196 students receive degrees from Soreong B.Ed. College

SOREONG, 08 May: A total of 196 students, the combined strength of the first two batches of the B.Ed. College here, received their degrees at a special function organized here today at the college with the HRD Secretary, CS Rao, as the chief guest, accompanied by the Dirctor, Higher Education, Deepa Basnet, as guest of honour and Additional Director, School Education, NK Subba, as special guest.
The College has achieved an impressive merit list with Kaveri Sharma topping the first batch of 97 students with 91% marks, with Ritu Rai and Prashana Rai securing joint second position with 87% and Bishwa Darjee, Rasi Rai, Raozi Rai, Pandi Ongmu and Susan Karki on third position with 86%. In the second batch of 99 students, although the marks were marginally lower, the competition was much fiercer. Bijaya Subba, Manita Tamang and Sumana Katwal took first position with 88%, while Pooja Chettri and Dependra Gurung came second with 87% marks and Meena Gurung and Surendra Rai secured third position with 86%.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Principal, B. Ed. College, Bimal Rai, informed that the college was set up in 2009 and after affiliation with Sikkim University, it was granted recognition by NCRTE and has been functioning in full capacity since 15 May 2012. The first batch of 2010-11 and the second batch 2011-12 were awarded their degrees today. Total 196 students are being given their certificates 97 students from first batch and 99 students from second batch.
Also today, certificates were handed over to secondary school level teachers who have completed an English teaching course.
Addressing the function, the HRDD Secretary congratulated the students on having successfully completed the B.Ed. course commended their pursuit of becoming quality professional teachers as a commitment which will benefit Sikkim in the long run as now they will be able to teach and groom school students much better.
He further said that such professional training played an important contributing role towards implementing policies and provisions to reach quality education to schools. Such training, he added, also developed teachers with a stronger sense of responsibility and aptly as the best minds of society.
Director, Higher Education, in her address, congratulated all the students and highlighted that skilled teachers for primary and elementary level education was the need of hour to strengthen the foundations of school education. The B.Ed. graduates thus had an important role to play and carried a big responsibility on their shoulders now, she said.
The programme was also attended by JD, Higher Education, YP Nepal, JD (W) Bimla Rai, Deputy Director (S) DK Rai and other officials from various departments and the members of the civil society of Soreng.
After the function, the Secretary also visited the offices and classrooms and suggested that the college begin offering M.Ed. courses assured that the Department would provide two professors and other required staff for such an initiative.

Soreong resident accuses PI of assault

GANGTOK, 29 Nov: A resident of Soreong has lodged a written complaint with the Director General of Police [DGP] against the Police Inspector [PI] of Soreong Police Station.
In the complaint, Jigmee W Sherpa of Soreong Dara Bazaar has accused Karma C Bhutia [PI, Soreong] of assaulting and detaining him for four hours on 13 November, allegedly without any complaint or FIR lodged against him and trespassing into his house. The complaint letter further alleges that police personnel sent by the PI searched his house without a search warrant.
Stating that it is a complete violation of his fundamental rights, he has also alleged that Rs 30,000 has been missing from his house since the police conducted the search. The amount, he informs the DGP, had been given by his mother to buy a laptop. He has also hinted at some personal reasons of the PI as having been behind the attack.
Mr Sherpa has further added that the complaint could not be lodged earlier since he was recovering from the injuries sustained while in custody and was compelled to inform the DGP because no action was taken by the other police personnel.
The complaint was accepted at Police HQ today and the SDPO Soreong directed to enquire into the matter and report back.

Bhandari felicitated at Soreng celebration of Bhasa Manyata Diwas

SORENG, 31 Aug: The Nepali Bhasa and Sanskriti Committee of Soreng, West Sikkim, organized a Nepali Bhasa Manyata Diwas celebration today at the Soreng Community Hall and felicitated the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee president Nar Bahadur Bhandari for the role played by him in securing Constitutional recognition for Nepali language. Nepali was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India during Mr. Bhandari’s final term as Chief Minister. Today’s function was attended by Mr. Bhandari, dissident SDF MLA PS Tamang and litterateur Kedar Gurung.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Bhandari reminisced on the long journey from aspiration and demand to eventual Constitutional recognition of Nepali as a language of India.
Speaking on the movement that had started way back in 1956 from Dehradun, he spoke at length on the difficulties faced by him and others involved in the Bhasa Manyata struggle, sharing that because of these problems, they even had to shift the Nepali Bhasa Samiti office from Darjeeling to Dehradun. “It took us exactly 2 years, 2 months and 21 days to get the Nepali language into the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution,” he stated.
People can celebrate Nepali Bhasa Manyata Diwas on any day, he highlighted, even as he went on to contend that to celebrate it on 20 August [as is traditionally done] was not accurate since on that day the Bill was passed in Parliament. “It was on 31 August that the President of India signed the Bill and gave the actual recognition to Nepali language and so that is why it is being celebrated today,” he explained.
Speaking on why he did not accept the Bhanu Jayanti Puraskar on Bhanu Jayanti, he explained that since the award had been constituted by him during his tenure as the Chief Minister, it did not feel right to accept the award himself.
Thanking the Nepali Bhasa and Sanskriti Committee, Soreng for organizing the function and for felicitating him on the occasion, he further urged the committee to organize such social gatherings in the future where people from different organizations and politicians can come together under one roof and speak on common issues beyond the realm of politics.
Earlier in his address, the Burtuk MLA highlighted that today was an important day for the Nepali speaking people of India and added that it was an honour to have Mr. Bhandari present on the occasion as he was the person who had brought recognition to the Nepali language.
“People nowadays are going for materialistic development and are forgetting their language and culture and accepting western culture as their own, this is not good,” he said, adding that culture was not only meant for entertainment and dance, but was about one’s own identity.
Earlier, former MLA Til Bahadur Limboo from Rhenock and Kedar Gurung were also felicitated, while cultural programmes by school children were also performed. All speakers made a conscious effort not to speak or comment on politics today.

Forger RDA sent to 15 days JC, one more picked up as co-accused

SORENG, 22 March: A Rural Development Assistant at Soreng BAC in West Sikkim, Krishna Bahadur Gurung, was arrested on charges of forging the signature of his senior, BDO Soreng, to illegally withdraw Rs. 2.25 lakh from a GPU’s bank account [read NOW! issue dated 21 March 2012] some days back. In a new development, the West Sikkim police yesterday took into custody on MS Subba, a retired army personnel, from Soreong as a co-accused.
SP West, DB Giri, while talking to this correspondent informed that the Police received a complaint from BDO Soreng, Somnath Adhikari, alleging that his signature had been forged by his RDA of Mandong-Barbotey GPU to withdraw an amount of Rs. 2.25 lakh from the GPU’s bank account in SBS Soreong.
As per the official complaint, the BDO had released a cheque for Rs. 25,000 in the name of Mandogaon-Barbotey GPU. The RDA, it is alleged, went on to make out another cheque (as GPUs have their own cheques) of Rs. 2 .25 lakhs. Police investigation suggests that the co-accused, MS Subba, forged the BDO’s signature. The two then withdrew the amount and pocketed the Rs. 2 lakh surplus.
The BDO upon discovering the unauthorised withdrawal soon confirmed the signature as a forgery and approached his immediate senior, the ADC West [Development] and also informed the DC about the incident. With the permission of ADC, the BDO lodged an FIR at Soreng Police Station on 19 March, following which the RDA was taken into custody the same day.
During interrogation, the RDA is reported to have admitted his crime and informed the police about the involvement of MS Subba, who was then taken into custody yesterday.
The SP informs that both the accused have been booked under sections 420/ 468/ 471 of the Indian Penal Code at Soreng PS and presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, South and West, at Namchi today from where they were sent to 15 days judicial custody at the District Prison, Boomtar in Namchi.
As for the recovery of the stolen amount, the SP informs that the accused said that they had already used up the entire amount. Cross checking with their bank accounts shows that they do not have the money there, the SP stated while adding that investigation is still underway to check if the accused have any other bank accounts into which they might have stashed the money.

Two break-ins and one two-wheeler torched

GANGTOK, 13 Mar: One person has been arrested by the Nayabazaar police for having broken into a temple. The accused, Niraj Rai, 33 and a resident of Pokhrbong, Sukhia in West Bengal is accused of breaking into the Devithan mandir and stealing some items from the temple on the night of 11 March.
In another case, a house break-in and theft as been reported from Rangpo. As per reports some unknown persons broke into the house of Malati Tamang at Duga on 12 March between noon and 1 PM and stole cash amount of Rs. 5000 and several gold jewelry items. The police have rounded up one suspect who is being interrogated.
Meanwhile, a scooter belonging to one Hari Kumar Chettri was set alight at Soreong. Though no one has been arrested as yet, according to reports the scooter which was parked at Ridang, Timburbung was damaged in the fire. This took place at around 1 AM on 12 March.