Amid violence and arson in Darjeeling, police allegedly raided and vandalised the residence of Binay Tamang, Assistant General Secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), on Friday night.
The raid was met with protests by the party’s 'naari morcha' on Saturday morning.
The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd of protestors who condemned the raid at Tamang’s residence.
Besides, leaders of the GJM – which is spearheading an agitation for a separate state – said Vikram Rai, son of GJM MLA Amar Rai, was 'picked up' by the police. Vikram is the in-charge of the GJM's media cell.
Meanwhile, shops, hotels and other business establishments, barring pharmacies, remained closed on the third day of the GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling hills.
The police are on high alert in Darjeeling. Security forces are conducting route marches in various parts of the hills.
Prepare for Final Battle: Bimal Gurung Tells People of Darjeeling
On 16 June, the fifth day of unrest in Darjeeling, GJM supremo Bimal Gurung asked the people in the hilly town to be ready for the "final battle" to achieve a separate Gorkhaland state.
In a message from an undisclosed location, circulated among the people, he said:
I urge the people to get prepared for the final battle as the time has come for a do or die fight if we want to achieve our dream of Gorkhaland.
Earlier on Friday, Bimal Gurung lashed out at the West Bengal government for raiding his office premises on 15 June. In a statement to ANI, Gurung said, “Administration unlawfully attacked my house, our party office on instructions from Mamata Banerjee. Such an attack is dangerous for democracy. Our party members and opposition parties will reply to that atrocity.”
In the wake of the raid, GJM supporters held a protest which turned violent after some demonstrators set a media vehicle on fire. After midnight, unidentified miscreants set fire to a primary health centre run by the state government-owned Ramam hydel project at Lodhama, 70 km from Darjeeling and other government establishments.
GJM Offices Raided, Weapons and Cash Seized
West Bengal Police raided GJM chief Bimal Gurung’s office on the morning of 15 June. A huge cache of weapons, including crossbows and arrows were recovered during the raid.
The GJM members protested against the raid and called for an indefinite shutdown to protest the raid.
"We got information that they (GJM) was gathering arms to attack police, that's why we tried to conduct raids at several places,” Darjeeling Superintendent of Police (SP), Akhilesh Chaturvedi, told ANI.
We recovered arrows, mechanised bows, prohibited arms, explosives, other contrabands, huge amount of cash and two people were detained.
GNLF Breaks Alliance With TMC
The development comes a day after the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) broke its alliance with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, after having joined hands with agitation leader GJM, saying the party has been fighting for Gorkhaland since its inception.
Emboldened by the GNLF aligning with his party, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung threatened to intensify the movement for a separate Gorkhaland.
In a statement to the media on 14 June, Gurung said, “It is not only a matter of tourists. They should try and avoid Darjeeling. Our agitation will go on. Let CRPF and Army men be deployed.”
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi in Raj Bhavan on Wednesday and briefed him about the situation. The government appointed C Murugan as the new secretary of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
The protest, which started out as one against the “forced imposition of the Bengali language,” has transformed into renewed demands for a separate Gorkhaland.
Police remained on high alert and patrolled the streets in Darjeeling. Banks and most ATMs were closed, but shops and markets remained open.
Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim
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