123 Malda: Tension erupted in Malda's English Bazaar on Wednesday after the murder of a youth a day earlier. Roads were blocked for hours and protesters clashed with cops.
About a fortnight ago, the villagers of Sekendarpur decided to keep vigil at night in rotation following criminal activity. Nimai Mandal, Surya Mandal, Akash Gupta and Biswajit Rabidas were on duty on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Around 1.30am, they noticed outsiders moving suspiciously and asked what they were doing there. At this, the three were attacked with sharp weapons.
Their cries brought the villagers out and the miscreants fled. The three were taken to Malda Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared Nimai (25) brought dead. Surya was admitted while Akash was released after first aid.
In the morning, hundreds of irate villagers blocked the Malda-Manikchak State Highway. Traffic was paralysed and the crowd assaulted those trying to pass through the blockade. As police arrived, the mob started pelting cops with stones. Around 11am, after about 5 hours, police resorted to lathicharge and used tear gas to disperse the mob. The blockade was lifted and a number of people were detained. Police patrolling is still on in the area.
Malda SP Pradeep Yadav said: "We are collecting CCTV footage to identify the miscreants from last night. Eighteen people have been detained for questioning. Besides, some were detained in connection with the attack on the police."
Malda: Tension erupted in Malda's English Bazaar on Wednesday after the murder of a youth a day earlier. Roads were blocked for hours and protesters clashed with cops.
About a fortnight ago, the villagers of Sekendarpur decided to keep vigil at night in rotation following criminal activity. Nimai Mandal, Surya Mandal, Akash Gupta and Biswajit Rabidas were on duty on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Around 1.30am, they noticed outsiders moving suspiciously and asked what they were doing there. At this, the three were attacked with sharp weapons.
Their cries brought the villagers out and the miscreants fled. The three were taken to Malda Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared Nimai (25) brought dead. Surya was admitted while Akash was released after first aid.
In the morning, hundreds of irate villagers blocked the Malda-Manikchak State Highway. Traffic was paralysed and the crowd assaulted those trying to pass through the blockade. As police arrived, the mob started pelting cops with stones. Around 11am, after about 5 hours, police resorted to lathicharge and used tear gas to disperse the mob. The blockade was lifted and a number of people were detained. Police patrolling is still on in the area.
Malda SP Pradeep Yadav said: "We are collecting CCTV footage to identify the miscreants from last night. Eighteen people have been detained for questioning. Besides, some were detained in connection with the attack on the police."