NEW KERALA (India) 17 January 07 Bandh over tortoise death
Cooch Behar (WB) (PTI): The death of tortoises in a holy lake here led to a 12-hour bandh in the locality which passed off peacefully today.
Tortoises of Baneshwar Shiv Dighi (lake) are locally known as 'mohan' and devotees worship them as the 'Kurma Avataar' (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) and are of central attraction for visitors to the Baneswar Shiv temple on the bank of the lake.
Altogether 36 tortoises have died due to unexplained reasons from October 2005.
Carcases of three tortoises were found yesterday morning and another last night. Following this, the agitated locals staged a one-hour roadblock yesterday.
The bandh was called by Mohan Banchao Committee (Save Mohan committee) who took out a protest rally with the carcases.
Educational institutions, markets, shops and offices remained closed and vehicles went off the roads during the bandh supported by Trinamul Congress. The road communication between Cooch Behar and Alipurduar was also disrupted.
Bandh over tortoise death