Greater Choochbehar activists given politcial prisoner status

Siliguri, Jun 1 (UNI) Fiftyeight activists of Greater Coochbehar People's Party (GCPA), who were arrested on charges of murders and rioting, were given status of political prisoners, according to a court directive.

Chief Judicial Magistrate of Coochbehar court Chapal Kumar Panda accorded the political prisoner status to GCPA general secretary Bangshi Badhan Burman and 57 others during hearing an appeal yesterday, said GCPA counsel Shiben Roy.

The GCPA activists were demanding political prisonser status.

Mr Burman and others were arrested for killing three policemen including an Additonal Superintendent of Police and rioting during indefinte demonstrations in Coochbehar on September 20 last.

The prisoners were demanding separate state for Coochbehar in which fight between the activists and police ensued in which three policemen were killed.

Police filed FIR against 60 persons, of them 57 were arrested and Mr Burman surrendered before the Choochbehar court.

Two were still evading arrest.

The court, however, denied their bail petitions. The next hearing has been fixed for June 14.

UNI XC PC RN1751