Society is commendable.

SDF criticizes SPCC public meet at Malabassey

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, August 12: The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has criticized the recent meeting of the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) at Malabassey stating that the people are happy with the SDF government. A party press release informs that SPCC has lost its credibility after its shameless defeat in the Panchayat election.

Slamming SPCC chief Nar Bahadur Bhandari, the party said that Limboos and Tamangs would have got the seat reservation long time back in the year 1987 and 1976 had Bhandari made the right approach. “The SDF government under the leadership of the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling corrected this historic blunder and approached the Central leaders,” the release read. It further said that Mr. Bhandari “should better understand that the functioning of the Panchayat in SDF regime is much better than that in his tenure.”

Living on the edge

FROM THE STATESMAN

Protected Areas are increasingly attracting human settlements and have been a preferable method of biodiversity conservation, says Sumana Narayanan

GLOBALLY, creating protected areas has been a preferred method of biodiversity conservation. Such areas, with their mandate of providing refuge to wildlife, are usually assumed to have a negative impact on local communities since their access to natural resources is restricted. But a study from the University of California in Berkeley, US, shows that human population growth is high along these areas.

The study, published in the issue of Science, looked at 306 PAs across 45 countries in South America and Africa. Human population growth rates for each decade between 1960 and 2000, within a 10-km radius of the PA, were compared with the average rural growth rate of the country concerned. The results showed that for 245 of the 306 PAs, the growth rate near these was higher than the rural growth rate.

The researchers made sure that the protected areas were not in areas of high ecological productivity since people would settle in such areas. The study also found that the human population within PAs increased in 85 per cent of the PAs and was unchanged in the remaining 15 per cent. This is interesting as the PAs studied are classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as category I and II, where human settlements are not allowed.

The researchers suggest that this increased population may be linked to the amount of funding protected areas received for conservation and eco-development activities. This led to more staff at the park as well as more tourism, which in turn meant more infrastructure such as roads, hospitals etc. They studied a subset of 126 PAs and found a correlation between funding, development and human population numbers. It was also seen that in a subset of 55 PAs, the buffer areas with high population growth had high rates of deforestation. The researchers suggested that the solution could lie in having multi-use buffer areas and giving incentives to people to settle in regions distant from protected areas.

The study, however, seems to have reduced a complicated issue to a simple equation of numbers. “Although the numbers presented reveal interesting settlement patterns, they do not allow us to say anything conclusive about relationships between parks and human livelihoods. Populations on PA edges could be high due to people being squeezed between multiple protected areas, largescale farms and urban sprawl. Because of resulting landlessness and poverty, people have concentrated in areas where tourists enter and exit PAs in the hope of availing themselves of potential opportunities,” says James Igoe, assistant professor of anthropology, University of Colorado, Denver. There is also no proof that people near PAs are prospering, he adds.

PMGSY road render villagers homeless – Residents of Ralap reel under “broken promises”

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, August 12: A 70-year-old Poshan Prasad Dhakal is unhappy with the new road constructed in his village. The reason certainly is not the late development in his village but the fact that with the construction of the new road, this old man has lost his dwelling house.  For the past one year, he has been living in a shack along with his 67-year-old wife and four sons and daughters. Resident of Ralap busty under Khamdong constituency, Dhakal is not the only victim in the vicinity. There are many like him. The construction of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna at Singtam Dickhu road leading to Dun Dung village has made the life of the people of Ralap miserable.

Talking with SIKKIM EXPRESS, Poshan Dhakal said that his wooden house collapsed last year due to “reckless” construction of the road, after which he was compelled to take shelter in a temporary hut in his brother’s field. It is also learned that the concerned authorities failed to compensate his losses despite his yearlong suffering without a proper house. “Our MLA had promised to provide us with the Chief Minister Awas Yojna but ended up in smoke,” Dhakal lamented.

Tek Nath Sharma, another victim of the construction said that the contractor of the said construction had broken the promise to construct a house under the Rs 3 Lakhs housing scheme. Sharma has still been spending countless days and nights in a temporary shed.  Similarly, 16 other family members headed by Gauriman Subba have similar tales to tell.  Besides losing his dwelling house, Subba has also lost a piece of cultivable land, the only source of their livelihood.

According to the residents, the entire cultivatable land is being hampered with the road construction although 36 feet land was given for the construction. Drinking water pipes have also been damaged with the construction work resulting in a huge water crisis in the area, it is learned. The people also complained that neither the concerned authorities nor the local Panchayats showed any interest in the matter.

They further demanded that a compensation and rehabilitation package from the government be immediately paid to the victims. The eight kilometer stretch constructed at a cost of Rs 396.64 Crores was completed and got functional last year on July 27, 2006.

Planters Corner

FROM THE STATESMAN

By Sudipta Chanda

The Indian Tea Association of Dooars Branch held a workshop on human trafficking in and around the Dooars tea estates and measures to curb the menace, on 31 July at the Central Dooars Club, Binnaguri in Jalpaiguri district. Trafficked victims recovered by the efforts of different social and voluntary organisations in the past few years addressed the workshop and shared their experience they underwent, said the DBITA secretary Prabir Bhattacharjee. SK Darnal, DSP, Jalpaiguri, who attended the workshop, interacted with the victims and their family members. The police administration has assured co-operation and assistance in the follow-up measures and to check such problem in future, the DBITA secretary, said.

Czech duo granted bail, money seized to be returned

FROM THE STATESMAN

DARJEELING, August 12: The chief judicial magistrate court today ordered the forest department to hand over the money seized from two Czech nationals arrested on 23 June for allegedly collecting rare insect species from the Singalila National Park in Darjeeling.

“The court has asked the forest department to return the cash seized from the Czech entomologist and his companion when they were arrested,” informed defence lawyer Mr Taranga Pandit. Czech entomologist Mr Petr Svacha and his companion Emil Kucera were granted interim bail on 25 July abiding by which, they had to report at the Sadar Police Station twice a week. But today the court confirmed their bail releasing them of the obligation.

“They will not have to report from now on but their passport will remain in court custody,” Mr Pandit said. “We had approximately Rs 12,000, $ 330, 300 Euros and 5300 Czech Korunas with us when we were arrested,” said Mr Petr Svacha today. The APP submitted the Prosecution Report (PR) toady wherein the two have been charged primarily with Sections 9, 27 and 29 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 that prohibits hunting, restricts entry in sanctuaries and prohibits destruction in sanctuary without permits respectively.

The court, however, declared that the entire trial would be heard from 25 August -29 August. “They are charged under Sections 9, 27, 29, 35, 39, 49, 51, 56 and 57 respectively of the Wildlife Protection Act. The trial will be conducted from 25 August to 29 August as declared by the court,” stated Mr Pandit. The forest department submitted an interim report from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) today while the final report is awaited before the trial begins.

LF to urge CM for early tripartite talks

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 12: The principal constituents of the Left Front in the Darjeeling district would raise the Darjeeling issue and press for immediate tripartite dialogue during Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s proposed visit to Siliguri on 16 August.

“No programme has yet been fixed for a meeting of the Left constituents with the CM, yet if such a meeting comes up we would try to convince the CM of the urgency of the tripartite dialogue on the Darjeeling dialogue,” the leaders of the Darjeeling district CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP said in unison today.

Mr Ujjwal Chowdhury, the Darjeeling district CPI secretary said that his party would try to convince Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee during his forthcoming visit to Siliguri of the urgency of the tripartite dialogue in view of the fast deteriorating situation in the Darjeeling hills.  “The sooner the dialogue takes place the better. The Chief Minister must take the initiative and prevail over the Centre. A delay, however inadvertent, may aggravate the problem further,” the CPI leader said.

Much in the same vein, Mr Smritish Bhattacharya, the FB Darjeeling district secretary said that the state government’s role in defusing the situation in the hills was paramount and the CM must do everything to ensure the holding of the tripartite negotiation at the earliest. “Mr Bhattacharya is well aware of the ground situation in the hills and so we are confident that he would listen to our appeal to take the initiative on the matter,” the FB leader said.

Rehabilitation project for tea workers stalled following resistance by a handful

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 12: The chief executive officer of Siliguri- Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) Mr Saumitra Mohan said today that a Rs 10 crore rehabilitation project meant for the former Chandmoni Tea Estate workers was being held up due to the resistance by a handful. “Those resisting are failing to realise the good sides of the package. Instead, they are holding up the project,” he said.

Mr Mohan claimed that most of the ex-plantation workers were eagerly waiting for the quick clearance of the rehabilitation project envisaged by the SJDA. “We are trying our utmost to convince the reluctant of the urgency of starting the project and are hopeful of a positive outcome,” the SJDA official remarked.

Stressing upon the urgency, Mr Mohan said that Rs 10 crore earmarked for the rehabilitation project was lying unused for almost three years. “If the resistance continues, we would be left with no other option but to return the amount to the Centre,” he commented.

Speaking on the ongoing political controversy over the land acquisition for the proposed Kawakhali township project, the SJDA official said that the situation was under control and he did not apprehend any major law and order problem over the implementation of the project. ” Over 90 per cent of the people whose land has been acquired have agreed to our proposal and everything would become normal in no time,” he said.

Centre mulls NH31A alternative

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

New Delhi, Aug 12: The Centre is considering a proposal from the Sikkim government to provide the state with an alternative to NH31A, which frequently witnesses blockades because of bandhs called by political parties in the adjacent Darjeeling district of Bengal.

“They have proposed several roads, but only the one through Chalsa, which skirts NH31A and reaches Sikkim by a BRO road, is a possibility,” said a home ministry source. Chalsa is a few kilometres from Malbazar on the way to the Dooars from Siliguri. The national highway connecting the Northeast with Bengal passes through Chalsa.

Sikkim has been at the receiving end of frequent shutdowns since 1986 when the GNLF launched a movement in Darjeeling – bandhs being an integral part of the agitation programme – to demand Gorkhaland.

The blockades prompted an individual from Sikkim to file a PIL in the Supreme Court in 2005. Last year, once again, the highway was blocked for several days after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is now spearheading the Gorkhaland movement, called an indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills.

This time, the Sikkim government has sent a proposal that could circumvent the trouble. The new route is “under consideration”.

Sikkim, which survives on agro-food production and tourism, usually has only a week’s supply of essential commodities, including petroleum, at a given point of time. As a result, the national highway is a lifeline for the hill state.

“The Chalsa route can be used by Sikkim as well as by the army,” said the source.

A home ministry meeting today deliberated on the court case with reference to the road. Besides discussing the proposal of the separate route, officials prepared the government’s response for the case in the apex court.

Girls drown in rising river

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Aug. 12: Two teenagers drowned in a river in full spate when the country- made boat they were using to cross it capsized midway.

Sufali Burman (14) and Rina Singh (18) were residents of Baropothujote, 30km from here, and they fell into the Lochka, a tributary of the Mahananda, today.

The girls were accompanied by Punita Singh and Alaka Adhikary of the same village. All four were on their way to plant paddy saplings on the other side of the river, which flows through the Phansidewa block.

The water level of the river had risen considerably after 48 hours of continuous rain lashed the subdivision. In summer, the water level is waist-high.

According to police, Rina did not know how to swim. Punita and Alaka somehow managed to reach the riverbank, but Sufali could not.

The police said at the time of the accident there was nobody around to come to the rescue of the girls.

Some of the villagers who were busy with their cattle on the banks or fishing had not noticed anything unusual till the two women who had swam across screamed for help. By the time the girls were dragged out of the water, they were dead.

Leopard dead on tracks – Railways deny collision charge

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

The body of the leopard after it was brought to the office of the wildlife squad in Malbazar. Picture by Biplab Basak

Siliguri, Aug. 12: A six-year-old male leopard suspected to have been hit by a speeding night train was found dead on the railway tracks in the Dooars early this morning. The railways have denied that the animal died of collision.

Around 3.15am, before the Guwahati-bound Sampark Kranti Express was to pass, railwaymen on patrol noticed the carcass between pillars 58/6 and 58/7 close to Soongachi Tea Estate on the outskirts of Malbazar town, 52km from here. The express was detained at New Mal station for 45 minutes during which the body was removed.

“It was hit by a night train and died on the spot,” Tapas Das, the divisional forest officer (wildlife-II), said. The body had injury marks on one of the hind legs, skull, ears and tail. Unlike the elephant that was hit by the Jhajha-bound Guwahati Jhajha Express on the same track near Gulma station on July 21, the leopard’s body was not mutilated. Last year, another elephant had died in a similar manner at Gulma on July 25.

Although the number of big cats killed on tracks is fewer than that of elephants, the figure is on the rise. On June 18 last year, a seven-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger, suspected to have come out from the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary located 16km away, was found dead close to the railway tracks at Baro Solmari village in Cooch Behar. Railway authorities at that time had vehemently denied that the animal had been hit by a train and had insisted that poachers had a hand in the death.

Today, the railways hinted at revenge killing. “The body would have had more injury marks, if the leopard had been hit by a train,” said Partha Sarathi Mondal, the additional divisional manager of the Northeast Frontier Railways at Alipurduar. “We rule out chances of collision and suspect that with a tea garden nearby, somebody might have killed the animal when it strayed into human habitation to feed on cattle or chickens and put it on the tracks.”

Railway officials argued that leopards have strong reflexes and hardly come near the tracks and even if they do, they swiftly jump out of the way whenever they perceive the movement of a train.

Quick trial for Czechs

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Darjeeling, Aug. 12: Czech entomologist Petr Svacha and his companion Emil Kucera, who are accused of illegally collecting beetles and other insects from the Singalila National Park, will stand on trial for four consecutive days from August 25.

The chief judicial magistrate’s court here fixed the dates today, paving the way for one of the quickest trials in recent memory. Svacha had earlier said he feared that the trial would go on for years.

The Czechs were arrested from a lodge near Rimbick, about 80km from Darjeeling town, on June 22.

Sources said five witnesses are likely to depose against the duo. “We are hopeful that the trial will be completed before August 29,” said defence lawyer Taranga Pandit.

The prosecution filed its report (similar to a chargesheet) in the court yesterday. “The Czechs have been charged under Sections 9, 27, 29, 35 (B), 39, 49, 51, 56 and 57 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,” said Pandit. If pronounced guilty, the punishment can range from three to seven years in jail plus a fine.

Govind Chhetri, the assistant public prosecutor, said forest officials had sent the seized insects to the Zoological Survey of India in Calcutta for identification. “We have received an interim report and are hopeful of being able to submit the final report during the trial period.”

The CJM, U.K. Nandi, today confirmed the interim bail granted to the Czechs on July 25. “He directed the investigating officer to submit the duo’s passports to the court. The Czechs will no longer have to report to the local police station,” said Pandit.

Raids to stop impure tea

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

BY AVIJIT SINHA

Siliguri, Aug. 12: The Tea Board of India will conduct frequent raids in bought-leaf factories to stop the entry of impure tea in domestic and international markets following the seizure of such brew from two units a few days ago.

“We have received complaints from Pakistan that adulterated Indian brew is being exported,” Basudeb Banerjee, the tea board chairman, said today. “The export of such tea poses a serious threat for us in the international market. We are working on these complaints and are trying to find out factories where colours, tea waste and some other material are being used to produce the impure tea.”

Banerjee added that complaints about such tea have also come from places like Karnataka in south India and Kachar in Assam.

“We will continue to conduct raids in tea producing units on the basis of tip-offs and complaints. It will be an ongoing exercise to stop the entry of impure tea in the market. We will also take steps against those involved in this racket,” the chairman added.

Earlier this month, the tea board acted on a tip-off and raided two factories, one in Tamil Nadu and another in Bengal’s North Dinajpur district, both owned by the same company, and seized around 30,000 kg of impure tea.

Cotton in woman’s body, glare on doc – Hill NGO takes up cudgels for patient from Lebong

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Darjeeling, Aug. 12: A doctor of a government hospital here has been accused of leaving cotton wool inside a woman after a surgery, prompting the Darjeeling chief medical officer of health to form a committee today to probe the charge.

The curettage surgery on 20-year-old Prerna Gurung was conducted by Dr N.K. Gorai on August 8 after she suffered a miscarriage.

Navin Gurung said his sister was released the very next and they left for Lebong, 10km away, where she stays. “But she complained of pain on the 10th and was taken to the Lebong Army Hospital where some cotton wool were removed yesterday.” Authorities at the army hospital could not be contacted.

Prerna was expecting her first baby and her husband Sandu Gurung is an ex-serviceman who had been awarded with a Vir Chakra during the Kargil War.

The Naari Ekta Shakti, an NGO in Darjeeling, learnt about the incident following which they made a re presentation to CMOH S. Bhowmick.

“Some cotton wool had been left behind by Dr Gorai following the cleanup. We strongly condemn the carelessness on the part of the doctor and we demand his arrest,” said Sona Sherpa, the general secretary of the NGO. The organisation is expected to file an FIR at the Darjeeling police station tomorrow.

The hospital authorities have taken note of the representation and have decided to form a committee. “It will comprise three doctors,” said Bhowmick.

A gynaecologist said the incident could not be termed “life threatening”.