Tue. Apr 23rd, 2024

Early in the morning at 5 am, today, violence once again broke out in the hills of West Bengal, when the Kolkata police raided a forest area near Patlebas in Darjeeling.

The hills, after much struggle and suffering had returned to peace just a few days back on 27 Sep and just as the people were trying to be relaxed that finally there is peace, another incident disturbed the people of Darjeeling, forcing them to live under the feeling of fear.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Chief Bimal Gurung, on 27 Sep had called off the protest that was going on in Darjeeling for 105 days, demanding a separate statehood for the Gorkhas. Peace and stability had just started to restore in the region when on Friday morning the police, after getting the information from its sources that Bimal was hiding away in the forest area near Patlebas, raided the area and violence broke out.

A sub-inspector was shot dead and four policemen were injured in clashes between the supporters of Bimal and the police. Bimal has been absconding from August after the West Bengal government lodged cases against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged involvement in several bomb blasts in Darjeeling and adjoining areas.

Responding to the recent violence in Darjeeling, the expelled GJM leader and Chairman of the Board of Administrators (BoA) for Darjeeling Binay Tamang said that the people of the region “will not allow Darjeeling to turn into Kashmir”. He said that Bimal Gurung was responsible for the violence. He further showing his anger against the GJM chief said that “We will not allow Darjeeling to turn into Kashmir. The people of the hills are peace-loving, they are not with Gurung and his politics of violence and bloodshed. There should be a proper inquiry into the violence and the culprits should be booked.”

Meanwhile, the police said that it had intelligence inputs that Gurung was hiding near Patlebas. They are are claiming that the GJM supremo had links with the Maoists and insurgent groups in the north-east.