The verdant Darjeeling hills on Sunday braced for a fresh confrontation between the Mamata Banerjee government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) which has called FOR an indefinite shutdown of government offices from Monday and renewed the demand for Gorkhaland.
GJM president Bimal Gurung has asked tourists to leave the hills because of the possibility of occurrence of “untoward” incidents.
The GJM, an ally of the Centre’s ruling NDA, has called an indefinite shutdown of state government and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) offices, but kept educational institutions, transport and hotels out of its purview. The GJM, which heads the GTA, has also issued a diktat to banks to open only twice a week.
The Trinamool Congress government, on its part, ordered all its employees and those of the institutions receiving grants-in-aid from it to attend office on all days till the agitation continues, warning that absence from duty will be considered a break in service.
Clashes, Violence and a Bandh
This comes a day after a 12-hour bandh sponsored by the GJM got underway.
The GJM supporters had protested on Thursday, alleging that the state government was imposing Bengali language in the schools of the hill, which was refuted by the chief minister. The protest resulted in large-scale violence.
Banerjee called Thursday’s incidents “abhorrent”, adding that the situation was “under control”.
One can only stage such protests during this time if one is bereft of good ideas.Mamata Banerjee
Odisha Chief Minister Seeks Rajnath Singh’s Intervention
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in facilitating the safe return of Odia tourists stranded due to the ongoing unrest in Darjeeling.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Supporters Clash With Police; Army Stages Flag Marches
On Friday, the Army staged flag marches in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong. In all, six columns of Army were deployed, three in Darjeeling, two in Kalimpong and one in Kurseong, a defence spokesperson said.
The Army was requisitioned by the state government for Kurseong and Kalimpong as a precautionary measure, besides Darjeeling town, which saw large-scale violence and vandalism on Thursday.
Apart from this, three companies of CRPF were deployed.
The hill station of Darjeeling, brimming with tourists, had witnessed violence on Thursday when GJM supporters clashed with the police and burnt police and government vehicles.
Shops, eateries, and markets remained closed in the hill although the state government has made arrangements for buses to help the tourists to come down to Siliguri.
‘Nobody is Above Law’, Says Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee, who stayed back in Darjeeling after Thursday's cabinet meeting, asked the tourists not to get scared.
She said that a three-member committee comprising three senior IPS officers, has been set up to look after the law and order situation in Darjeeling.
“I have seen how so many vehicles were set on fire. We want peace and development in the hill. The Army has already started route march,” she said.
When asked what kind of action the government was planning against the GJM chief, Banerjee said:
Police will do their work and law will take its own course. Nobody is above law. Government is very tough. They will take action against those who are doing this vandalism.
On Thursday night, an FIR was filed under non-bailable sections at Darjeeling Sadar police station against Gurung and GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.
Banerjee said the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has failed to carry out any development work in the Hill and now when their term is scheduled to be over next month, they have started “torturing the public”.
“Government was soft and had given them all kind of support. But now, the government will be very tough after what happened yesterday. The government will not tolerate all this,” she said.
Congress Expresses Concern
The Congress on Friday expressed concern over the situation in the Darjeeling hills and hoped that both parties would chalk out a strategy to restore peace and normalcy in the hills.
“We express our concern over the prevailing situation in the hills and hope that the situation will soon normalise and peace will be restored,” Congress national spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi told reporters.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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