Members of the Kurmi community, including children holding up placards, in Bankura’s Khatra, participate in a movement on Saturday across Jungle Mahal districts to demand a public holiday for Karam festival.

At least six organisations of the Kurmi community on Saturday blocked roads in at least 20 points in the districts of Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore and Jhargram to demand a public holiday on the day of the Karam festival.

The nature festival falls on September 6 this year.

Traffic was disrupted on several national and state highways because of the movement in those four districts for at least six hours. Leaders of the Kurmi community said the government announces public holidays on festivals performed by different communities in Bengal but it is mum in the case of the Kurmi people.

Kurmis play an important role in determining the electoral outcome in over 35 Assembly constituencies in Jungle Mahal.

“We have also sent multiple letters to the state government demanding Karam festival be declared as a public holiday. But it was not heeded so far. We will go for a bigger movement in future if our demand is not fulfilled,” said Biplab Mahata, a Kurmi leader.

Deer rescue

Anirban Choudhury

Workers of the Gangutia tea estate in Kalchini, Alipurduar district, rescued a sambar — classified as a vulnerable deer species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature — on Saturday and handed it over to foresters.

Sources said the animal had strayed into the garden from the Buxa Tiger Reserve. Some workers managed to catch it.

A team from the Pana forest range reached the spot and took the sambar to Rajabhatkhawa where it was treated, kept under observation and released into the wild.

Anirban Choudhury