ARSON IN KALIMPONG Photo: Mani Tamang
TT, Feb. 4: The district magistrate of Darjeeling remained confined to his office for an “indefinite period” even as the hills burned — two police jeeps were set on fire along with two NBSTC buses. The siege had not been lifted even after 10 hours.
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| Burnt buses in Kalimpong. (Chinlop Fudong Lepcha) |
A prison van was also damaged and so was a private bus in Kalimpong, where constable Mohan Rai was pelted with stones by the arsonists. He was taken to the Kalimpong hospital and later referred to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. A guard of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation Dushyant Chhetri, who was beaten up by a mob, was also admitted to the Kalimpong hospital.
The siege to the DM office started at 3.30pm after a delegation of the Vidyarthi Morcha was informed that permission for a public meeting in Siliguri on February 6 could not be granted.
“I have received a report from the additional police superintendent in Siliguri that the atmosphere is not conducive to such a meeting and it would provoke a breach of peace. So we cannot grant the permission,” district magistrate Surendra Gupta said.
After the delegation left the office, Vidyarthi Morcha supporters stayed in the corridor, but did not resist other officials from meeting the district magistrate.
There was some drama at 6.15pm, when Gupta suddenly came out of his office and got into his car. The Vidyarthi Morcha supporters blocked the car and Gupta stepped out and began walking towards his bungalow, about a kilometre from the collectorate.
“We request you to remain in your office as our demand has not been met,” the Vidyarthi Morcha supporters following him appealed.
“I have been sitting in office and no one from your side came to meet me after 4pm, that is why I left,” Gupta countered before returning to the collectorate.
“We have sought permission to hold the meeting on February 6 but till date, the administration has not granted any permission,” said Keshav Raj Pokhral, the general secretary of the Vidyarthi Morcha, at a news conference at Dagapur in Siliguri earlier this afternoon.
“It has been decided to keep the DM confined to his chamber indefinitely and not allow him even a glass of water. On the other hand, seven of our supporters will be on an indefinite hunger strike at Darjeeling More (in Siliguri),” he said.
Police chased away those on fast around 8pm. Nearly two hours later, Morcha supporters laid siege to the police stations at Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Bijanbari. The gherao continued late into the night.
A mob set fire to a police jeep at the Darjeeling motor stand at 10.30pm. Two NBSTC buses in Kalimpong met with the same fate. A private bus that stood nearby was also damaged and so was a prison van in Thanadara.
The Vidyarthi Morcha has threatened to confine the hill subdivisional officers tomorrow.
“We selected a new venue, the truck stand at Dagapur owned by the Darjeeling District Truck Owners’ Association. The secretary of the association has given an NOC. We have submitted it but till date, the administration has not issued any permission,” said Pokhral.
“We want to make it clear that even if the administration does not permit us, we will hold the meeting at the truck stand on February 6 from 12 noon. Earlier, we had thought of inviting our supporters from the Terai only, but now that the administration has not given us permission upon instruction from the state government, our supporters from all over the hills and Dooars will also join the meeting. It is for the administration and police to take a decision (on what they want to do). There is no question of withdrawing our programme,” said Amrit Yonzon, the vice-president of the Vidyarthi Morcha.
Anti-Morcha forces like the Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee has threatened to call a 48 hours’ strike from Saturday to protest the Vidyarthi Morcha meeting. The CPM has also decided to hold a rally on Saturday to protest the “division of the state”, said Mukul Sengupta, the Siliguri zonal committee secretary of the party.
In 2008, the Morcha had been refused permission by the district administration to hold a meeting in support of its statehood demand in Siliguri’s Baghajatin Park.
However, after an agitation for a month, the hill party was allowed to hold a rally on the Indira Gandhi grounds on the outskirts of the town.
The Vidyarthi Morcha had been banking on the fact that its meeting was likely to provide a fresh impetus to the statehood demand from the plains.
KalimNews with inputs from TT: After an hour of spreading the news of Police atrocities in Siliguri reached hills irate GJMM supporters gheraoed police stations of the hills. A around 10 am some youths pelted the NBSTC Eicher buses at Motor Stand of Kalimpong and they set fire to these two buses when a Bus "Boeing" parked near them also caught fire. They had an altercation with the Police there. Another Police Pilot Jeep was also set fire at Traffic Police Office near David Gas Station. The group also smashed windscreen of another police Jeep near Police station at Thana Danra. While pelting stones a night guard of NBSTC was injured while a police was injured during the tussle.
The windscreen of a prison van was also damaged in Darjeeling.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Morcha vice-president Pradip Pradhan said no government vehicles including those of the police would be allowed to ply in the hills from tomorrow till an inquiry was conducted on the lathicharge in the plains.
In Darjeeling, the Vidyarthi Morcha confined the district magistrate to his office from 3.30pm after he refused permission for a public meeting in the plains. The confinement is indefinite, the student wing of the Morcha said. It was continuing well past midnight. Late in the evening, the supporters of the hill party laid siege to the police stations in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Bijanbari.
The situation at the fast site in Siliguri’s Darjeeling More turned tense at 7.30pm with the arrival of members of the Bangla Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee, an outfit opposed to the Morcha demand for a separate state.
Forces from Pradhannagar and Matigara police stations and personnel of the district commando force soon cordoned them off near the statue of Tenzing Norgay, 50 metres from where around 60 Vidyarthi Morcha supporters were sitting with the seven fasting members. The Vidyarthi Morcha refused to withdraw the hunger strike till the police chased them with batons.
The police arrested 14 GJ Nari Morcha and 8 GJVM supporters and eight members of the Bhasha Banchao Committee. After midnight, the gherao at the Kurseong police station was lifted.
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