DOCUMENTARY: “Zeitgeist: Addendum”

Part 1

Part 2

NORTH BENGAL: Culling gathers speed in north Bengal

FROM INDOPIA

Siliguri (WB), Jan 5 After a slow start, culling operations were on at a war footing in birdflu-hit Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts of north Bengal as the deadline of 21,000 birds to be culled within three km radius of the affected areas ends tonight.

Altogether 4,000 poultry birds were culled till 2 pm today, while the total number of birds killed yesterday was 3,691. Only 126 birds could be culled on Saturday, Siliguri SDO Sharad Dwivedi said.

The culling teams also destroyed 1,595 eggs and 119 kg of chicken feed during the day.
Dwivedi said the operation, being supervised by four deputy magistrates, had a target of culling 21,000 birds within three km radius of the affected areas in the two districts by tonight.

“If the target cannot be achieved by tonight, the operation would continue tomorrow morning. Mopping operation will also start from tomorrow,”he said.

The number of culling teams was increased from 22 to 26, each consisting of nine members including two policemen.

PHOTO FEATURE: Culling at various places in the district

Culling at Matigara. Photo by Vikram Sashankar (Himalaya Darpan)

DARJEELING HILLS: “The attack at the Court was orchestrated by West Bengal Government” Bimal Gurung

FROM HIMALAYA DARPAN

People gathered at Latpanchar during a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha public meeting. Photo by Himalaya Darpan

Bimal Gurung speaking to the people at Latpanchar. Photo by Himalaya Darpan

Darjeeling: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has risen in the favour of the two Police officials who have come under the Administrative scanner for the attack on the accused in the Subodh Pradhan murder trial. Speaking at a public meeting in Latpanchar, Bimal Gurung, president, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha said, “The West Bengal Government is suspending innocent police officers without any reason however, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will try its best to help these officers so that justice could be done to them. The attack that took place at the precinct of Kurseong Court was orchestrated by the West Bengal Government. This was a well planned conspiracy hatched by the West Bengal Government. Knowing that the people who wholeheartedly support Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the police brought the accused amidst them. They knew that the people would get agitated once the saw the accused. Now the same Government has suspended two police officers making them scape goats.Gorkha Janmukti Morcha strongly condemns this move.”

The public meeting was organised Mungpoo -Latpanchar Constituency.

Speaking out on the murder of Subodh Pradhan, Bimal Gurung said, “This is the result of the conspiracy being hatched by the Government of West Bengal and Gorkha National Liberation Front. Deepak Gurung and Aitraj Gurung are both in Siliguri and this murder took place as per the instructions of these individuals. The West Bengal Government is trying its best to divert the peaceful movement initiated by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha by creating racist splinter groups like Jan Jagaran Manch and the Adivasi Bikash Parishad. We have video cds proving the police facilitating the CPIM cadres during their attacks on the Gorkha Janmukti Morchas upporters.”

BEACON ONLINE POLL: Can Gorkhaland be achieved by 2010

BENGAL: Culling of birds continues in West Bengal

FROM THAINDIAN

Siliguri (WB) Jan 5 (ANI): Culling operations are continuing in bird flu affected Pubong village under Takdah block of Darjeeling Sadar sub-division and Matigara under Siliguri sub-division.

Talking to reporters, the District Magistrate of Darjeeling, Surendra Gupta, said samples of dead chicken are being sent to Bhopal for tests.

“Culling operation will be completed in the next six days,” he added.

The main epicenter of the flu has been fixed at Binay Krishna Pally off Siliguri in the District of Darjeeling.

The latest outbreak of the virus in poultry is the fourth in West Bengal since 2007.

Bird flu first broke out in India in 2006 and millions of chicken and ducks had been culled to contain the virus.

Although it has resurfaced from time to time, there have been no reports of any human infections in India.

Earlier, hundreds of thousands of birds had been culled in Assam and neighboring Meghalaya after bird flu was detected in November last year.

ESSAY: Hindu shrine Pashupatinath in Nepal

BY DIRGHA RAJ PRASAI

Dirgha Raj Prasai

The Lord Pashupatinath Temple sits on a sacred river on the edge of Bagmati, Kathmandu. The complex rises up from the bank amid a mass of pagoda-style buildings. The temple moves to ancient rhythms. And one of its many traditions has been to recruit its priests from Brahmins from far-away south India. But, for the first time, the south Indians have been replaced by local, Nepali priests. It used to be that the temple authorities would appoint its priests in conjunction with the king- and he was always happy to maintain the link with south India. The fiercely secular communists would have few qualms about dispensing with the services of the south Indian Brahmins.

Lord Pashupatinath Temple

After the appointment of Nepali priests- many Protesters in Pashupatinath shouted ‘Down with Maoists’, and ‘Scrap this decision’- as the two priests performed religious ceremonies. We want this decision scrapped immediately. The Maoists have appointed their own people. Dozens of riot police and Maoist volunteers escorted the temple’s new Nepalese priests as they visited holy sites around the Pashupati complex, which dates from the third century BC. We Nepalese people are worried that Pashupati complex is being used as a playground for politics.The Bhandaris are the traditional temple caretakers, they also protested against the decision of Maosts. The Bhandaris have been expressing objection to the new appointees.

Maoist cadres & riot police have been deployed at Nepal’s holiest Hindu temple to stop protesters angry at the government’s attempt to remove Indian priests. The temple decision has led to demonstrations by Hindu groups. Nepal’s Supreme Court directed the temple authorities to clarify the controversy and not to let the newly appointed Nepali priests perform the rituals. Traditionally, the temple authorities would appoint its priests in conjunction with the king. The way Maoist government replaced the priests serving at the Pashupatinath Temple without fulfilling any formality has hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu people of Nepal.

Status Report on Avian Influenza in Assam and West Bengal as on 4.01.09

FROM PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

West Bengal

Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has notified a new epicenter-village Binay Krishnapally in Mathegara block of Darjeeling district on 2nd January 2009. On receiving information from that Department, MOHFW has deputed Central Team to assist the State Government in containment operations.

Assam

Since the first notification of Avian Influenza in Assam on 27.11.2008, 17 other epicenters, spread over eight districts have been notified. The last notification was on 24.12.2008. For the past eight days no new centres have been notified.

Brief of containment operations

• So far a total of 4,62,670 birds have been culled.

• A total of 455 Animal Health workers, who were deployed for the culling activity are on Chemoprophylaxis.

Surveillance

• Central government RRTs is covering the epicenters notified on 24.12.2008. They are working with the state RRT teams.

• Active house to house surveillance for 10 days post culling/ mopping is over in earlier notified areas. In these areas passive surveillance is continuing.

GORKHA RECIPES Nepali Chicken (Pakistani Style)

BY WANNABE CHEF@WV

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken (Chicken fillet, cubed pieces or any form you like)
• 1 onion
• 2 red capsicums
• 2 tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons yogurt
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste or chopped gingerroot
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste or 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions

1. 1

   Marinate the chicken mixing your pieces with 1 Tablespoon yougurt, 1 Teaspoon garlic paste or chopped, and salt+pepper.

2. 2

   Place this mixture in a fridge for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Chop Onions, Capsicums and 1 tomato in cubes. Pour 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a pan with lid, fry these vegetables on low heat for 30 minutes.

NATIONAL: Govt unlikely to set up panel for new states

FROM BUSINESS STANDARD

The much-awaited second State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) might not see the light of day during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. A significant section of the Congress leadership is not keen on setting up the panel to avoid fuelling the agitation for carving out a separate state of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

The state leadership of the Congress and the state government led by YS Rajasekhara Reddy are also understood to have reservations about Telangana. As the Congress has done well in all recent polls in the region, its top managers feel that a second SRC – which will lead to predictions about Telangana – might affect the party’s electoral fortunes.

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly is likely to go to polls along with the next Lok Sabha elections in April.

The UPA government is also worried about states like Maharashtra and West Bengal where there are strong demands for creation of separate states of Vidarbha and Gorkhaland, respectively.

“The second SRC might open a Pandora’s box,” said a senior UPA minister. The ruling faction in the Darjeeling Hill Council has been lobbying hard with the central government for carving out Gorkhaland from West Bengal.

When the UPA came to power in 2004, it had the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, whose main agenda is struggle for Telangana, as its ally. The national common minimum programme (CMP) of the UPA also favoured creation of Telangana.

“The UPA government will consider the demand for Telangana at an appropriate time after due consultations and consensus,” the CMP said.

NEPAL: One more Indian priest quits Pashupatinath

By Sudeshna Sarkar

Kathmandu, Jan 4: As the controversy over the ouster of three Indian priests from Nepal’s Pashupatinath temple, one of the holiest shrines of billions of Hindus worldwide, deepened Monday, a fourth Indian priest handed over his resignation while temple authorities engaged two more Nepali priests in violation of a court order.

Ganesh Bhatt, one of the two remaining Indian priests at the 17t century temple, quit reportedly fearing for his safety.

Narottam Vaidya, a former official of the trust that administers the shrine, told IANS that Bhatt had been receiving threats and feared for his life.

Vaidya, who is among the three groups of people who have moved Nepal’s Supreme Court asking it to strike down the “illegal” new appointments of two Nepali priests, also predicted that the remaining Indian priest would also quit.

“At present the fifth Indian priest is on leave,” Vaidya said. “He has gone home in south India for 35 days.”

Gopal Kiranti, the Maoist minister for culture and state restructuring, confirmed that Bhatt had left but rejected the allegation that the Young Communist League (YCL), the strong arm of the Maoists, had intimidated the Indians into leaving.

“It’s a question of giving a dog a bad name and hanging it,” he said. “People are laying every crime at the door of the YCL.”

NEPAL: 10 hurt as Maoists attack protesting Pashupati temple staff

FROM INDOLINK

Kathmandu, Jan 4 (PTI) Some 100 Maoist cadres today attacked the Pashupatinath temple caretakers who were protesting appointment of local priests in place of Indians, injuring 10 people in their latest assault on the shrine. The attack came even as the ruling party activists faced much flak after storming the temple earlier this week to install Nepalese priests defying a Supreme Court stay order on removal of Indian priests, who had been overseeing traditional rituals at the shrine for the past 300 years.

The local ‘Bhandaris’, or temple caretakers, who vowed to launch a struggle to save the temple from “Maoist intrusion”, faced the wrath of the partymen as they were set to organise a press conference, Kantipur online reported.

Around 100 Maoists attacked the Bhandaris and some local devotees in the temple premises, injuring 10 people, including a member of the state-owned Nepal Television crew.

SPORTS: Judo camp

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Jan. 4: To promote and popularise judo in the Darjeeling district both as a sporting discipline and an effective means of self-defence, the Siliguri District Judo Association (SDJA) is planning to organise a series of coaching centres in the district and their rural outskirts. Mr Shantipriyo Guha, chairman, SDJA, said that the first camp in the series would be organised at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hall in Siliguri from 13 to 22 January.

DARJEELING HILLS: Administration helpless in the Hills

FROM THE STATESMAN

Darjeeling, Jan. 4: A barbarous incident which took place on 2 January in front of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Kurseong has proved to be a major setback for the administration to maintain the law and order situation in Darjeeling hills.

Several organisations and political parties of Darjeeling hills have strongly condemned the attack on the accused persons in the Subodh Pradhan murder case and said the administration in helpless and disorganised in the area. Regarding the role of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, it is considered unfortunate and a major drawback for their claim of a Gandhian-style agitation.

The All India Gorkha League chief, Mr Madan Tamang said that by taking the law into their own hands, the GJM’s actions were undemocratic and shameful. The incident has drawn attention to the real situation in the Hills, where the intelligence and police administration have failed miserably.

The police in charge have been suspended as the five accused were in police custody and even their culpability had not been proved, he added.

The CPRM secretariat member, Mr Govind Chettri, said that the separate statehood demand is going smoothly and they have already reached a point to achieve the demand. So, in these circumstances, such incidents would prove unfortunate for the ongoing agitation.

SILIGURI: Vehicle theft trio arrested

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

The stolen vehicle that was seized on Saturday. (Kundan Yolmo)

Siliguri, Jan. 4: Three persons, including a resident of Nepal, were arrested yesterday on charges of lifting a vehicle from Iskcon Mandir Road here on the night of December 31. The stolen vehicle was also seized.

Of the accused, Deepraj Tamang and Ritraj Tamang are residents of Lankapara Tea Estate in Jalpaiguri district, while Pradesh Karki hails from Kakarvita in eastern Nepal.

“The gang used to lift vehicles from Siliguri and Jalpaiguri districts and send them to Nepal, Bihar and other states. We suspect that they had also smuggled several vehicles into other north-eastern states as well,” said Manoj Verma, the superintendent of police of Jalpaiguri, today. “We are looking for the other members of the gang.”

An official of Bhaktinagar police station said early in the morning yesterday, they came to know that the gang was ready to flee with a stolen Tata Spacio Gold. “Immediately, we raided Lower Bhanunagar and intercepted the vehicle with the accused. When chased, the gang members tried to fire at us with an improvised firearm, but it did not work as it got locked. We arrested the three but two others managed to escape,” the official said. The seized vehicle was the one stolen on December 31.

BAGDOGRA: Airport threat on envelope

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Jan. 4: An anonymous threat written in Bengali on a sealed envelope has prompted the Bagdogra airport authorities to tighten security reports our correspondent.

The envelope was handed over to an air force security guard by a motorcycle-borne man, said K.K. Bhowmik, the airport director. “The guard handed it over to our gate supervisor who rushed to my quarters yesterday morning after he read saath diner moddhe airport attack hote pare (the airport could be attacked in seven days) on the envelope.”

Since there was no threat mentioned in the letter inside, the words on the envelope had been written mainly to draw attention, Bhowmik said.

KALIMPONG: Paril strikes gold with fibre bow – Six medals in kitty, 16-year-old aims for Olympic bullseye

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Paril Lepcha with her trophy and medals which she won in Aurangabad. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Jan. 4: Archer Paril Lepcha has won a bagful of medals at the National School Games at Aurangabad in Maharashtra, competing for the first time with modern fibre bows.

The former sub-junior champion won three gold and an equal number of bronze medals, helping Bengal emerge the champion team in the recently concluded meet.

The 16-year-old won the three gold in the overall individual category, in the 60-metre event and team championship; while her bronze medals came in the 30m, 50m and 70m events.

The Class XII student of Sai Institute here already has two golds, a silver and two bronzes from previous editions of the Games, but they were in the traditional bamboo rounds.

The archer from the hills, however, has little time to celebrate her success, as she has to immediately get down to preparing for the Senior National Archery Championship scheduled in Pune later this month.

Prior to her exploits in Aurangabad, her performances at the state trials had earned her the berth in the Bengal team for the national meet. “I am happy with my performance at the school games, but I am really keen on doing well at the Pune meet,” said Paril.

KURSEONG: Morcha wants more arrests

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Morcha supporters demonstrate in front of Kurseong police station. Picture by Vivek Singh

Kurseong, Jan. 4: Around 100 Nari Morcha members today demonstrated in front of Kurseong police station, demanding the immediate arrest of seven more accused in the lynching of Subodh Pradhan.

Five persons were arrested in Rohini on Thursday afternoon, several hours after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Subodh was killed in a DGHC rest house there.

Today, the demonstration went on for 20 minutes. The Morcha had in a hurriedly called public meeting in Kurseong yesterday given a 72-hour deadline to the administration to arrest the seven people, failing which they will launch a greater movement.

Addressing the meeting at Motor Stand, Morcha vice-president Pradeep Pradhan alleged that Subodh’s murder was a conspiracy of the state government, which has sent its agents to the hills to derail the Gorkhaland movement.”Subodh’s murder is an example of the conspiracy. They are trying to make our movement undemocratic by dividing the unity of the hill people,” said Pradhan.

The Morcha, however, said the attack on the five accused on Friday was done by the public. “It was a spontaneous reaction to what they did to our leader. The seven persons whom we had named in the FIR should be arrested within 72 hours. If the public becomes furious again and an incident like this occurs, we would not be held responsible”, added Pradhan.

SILIGURI: Ban on poultry in Siliguri – 3500 birds culled till 9pm

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Chickens being culled in Kamrangaguri in Jalpaiguri district on Sunday. (Kundan Yolmo)

Siliguri, Jan. 4: The sale of poultry and eggs has been banned within 10km of the bird flu-affected areas of Matigara. The entire Siliguri town and Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri district will come under the ban.

“It will be implemented from tomorrow,” Sarad Dwivedi, the subdivisional officer of Siliguri, said at a news conference this evening.

The administration had announced the presence of the H5N1 virus yesterday after reports arrived from the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory in Bhopal, which had tested the samples collected from dead chickens.

Matigara I and II, Champasari, Sukna, Atharokhai, Jalas and Patharghata are the gram panchayats where the avian flu has been detected. Besides, 34 wards of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (out of 47) are also affected. Some of these wards are in the Rajganj block. The unaffected wards are from 21-24 and 35-43.

“Twenty-four teams, comprising five employees of the animal resource development (ARD) department, two staff members of the block concerned and an equal number of policemen, have culled 3,500 till 9pm,” Dwivedi told The Telegraph later. The culling will continue till midnight. The administration had set a target of 60,000 birds to be culled in the next few days.

Unlike in Malda, where culling teams had to face stiff resistance in several villages under Narhatta gram panchayat, culling here was peaceful and steady.