Live: Rajnath Urges For Peace in Darjeeling, Protests Continue
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called the agitation a “deep-rooted conspiracy”.
- Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) called for an indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling from 12 June
- Protests continued on Sunday as large numbers poured out on the streets
- Rajnath Singh urged the people of Darjeeling to maintain peace
- GJM chief Bimal Gurung said that Mamata’s allegations on the agitation being funded by insurgent groups are “white lies”
- The Hill parties have adopted a resolution for a separate Gorkhaland state
- Mamata’s West Bengal government removed Darjeeling DSP
- Tourism is affected in Darjeeling, according to tour operators
'Nobody Should Resort to Violence': Rajnath Singh
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has urged the people of Darjeeling to “remain calm and peaceful” on Sunday as protests in the region, demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland, have intensified. Singh spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday regarding the situation.
Meanwhile, protests continued unabated seeing a massive turnout of people on the streets.
GJM Chief Responds to Mamata's Allegations
GJM chief Bimal Gurung on Sunday termed as “white lies” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that the agitation in Darjeeling hills was supported by insurgent groups and asserted the struggle for a separate Gorkhaland state would be intensified.
GJM to Hold Another Protest Rally
Darjeeling is bracing for another shutdown as the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leadership has decided to hold a protest rally with the bodies of two persons allegedly killed during Saturday’s clashes.
The GJM has claimed that two of their supporters were shot by police in Singmari. Police rejected the allegations of firing by its personnel and said one person was killed during the clashes.
A senior GJM leader on Saturday said, “We will conduct the rally at Chowbazar with the bodies.”
Police have declined them the permission to hold such a rally. A senior police official said, “No one has been given permission to hold a rally in the hills.”
Mamata Calls Agitation a "Deep-Rooted Conspiracy"
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the ongoing agitation in Darjeeling hills was a “deep-rooted conspiracy” supported by the insurgent groups of the Northeast and some foreign countries.
The GJM had rubbished the allegation made by Banerjee, saying that she was trying to malign the Gorkhas fighting for their identity.
The police, who have been on high alert after Saturday’s violence and arson, conducted route marches with the Army in several parts of the hills.
Army Deployed, Tear Gas Used Against Protesters
Hundreds of women activists on Saturday ratcheted up the demand for the separate state of Gorkhaland with slogans of “Gorkhaland, Gorkhaland”, holding aloft the tricolour.
Following raids at GJM leader’s house starting fresh protests in Darjeeling, security personnel tear gassed against protesters. At around 3 am on Saturday, Tamang claimed his house was “raided and vandalised by the police and the Trinamool Congress cadres” in the same manner as they had raided party chief Bimal Gurung's house in Darjeeling district two days ago.
The region witnessed widespread clashes between GJM activists and the police in which one person was killed and 35 security personnel were injured.
West Bengal Govt Removes Darjeeling DSP
The West Bengal government has transferred Darjeeling Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradip Kumar Singha and replaced him with Avijit Mitra.
According to a notification issued by the state police directorate, Mitra, who was the Joint Assistant Director, IB, in West Bengal, will replace Singha.
Incidentally, the state government removed Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Amit Javalgi after the incident on 8 June, when Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) supporters clashed with the police while trying to break barricades near the Raj Bhawan, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was holding a cabinet meeting.
GJM supporters had damaged police vehicles and set some of them ablaze.
GJM Seeks Central Intervention
As its separatist campaign in the Darjeeling hills spiralled deeper into violence, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Thursday sought central intervention to bring back peace in the district and "foil" the West Bengal government's "attempt" to make Bengali mandatory in schools.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri and BJP's Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and placed their demands before him.
The GJM leader said they will not participate in the 19 June tripartite meeting called by the Home Ministry to discuss issues related to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and his party would talk only about a separate state.
Centre Rushes 400 More Paramilitary to Darjeeling; Total 1,400
The Centre on Thursday, rushed 400 additional paramilitary personnel to Darjeeling, taking the total number to 1,400, to assist the local administration there to restore peace and normalcy.
Around 1,000 personnel, including 200 women, have already been deployed in Darjeeling.
The West Bengal government is yet to send a report on the prevailing situation in Darjeeling which has witnessed violence in the last few days.
The home ministry is closely monitoring the situation in the hill district and assisting the state government to restore normalcy there.
Police Uncover Weapons After Series of Raids, GJM Calls for Indefinite Shutdown
Protesters and riot police hurled stones at each other, after a series of raids uncovered more than 300 weapons, including arrows and explosives from premises connected with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung.
Following the raids, the GJM called for an indefinite shutdown in the hills from today.
“The arrows were meant for students for archery competition,” GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said.
He said the Centre and the state government should solve the "political problem".
The raids came on the fourth day of the GJM-sponsored indefinite strike in government and GTA offices in the hills.
Hill parties Adopt Resolution For Separate Gorkhaland state
The crisis in the Darjeeling hills deepened on Tuesday after several parties, including the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), decided to push for a separate state and unanimously adopted a resolution in favour of it.
The GJM last week had called for a meeting of all hill parties. The meeting was attended by the GJM, the GNLF, the Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha, the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (apolitical) and the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists.
Two other parties from the hills, the All India Gorkha League (AIGL) and Jan Andolan Party (JAP) did not attend the meet, but their leaders expressed their support for a separate state.
Giri claimed that the BJP district leadership too attended the meeting. But, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said, “We are not aware of any of our leaders attending any kind of all-party meet in Darjeeling.”
The Centre on Tuesday also dispatched 600 additional para-military personnel to assist the West Bengal government in restoring normalcy in the Darjeeling hills.
Centre Monitoring Darjeeling Situation, Ready to Offer 'All Help'
Concerned over continuing violence in Darjeeling, the Centre is closely monitoring the situation in the hill district and is ready to offer all assistance to the West Bengal government to restore normalcy, an official said on Tuesday.
However, the Home Ministry is yet to seek a report from the West Bengal government on the situation in the hill district which has been witnessing violence for the last couple of days.
Centre Will Surely Consider Demand for Gorkhaland: Gurung
Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung said he is in constant touch with the Centre and is hopeful that its ally the BJP will consider its demand for a separate Gorkhaland "compassionately".
"I am constantly in touch with the central government and various ministers. I am very hopeful that they will understand our pain and struggle and will consider our demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.
"The government at the Centre is our ally and they will surely consider our demand compassionately," Gurung said.
The BJP, he said, has always been in favour of small states.
The GJM chief slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for calling in the Army to control the situation in the hills and advised her to stay out as "the people of Darjeeling are well-equipped to take care of themselves".
"My advice to Mamata Banerjee is please stay away from the hills. We don't need your charity. The people of the hills will not accept the TMC's hegemony," he said.
GJM Activists in Darjeeling Lathi-charged
GJM activists from Kalimpong and Darjeeling were baton-charged when protests escalated on Tuesday morning.
GJM Supporters Pelt Stones at Police on Tuesday
Gorkhaland supporters on Tuesday pelted stones at the police in various parts of Darjeeling, as they were stopped from enforcing their shutdown in many government offices in the hills, where their indefinite bandh entered its second day.
Police pickets and barricades were put up in front of the government and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) offices as well as various entry and exit points of the hills, while the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and a sizable number of women police personnel were also deployed.
The protesters were chanting slogans against the state government and demanding a seperate Gorkhaland state.
GJM Calls for All Party Meet
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha called for an all party meet in Darjeeling at 1 pm today.
The bandh was still in place and there were visuals of Army escorting tourist vehicles in Darjeeling.
Tea Garden Workers Demand Raise in Minimum Wages
Tea garden workers called for a bandh in the hills, Terai and Dooars demanding raise in minimum wages.
Police Make Arrest in Bijanbari BDO Office Burning.
Police arrest Gorkhaland Territorial Administration's Satish Pokhrel for alleged involvement in Bijanbari BDO office burning.
Agitation in Darjeeling to Hit Tourism : Tour Operators
The ongoing political unrest in Darjeeling will hit hard tourism in the area and the pinch will be felt in the coming days, tour operators in Darjeeling said on Monday.
Most of the tourists are either going to Sikkim while many have moved to Dooars.
The state government is urging the tourists to stay in the hills promising them security and protection.
Can't Be Intimidated With Threats: Mamata Tells GJM
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asserted she will not be intimidated with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's (GJM) "threats" and claimed it will run away after spurring episodes of violence.
She also added that the people of the hill will continue to stay there despite the threats. She said:
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)
PWD Office in Darjeeling Torched by Miscreants
8 Detained For Trying to Set Govt Office Afire: Sources
A Hindustan Times report said that GJM supporters on Monday set panchayat officer’s chamber on fire in Bijanbari village, near Darjeeling.
No arrests have been made so far.
PTI quoted state police sources on the incident where they said that around eight persons allegedly belonging to the GJM were detained on Monday morning for “trying to set on fire a BDO office at Phulbazar in Bijanbari block”.
GJM's Bandh Hits Darjeeling
The hills of Darjeeling were marred by violence on 8 June after the influential Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) called for a 12-hour bandh for the revival of Gorkhaland agitation.
The region is likely to face fresh confrontation between the GJM and Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government with the former calling for an indefinite shutdown from Monday.
GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said that all Central and State government offices – including block development offices, sub-divisional offices and district magistrate offices, banks, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (the hill development body) offices – will be closed as part of the shutdown.
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.
“Any absence will be considered as a break in service and no salary will be admissible unless covered by reasonable grounds,” the notification said.
The hostility was triggered by West Bengal government’s decision to make Bengali compulsory in schools till Class X.
Darjeeling’s superintendent of police, inspectors in-charge of Kalimpong and Kurseong were also shifted from their posts after the violence.
No violence was reported on Sunday.
GJM chief Bimal Gurung had also projected himself as the “chief minister of the hills” and challenged Mamata Banerjee to stop the agitation in the area.
Banerjee termed the agitation “illegal” and said, “The government was soft and had given them all kind of support. But now, the government will be very tough after what happened… Police will do their work and law will take its own course. Nobody is above law.”
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and IANS)
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