Kalimpong News ..3 Company CRPF arriving in Siliguri..Protest by EFR family members..Attack on Police Outpost....

Kalimpong News: 3 Company of CRPF are arriving in Siliguri to tackle the situation of Darjeeling hills. State government had requisitioned 7 companies for three hill subdivisions and National Highway. Direct from Assam CRPF jawans wil arrive at NJP and will be stationed at Siliguri before their deployment to different three hill subdivisonal police station, a police source confirmed.
Protest by EFR family members

The rally for the IG (Photo:TT)

PTI, Jhargram(WB), Feb 21 : The family members of the 24 EFR jawans killed in the Maoist attack on their camp at Silda, today took out a procession at EFR headquarters at Salua, condemning the state government's reported decision to take action against the Special IG of EFR Benoy Chakraborty.
The family members of the deceased jawans took out a silent procession carrying placards saying "taking action against the Special IG for his comments against West Midnapore Superintendent of Police means dishonouring the dead jawans."
They also blocked Gate number 1 of the EFR headquarters at Salua and demanded that the state government instead of taking action against the Special IGP of EFR improves training facilities and living condition of the EFR jawans posted in different camps in Maoist affected areas of the state.
TT, Salua, Feb. 21: Family members of Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) personnel took out a procession at the force headquarters here today in protest against possible action against special inspector-general Benoy Chakraborty.

Armed EFR personnel walked along the flanks of the procession, putting up a show of controlling the crowd.

The protesters gave the government 48 hours to “drop the idea” of taking action ag- ainst the IPS officer who had publicly blamed a junior over the Maoist massacre at Shilda. “We will launch a bigger agitation if any action is taken against Chakraborty. We will demonstrate in front of Writers’ Buildings,” a protester said.

Around 1pm, the 300-strong procession comprising wives, daughters and sons of EFR personnel, many of them carrying placards saying “sach kahne ki saza suspension (punishment for telling truth is suspension)”, went around the compound. They came outside and blocked for half an hour the road that leads to IIT Kharagpur, barely 3km away.

“What the IG told the media yesterday was absolutely right. None had come forward before him and showed the courage to tell the truth. We will go for a bigger movement in his support,” said Manoj Chhetri, a cop’s son who was directing the rally with a hand-held public address system.

Chakraborty, who held a news conference yesterday at Salua with his face and head masked, had blamed the district police chief for setting up the Shilda camp in a crowded place and not heeding his requests to get it shifted.

Amid allegations that the EFR personnel lacked alertness, the IG blamed their failure to “retaliate properly” on the fear of civilian casualties. He also said he felt proud that his men could kill five Maoists before falling.

Sources at the EFR hub said Chakraborty had wanted to resign last night. “He told his aides he had been pulled up by his superiors for telling the truth, which went in favour of the EFR personnel who were at the Shilda camp,” a cop said. “As word (about his possible resignation) spread, family members, mostly wives of EFR personnel, decided to organise the rally.”

Although the EFR personnel in uniform did not participate in today’s rally, they hung around, as if trying to control the protesters. “Till now, we are not participating in the rally. But if action is taken against the IG, the force might revolt,” said an EFR constable standing in front of the headquarters’ gate when the protesters blocked the road.

A policeman’s wife, Shanta Gurung, said: “He is the first person I have seen take a stand in favour of his subordinates. It is our duty to stand behind him. That is why we are out on the streets.”

An EFR cop with a gun slung across his chest escorts the procession at Salua protesting possible action against special IG Benoy Chakraborty. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya,TT.

Kishan admits deaths

Pronab Mondal, TT, 

  

 

Shilda, Feb. 21: Maoist leader Kishan today said five guerrillas had been killed during the attack on the EFR camp here on February 15.

  

“Five of our soldiers were killed that day during our fight  against the unholy force of the state. We will honour them as martyrs. We will observe February 25 as Martyrs’ Day across the country,” Kishan told The Telegraph.

  

 

He identified those killed as Sushen, Ujjal, Vijay, Chandan and Sujit.

The special inspector-general of the EFR, Benoy Chakraborty, too, had said yesterday that his force had shot dead five Maoists.

The last time Kishan admitted that a Maoist action squad member had been killed was in October. It was after Sunil Mahato was killed in an encounter with security forces near Banstala, where supporters of the Maoist-led People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities were blocking the Rajdhani Express that evening.

Twenty-four EFR personnel were killed in the attack on the Shilda camp. 

 

Kishan’s admission comes six days after the attack. On the day of the attack, he had claimed responsibility for the strike but had said he was unaware of any Maoist casualty. 

  

Referring to the special IG’s news conference yesterday in which he accused the West Midnapore police chief of setting up the Shilda camp in an unprofessional manner, Kishan said: “The CPM headquarters at Alimuddin Street and the government at Writers’ Buildings are conspiring to punish Benoy Chakraborty. We are lodging our protest against it.”

  

 

Kishan extended his “sympathies” to the family members of the EFR personnel killed in Shilda. “We appeal to the policemen of lower ranks working in Jungle Mahal not to raise their arms against the poor. Please take transfer to other police stations and perform your duties there. If necessary, leave your job.”

  

 

The attack, he added, was a reply to the Centre and the state’s planned Operation Green Hunt against the rebels. “We attacked the camp in Shilda to give a fitting reply to the government’s decision to launch Operation Green Hunt. It was part of our Operation Peace Hunt.”

Intelligence sources said they were aware of Sushen. “Sushen Mahato was a resident of Lalgarh. He was a CPM supporter and had joined the Maoists last June,” said an officer.

The Maoists had fled with the bodies of Sushen and the four others in a pick-up they had brought with them.

In the Darjeeling hills, from where 13 of the 24 slain EFR personnel hailed, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha came out in support of Chakraborty. “It is because of government apathy that the camp was not shifted and so many of our community members had to die. We condemn any action against Benoy Chakraborty,” general secretary Roshan Giri said.

MLA replies to Gurung
KalimNews: Kalimpong MLA Gaulan Lepcha expressed his dissatisfaction to the allegations made by Bimal Gurung President of GJMM during his speech in a meeting in the residential area of the MLA last Friday. Lepcha stressed that he was a Gorkhaland soldier and will remain the same and supports the movement headed by GJMM. He also reminded that he has kept himself aloof from all political activities and diplomatic activities is out of question for him. He further stated that keeping aside the personal and other differences, not only himself but all should be united and support GJMM. He also refuted the allegation of pasting posters of GNLF in Kalimpong.
Morcha backs masked IG- Hill party against CRPF deployment

A police van that was set on fire in Kurseong on Thursday. Picture by Suman Tamang

TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 21: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has come out in support of Benoy Chakraborty, the special inspector-general of the Eastern Frontier Rifles, who is facing possible disciplinary action for breach of service rules.

“What the special inspector-general has said is nothing but the truth. The government has taken action (against him) for speaking out the truth. It is because of the government apathy that the camp was not shifted and so many of our community members had to die. We condemn any action taken against Benoy Chakraborty,” said Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri here today. However, no action has yet been taken against Chakraborty.

Yesterday, the special IG hid behind a veil of black cloth to address a media conference at the EFR headquarters in Salua, West Midnapore. “I had repeatedly told the superintendent of police about the poor infrastructure at the camp and the need to shift it to a better place. But he paid no heed…The EFR personnel could not retaliate properly because many civilians could have died,” he said.

That the location of the EFR camp in West Midnapore’s Shilda hampered the policemen is no secret. But never before has a police boss appeared in public the way Chakraborty did — apparently to ensure that the Maoists do not recognise him if he ventured out — and rarely has such a senior officer spoken out in public against an officer lower in rank.

Chakraborty’s masked face drew sniggers and made the police leadership look ridiculous, especially in the wake of the Shilda fiasco. Sources close to the chief minister said Chakraborty would face disciplinary action.

The Maoist strike in Shilda that killed 24 EFR personnel, 19 from the predominant hill communities, has stoked the Gorkhaland demand in the hills with the Morcha blaming the state government for “ill-treating” the martyrs (read the dead policemen). However, not so long ago, the Morcha had shared the dais with leaders of the Maoist-backed People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities in Lalgarh.

Giri also accused the government of trying to scuttle the statehood voices by trying to bring in central paramilitary forces. “We hear that three companies of CRPF are being brought. The government first unleashed violence in the hills and is then trying to bring in the forces to crush the statehood demand. We want to remind the state government that the demand can never be crushed.”

The Morcha leader was referring to the violence that rocked the hills on Thursday when Kurseong MLA Shanta Chhetri’s house was torched along with police vehicles. The Kurseong police station was also attacked.

Even though the MLA and other political parties like the ABGL had accused the Morcha of being behind the attack, Giri iterated that the party was not involved. “We do not believe in violence,” he said.

The same day two vehicles bearing Sikkim registration numbers were also attacked on NH31A. The Morcha has washed its hand of the incident. “The NH31A had been kept out of the bandh’s purview. We suspect it to be the handiwork of anti-Gorhaland forces who are trying to create problems in the hills,” said Giri.

A senior state police officer said the CRPF would be deployed to keep NH31A, the only road link between Sikkim and the rest of the country, open at all times. He said a meeting would be scheduled in Gangtok between the chief secretaries of the Bengal and Sikkim and the Union transport secretary. The Supreme Court has already ruled that the national highway could not be blocked under any circumstances.

K.L. Tamta, the inspector-general of police (north Bengal), said: “I received a call from the paramilitary force officials from Guwahati inquiring about space to accommodate three companies of their men. The talks about deployment of these forces are in the air.”

After the violence in Kurseong, D.P. Singh, the Darjeeling superintendent of police, said three companies of the state armed police had been sent to the Kurseong police station.

Mob bays for ‘killer’ blood

TT, Siliguri, Feb. 21: The police outpost at Sukna was set on fire this evening by a group of local people demanding that a youth arrested in a murder case be brought from Siliguri.

  

 

An impounded car parked on the compound of the outpost, a wooden structure, also went up in flames. A large number of policemen were deployed in the area after the attack.

Sources said since morning, the people had been demonstrating at the police outpost, demanding the immediate arrest of Amit Lama, accused of murdering Pemkit Lepcha, 28, a native of Makabazar in East Sikkim. Her body was found at Sukna, 10km from here, on February 14.

“The crowd dispersed around 1.30pm after being informed that Lama had been arrested,” said K.L. Tamta, inspector-general of police, north Bengal.

“However, as Lama was sent to Pradhannagar police station, the protesters reassembled at the outpost around 6.30pm, demanding that he be brought to Sukna. Around 8.15pm, the mob set the outpost on fire,” said Tamta.

Following the incident, police officers from Kurseong, under which the outpost falls, and Siliguri reached the spot with additional forces.

Tamta said he had to face protest from Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters at Sukna around 3pm while he was on way to Tindharia with some guests.

“My officers tried to persuade the Morcha supporters and the residents, but they refused to let me pass through the area. I had no other alternative but to return,” he said.

Three fire engines from Siliguri reached the spot to douse the blaze. The sources said the mob had taken control of the outpost as policemen posted there, including the officer-in-charge, had stood outside helplessly. Around 15-20 policemen are posted at the outpost

After the arson, the agitators retreated to their homes and only firemen and the police were seen in the area.

Morcha leaders have distanced themselves from the incident. “Our party or its organisations are not related to the incident in any way,” said Shankar Adhikari, the convener of the Terai-Siliguri committee of the outfit. “It is an unfortunate incident and we condemn it. The murdered woman ran a primary school at her native place in Sikkim and had befriended Amit.”

However, Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya blamed the Morcha for the incident.

“Given the present state of affairs, I feel all sorts of dialogues with the Morcha leadership, who have resorted to violence in the name of Gandhism, should be stopped,” he said.

Sikkim Makes Settlers "Second Class" Citizens

Kumkum Dasgupta, HT, New Delhi:

 Sixty-year-old S K Sarda’s ancestors migrated from Rajasthan to Sikkim 150 years ago. In the course of time, the family learnt the local language, developed links with Sikkimese society, set up businesses — and made Gangtok their home.

But today, Sarda alleges, the Sikkim Democratic Front-led state government’s parochial politics and central tax laws have made them “second-class citizens.”

“The Nepalis, also migrants, control Sikkim politics. They see us as outsiders and want to throw us out,” said R K Agarwal, 55, who owns a Tibetan jewellery shop in Gangtok. Out of Sikkim’s 6 lakh people, 70 per cent are Nepalese, 20.64 per cent are Bhutia-Lepchas (said to be the original people of Sikkim) and old settlers such as Sarda make up 3.4 per cent.

At the heart of the controversy is the question: who is a Sikkimese?

In 1961, the king of Sikkim — the state became a part of India in 1975 — passed the Sikkim Subjects Regulation (SSR). The Regulation defined a Sikkimese as one who was born within its territory and similarly situated person. Settlers from India were not included in the SSR registry because they did not want to give up their Indian citizenship.

When Sikkim joined India, the SSR was repealed and everyone became an Indian citizen. In 1991, New Delhi granted citizenship to all those who lived in Sikkim between 1946 and 1975 but did not figure in the SSR registry.

“Votebank politics was behind this demand,” said Sarda. “In 1991, 73,431 people, mainly Nepalese, got Indian citizenship.”

In what people such as Sarda would call the latest in a string of discriminatory practices, the Sikkim government persuaded the Centre to amend the income tax laws in 2008 and provide exemption to all residents of the state except the old settlers.

According to legal and constitution expert K K Venugopal, the exclusion is “unconstitutional” and “discriminatory.” The Association of Old Settlers of Sikkim, of which Sarda the president, wants this anomaly to be redressed.

P D Rai, Sikkim’s lone member in Lok Sabha, said Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has taken up the issue with the prime minister.

“But, I don’t see any reason why people earning profits will not pay taxes according to Central rates”, Rai said.

But this is not Sarda’s only worry.

In the last 18 months, Sikkim’s assembly has passed several legislations that old settlers find discriminatory.

One such law requires a company, in order to get registered in the state, to have at least half of its board of directors with a Sikkim Subject Certificate or Certificate of Identification

The move underscores the changing political economy of the state. The Nepalese want to extend their influence from politics to business, which has been dominated by old settlers — mostly trading families from northern India.

Rai defends the change: “They have been passed to safeguard the Sikkimese people from being over-run by outsiders.”