Airbus exit open

Siliguri, Feb. 5: A group of passengers flung open the emergency door of a Delhi-bound Air Deccan plane at Bagdogra airport to see “how it worked”.

Two were arrested and 11 from the Manipuri group coming from Guwahati were detained. The flight was delayed by two hours. The curiosity could have killed over 160 people had they done that mid-air, said the airport director.

Hit heat

Behrampore: Cong- ress MP Adhir Chowdhury and his wife Arpita have been accused of beating up a 50-year-old widow who had been working in the their house for eight years. Police said Bandana Haldar lodged a complaint after being promised protection. Arpita allegedly pulled her by the hair and punched her for being late in serving tea.

Court fracas

Durgapur: Three policemen in plainclothes swooped down on the Durgapur court in search of a murderer on Monday and caught a law clerk by mistake. Lawyers and the clerks snatched away Himangshu Goswami, beat up the policemen and locked them in a room. Durgapur police station personnel rescued their Bankura counterparts.

Death row

Calcutta: The high court commuted the death sentence of Uttam Das and seven others to life terms on Monday. A Barrackpore court had held the extortionist and his gang guilty of killing trader Archideb Bhattacharya in North 24-Parganas’ Sodepur.