4 Houses Gutted In GJM Chief’s Neighbourhood

Darjeeling: Four houses were gutted in a deadly fire in Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Chief Bimal Gurung’s neighbourhood Patleybas in Darjeeling, police reportedly said on Sunday.

“Gurung’s house and the party office were not gutted. The fire engulfed the houses opposite Gurung’s residence,” said Manoj Verma, IG, Darjeeling range.

The gutted residences belonged to Gurung’s supporters — Dinesh Thing, Rajesh Thing, Prabin Subba and Amit Chand.

The police said the fire broke out after midnight on Sunday.

Darjeeling: Police officer shot dead as clashes erupt between Bimal Gurung’s supporters and police

Darjeeling: Police officer shot dead as clashes erupt between Bimal Gurung’s supporters and policeThe clashes began when a police party went to raid a forest about 20 km near Darjeeling town, where Bimal Gurung could be hiding.

An assistant sub-inspector was shot dead on Friday morning as police raided a forest to catch Bimal Gurung, the leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha who is wanted by the Bengal government over deadly clashes and a 104-day shut down that crippled the Darjeeling region this summer.

Gurung’s GJM has been demanding a separate Gorkha state, and an unrest that flared on June 8 has till now claimed the lives of 13 people. The last death was on August 31 of a protester in a rally in Darjeeling.

The clashes began inside a forest at Lapchey Bustee, about 20 km from Darjeeling town. Unconfirmed reports said a few more people could have died in the clashes.

According to police sources, the person confirmed dead was Amitabha Mullick. “A police sub inspector has been hit by a bullet and is critically injured,” Siddhinath Gupta, additional director general of police told HT early on Friday morning.

Read: Bengal govt and GJM yet to get any communication from the Centre for meeting on Darjeeling

GJM is an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

In addition to clashes with police, its members forced a 104-day shutdown in the hill region that crippled the local economy that relies heavily on the summer tourism.

The strike ended 16 days ago but the state government has not relented efforts to catch Gurung, who has been charged under laws relating to terrorism.

Acting on intelligence that he may be hiding in the forest near Lapchey Bustee below Patleybas, the headquarters of the GJM, a police contingent raided the spot.

Clashes began around 5 am and t continued till last reports came in at 10:00 am. Sources said a GJM supporter was also wounded.

Read: It’s advantage Mamata in the hill politics of Bengal

Earlier, police believed Gurung was hiding in Sikkim for a large part of the 104-day-long bandh that started on June 15.

Friday’s clashes threaten a fragile peace in the region.

On Thursday night, Gurung told the local media that he will appear before his supporters on October 30, and urged the hill people to hit the roads in lakhs on that day. “If I need to die, I will do so before the people,” Gurung said.

Gurung’s announcement came in the wake of the Centre’s move to discuss the state of affairs in the Darjeeling hills. The state government, too, is supposed to hold the bilateral meeting at the state secretariat on October 16.

The state government has already appointed Binoy Tamang and Anit Thapa, two leaders expelled from the GJM, as the chairman and vice chairman of board of administrators in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the semi autonomous body to run the affairs in the hills.

There is a virtual split in the GJM with Binay Tamang leading a faction that is backed by the state government. Gurung leads the other faction.

By Pramod Giri
For Hindustan Times

Darjeeling Takvar Fresh Clashes: Two Killed

Clashes erupt between Police and Morcha Supporters; one cop and a Morcha supporter dead and Four injured. A cop succumbed to his injuries alongwith a Morcha supporter in fresh clashes that broke out in Darjeeling between the police and the Bimal Gurung-led faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) early this morning.

The violence erupted after the police raided a hide out at a Lepcha Basti near Takvar. According to the Police, they had raided a workshop in Barnesbag Tea Garden in Takvar. Immediately, clashes erupted between the Morcha supporters belong to GJM Chief Bimal Gurung’s faction and Police.

On Thursday, Gurung spoke to reporters over phone from an undisclosed location.He had slipped out of public view after the June 15 police raid on his Patlebas home. He said people wanted him to come out in the open and he would do so on October 30. But he refrained from giving specific details. Gurung had released an audio message to his supporters, claiming that he would make a public appearance in Darjeeling and address a massive rall

The GJM leader issued a 10-day ultimatum to Tamang to provide proof of his allegations that Gurung and his aides were trying to kill him. “I will file a case against him if he fails to do so,” he said.

Report by Kolkata24x7

File Pic

BJP Faces Protests By GNLF in Darjeeling

Darjeeling: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh faced protests here by Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) supporters, who like some other hill parties demanded that its delegates leave Darjeeling hills immediately.

Ghosh and his team were also shown black flags and asked to refrain from disturbing the peace and stability in the region.

They had faced protests too by supporters of Jan Andolan Party and expelled Gorkha Janamukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang during their visit to Kalimpong and posters with the message BJP go back and requesting the hill people to boycott the partys delegation have come up in the hills.2 BJP workers manhandled allegedly by supporters of rebel GJM leader Binay Tamang;WB BJP President Dilip Ghosh was also present

The state BJP president, however, refuted the GNLF allegation that he was in the hills to foment trouble and claimed that the protests against the BJP delegation were fuelled by the TMC. This is a pre-planned attack. I went to protect my workers as they were wounded; even I was pushed West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh said.

The BJP team is scheduled to visit various places in the hills and neighbouring Sikkim and hold meetings with its workers and the GJM leadership. Expelled GJM leader and vice-chairman of the Board of Administrators (BoA), Anit Thapa too accused the BJP of trying to foment trouble in the hills.

The rebel GJM group led by Binay Tamang, chairman of BoA and Thapa is slated to take out rallies in various places of the hills to protest the visit of the saffron partys delegation.

@Kolkata24x7

GJM Activists Clash With Police in Darjeeling Hills

A clash broke out between Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) activists and police during a pro shutdown rally in West Bengal's Darjeeling on Friday morning, leading police to baton charge and lob tear gas at the agitators to disperse them, an official said.

In a sudden escalation of violence on the 85th day of GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown in the hills, the activists allegedly attacked police with stones after their rally was stopped near Chawkbazar on Friday, police said.

According to district police sources, no permission was granted to the party activists hold the rally in the area.

At least eight to 10 activists were injured in Friday's incident, sources close to GJM claimed.

Via IANS

Suspected blast on Peshok Bridge, no casualties

Local residents living around the Peshok bridge claimed that there was an explosion on the bridge in the wee hours of Friday morning. This comes on the heels of blasts in Darjeeling, Kalimpong police station, Sukhiapokhari police station and Lodhama.

Buddha Tamang, a lady living near the bridge stated "We heard a huge sound at around 1am. Our house shook. However we were too scared to come out and see."
Locals informed the police. A large police contingent arrived at the spot. The bridge is located 1km away from the Teesta police outpost under the Rungli Rungliot police station.
The Lopchu Peshok road is used mainly by vehicles travelling to Kalimpong and Sikkim capital Gangtok from Darjeeling. The Peshok bridge which is of a short span is
located at the point where the Hills meet the plains. It is around 28 km from Darjeeling.
"We are investigating whether there was an explosion or any attempt to blow the bridge.
However the bridge did not suffer much damage except for a wooden plank being chipped. It is fit for vehicular traffic" stated a police officer.
Meanwhile Palden Bhutia, a GJM youth leader was arrested from the Pedong area bordering the forest in Kalimpong. Sources state that he was arrested in connection with the torching of police outpost at Pedong. He will be produced at the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Siliguri.

By Amitava Banerjee
OneIndia News

Bomb Blast at Sukhiapokhri in Darjeeling Last Night

Darjeeling: A bomb blast took place at Sukhiapokhri last night. An eyewitness says lots of noise of breaking of window panes by stones being pelted in the middle of the night was heard.

Sources say some vehicles glasses were also broken. The incident took place at around 1.30am.

No casualties have been reported so far in the incident. The preliminary findings have indicated that it was an IED blast. Phone cables too have been found cut due to which communication has almost come to a standstill.

Details awaited..