Chopra, Uttar Dinajpur

Chopra is a census town in Chopra CD Block in Islampur subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur district in the state of West Bengal, India.

Geography

Location
Chopra is located at .

In the map alongside, all places marked on the map are linked in the full screen version.

Police station
Chopra police station under West Bengal police has jurisdiction over Chopra CD Block. It is 145 km from the district headquarters and covers an area of 378.40 km2.

CD block HQ
The headquarters of Chopra CD block is at Chopra.

Demographics
As per the 2011 Census of India, Chopra had a total population of 5,777, of which 2,997 (52%) were males and 2,780 (48%) were females. The population below 6 years was 841. The total number of literates in Chopra was 3,388 (68.64% of the population over 6 years).

Transport
National Highway 27 passes through Chopra.

Education
Chopra Kamala Paul Smriti Mahavidyalaya was established in 2013-14 at Chopra. Affiliated to the North Bengal University, it offers honours courses in Bengali, history and political science. Urdu is taught as a general subject.

Chopra High School is a Bengali-medium coeducational higher secondary school established in 1968. Housed in a government building it has facilities for teaching from class VI to XII. It has 18 computers, a library and a playground.

Chopra Girls High School is Bengali-medium girls only higher secondary school established in 1979. Housed in a government building it has facilities for teaching from class VI to XII. It has 11 computers, a library and a playground.

Healthcare
Dalua rural hospital at Dalua (with 30 beds), the main medical facility in Chopra CD block, is located nearby.

Personalities

Mustaque Alam has become a Judge from Chopra. He was born in the year 1989 at Chopra. He passed his Madhyamik Exam from Chopra High School and completed his B. A. L. L. B. Course from the University of Calcutta. He passed the West Bengal Judicial Service Exam in 2015 and was appointed as a Civil Judge /Judicial Magistrate (first class). He is presently posted in Siliguri.

Chopra Nagorik Committee

A brutal rape case came into light at 2012 at Chopra for the first time in the history of Chopra. People were frightened and people formed the Chopra Nagorik Committee to protest unitedly against any misdeeds at present or in future. Mustaque Alam, an advocate of the High Court at Calcutta and Alok Sarkar, a reporter of AAJKAL Bengali daily founded Chopra Nagorik Committee (CNC). A student of Chopra Girls High School while returning home from school was abducted and raped mercilessly in a tea garden near Kalagach. Mustaque, Alok and Abhijit took out a protest rally against the brutal rape and their mouths were tied with black tags. People from all class joined the rally independently and demanded the arrest and punishment of the accused. The accused was arrested within a week.

Mustaque became the founder Secretary and Alok the founder President of Chopra Nagorik Committee. 

After the rape case the Committee raised its voice for Thetor Majhi, a 75-year-old man living below the poverty line who was not getting old age pension because he was marked as dead in the Government records though he was alive. Chopra Nagorik Committee raised the issue strongly and media also take the issue seriously. He was deprived of all government benefits as he was dead in the eye of law. About 800 more people, according to an investigation report, were deprived likewise. The agitation of Chopra Nagorik Committee helped them to get justice and they again got their life in the government records and started getting their pensions and benefits of other government schemes as well.

Besides agitation and protest movements Chopra Nagorik Committee used to perform some programmes every year i.e. felicitate the meritorious students of the block and the people of various field who had done beneficial work for Chopra, giving award to the sera Durga Puja Committees, organizing Legal Aid programs, cultural programs, supplying books to the needy meritorious students, Pradip Kumar Smiriti Swarak Boktrita etc.

Chopra Nagorik Committee has such a place in the mind of people of Chopra that whenever any injustice is done to any member of the society, its reported to the members of C.N.C.

Dalua mela and Syed Saroor Ahmed

Most famous religious place for Hindu people is the Dalua Shivmandir. It is situated on the bank of Dock river in Dalua. Every year on Maghipurnima, a fair (locally known as "Dalua mela") is held. This Mela is more than 130 years old.

The most famous religious place for the Muslims is the Haptiagachh Mazar Sharif, situated under Haptiagachh GP of Chopra Block. The Mazar is of Hazrat Syed Shah Manzoor Ahmed and Hazrat Syed Shah Shahood Ahmed. The father and the son are known as Pir Sahabs (Sufi saints) who are of Silsila Kadriya and blood relations of Muhammad. The yearly URS MUBARAK of Hazrat Syed Shah Manzoor Ahmed and Hazrat Syed Shah Shahood Ahmed are held on 1 and 2 March every year. Thousands of people come to get blessings on the said dates across West Bengal, Bangladesh, Bihar, Jharkhand specially Hazaribagh. Both the Pir Sahabs has many MURIDANS (followers). Both the father and the son is known to be WALI-A-KUTUB. Now Syed Shah Saroor Ahmed is the Gaddinashin. So he is the Pirzada and Sajjadah Nashin. He used to live at Khanquah Alia Quadria Manzooria, Barabilla under Haptiagachh Gram Panchayat.

References

Category:Cities and towns in Uttar Dinajpur district