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Friday, February 19, 2010

KALIMPONG NEWS.. STRIKE IN SILIGURI on 20th FEB

GNLF leader’s school set on fire - Owner refuses to blame Gurung’s party
The site where Daffodil Academy once stood. Picture by Suman Tamang
TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 19: A primary English medium school at Ging set up by a senior leader of the GNLF was torched last night in a sequel to the violence that had been spreading across the hills since yesterday.
Following the arrests of nearly 77 Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha supporters in Siliguri and the Dooars, the Kurseong police station was attacked with stones and local MLA Shanta Chhetri’s house was set on fire yesterday morning.
Chhetri and her family spent the night at the Kurseong subdivisional hospital. “I had taken a cabin (for her husband who is hospitalised) and there is an extra bed where I slept. My son and daughter–in-law slept on the floor. I do not know where to go,” said the MLA over the phone from Kurseong.
Daffodil Academy, which was set up in 1997, had classes from Nursery to IV with a student strength of 60. The school used to cater for the needs of children from the surrounding tea gardens of Lebong Valley, 15km from here.
Witnesses said the wooden structure with five rooms was completely gutted at 8.30pm. “A gang of four-five young men came, sprinkled petrol and set the building on fire,” said a witness. The school was set to reopen on Monday after a three- month winter vacation.
Parents, who had gathered at the gutted site, demanded that the school must be built by those who were behind the act.
Rekha Pradhan, a worker of the Poobshering tea garden whose daughter Anisha studies in Class IV, said: “We need a school. All of us work hard in the estate but we want a better future for our sons and daughters. I had spent Rs 3,000 on uniform and shoes but at the last moment where shall will admit our children.” The school used to charge Rs 100 as admission fee while the monthly tuition fee was Rs 140.
Another parent, Puran Lamgade, whose son, Sushil, also studies in Class IV, said: “Everyone in this part supports the main party (read Morcha). We are not bothered about inter-party feuds but whoever has done this must set it up. We will meet Bimal Gurung (Morcha president) and will tell him about our needs.”
Netra Thakuri, a former GNLF councillor and vice-president of the party’s trade union who had founded the school, too, refused to blame the Morcha for the incident. “The school was not gutted by the Morcha but by anti-socials who are trying to defame the party. This is in fact the job of the state government who is trying to malign Bimal Gurung’s Gandhian agitation. The state government is using anti-socials to create a divide between the hill people,” said Thakuri.
The former GNLF leader also added that he had no faith in the state police. “I have more faith in the Morcha president than the police. I hope he will find the people and punish him. Just like the entire hills I, too, believe in him (Gurung),” said Thakuri.
Asked if he would rebuild the structure, Thakuri said that the “atmosphere is not conducive”. “Moreover I would need around Rs 8 to 10 lakh. I do not think I will be able to set up the structure immediately,” said Thakuri.
In 2008, too, Thakuri’s house had been ransacked but the leader had not blamed the Morcha but described it as the handiwork of some “excited public”.
Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: “We do not believe in torching down educational institutions. It definitely is the handiwork of some anti-socials.”
TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 19: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today said it had attended a rally with Maoist leader Chhatradhar Mahato in Lalgarh last year to boost the “morale” of the tribal people whose kin, it alleged, were killed by police.
The Morcha also blamed the Bengal government for trying to “politicise” the killing of 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) jawans in Shilda by raking up the issue of the Morcha leaders attending the Lalgarh rally with Mahato, the leader of the Maoist-backed People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities.
“We had gone there to boost the morale of the tribals whose community members had been killed by the police. The Bengal government is now trying to politicise the issue. We want to make it clear that we do not support violence,” said Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri at an all-faith prayer meeting at Chowrastha here this morning.
The Morcha today trained its gun at the state government for treating the hill people and the “martyrs” (the slain EFR jawans) differently.
“The martyrs were brought in police vans packed like cats and dogs. Why couldn’t the government charter a flight? The families had to wait till 11pm to receive the bodies at Siliguri and they reached home around 4am the following day,” alleged Giri. “When the dead bodies arrived in Siliguri, none of the Bengal ministers or even the Siliguri mayor were present. No one was bothered. The chief minister is only blaming the jawans for their deaths and the rest of Bengal did not even mourn those who laid down their lives.”
Most of the shops in town today remained shut from 10am as a mark of respect to the EFR jawans. They did not reopen after the condolence meeting was over in the afternoon.
Bandh today to protest hill ‘anarchy’
TT, Siliguri, Feb. 19: The Darjeeling district Left Front has called a 12-hour general strike tomorrow to protest the recent spate of violence and the attack on police vehicles allegedly by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters across the hills.
The bandh beginning 6am is likely to hit Siliguri and the adjoining areas of Jalpaiguri (portions of Rajganj block and added-wards of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation), known to be Left pockets.
“The Morcha is trying to create an ambience of terror again. It is attacking police vehicles, police stations and setting the houses of MLA (Shanta Chhetri), leaders of other political parties and even schools on fire,” Jibesh Sarkar, a CPM state committee member, alleged at a news conference here today. “We protest this anarchy and have decided to observe a 12-hour general strike from 6am tomorrow.”
The CPM leader demanded that the rule of law be established in the hills. “There is virtually no administrative control across the hills and it is imminent that both the civic and police administration become more active there,” Sarkar said.
National highways, long-distance buses and trains, educational institutions holding examinations and essential services will be kept outside the purview of tomorrow’s strike, he said. A rally will be taken out from Baghajatin Park here in the afternoon.
Urban development minister and the front’s district convener Asok Bhattacharya said: “We are aware that people face inconveniences if a strike is called. We, however, hardly have any option to vent our protest against the Morcha violence.” The CPM minister criticised the hill party for keeping mum on Maoists after the Shilda incident. “Much like the Trinamul Congress, Morcha leaders have not uttered a word against the Maoists. We suspect they have a tacit understanding,” he said.
Cops to file flag complaint
TT, Siliguri, Feb. 19: Darjeeling district police will file a case against the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha for flying the Indian national flag half-mast at a condolence meeting in memory of the EFR policemen killed in the Shilda massacre.
The Tricolour flying half-mast at Dagapur on Friday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo
“We have received information that at the condolence meeting organised by the Morcha in Dagapur, the national flag was kept at half-mast,” said the inspector-general of police of north Bengal, K.L. Tamta, today. “This is considered to be a dishonour and we have instructed the superintendent of police to file a suo motu case with a photograph and also ask the Morcha to refrain from keeping the Indian national flag at half-mast.”
According to The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, “disrespect to the Indian National Flag means and includes……flying the Indian National Flag at half-mast except on occasions on which the Flag is flown at half-mast on public buildings in accordance with the instructions issued by the government”. The act further says that any such violation might lead to imprisonment for a term, which might extend to three years, or imposition of fine, or both.
Morcha supporters were converging at Dagapur since morning to attend the meeting held to commemorate the 24 EFR personnel — 19 are from predominant hill communities — who died in the Maoist attack. Many paid floral tributes.
The news of the flag flying half-mast at the programme prompted anti-Morcha forums like the Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee to demand action against the hill party. “We are equally grieved over the death of the EFR personnel who died while on duty. However, we condemn the way Morcha leaders have disrespected the Indian National Flag and demand appropriate steps,” said Bhasha Committee president Mukunda Majumdar.
Morcha leaders lashed out saying instead of “sharing the grief of the massacre”, the plains outfit was busy finding faults. “It is nothing but an attempt to hide their responsibilities,” said Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the Morcha spokesperson.

Speaking on the law and order situation in the hills, D.P Singh, the superintendent of police of Darjeeling, said reinforcements have been sent to the hills.
“We have sent additional forces to Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling and are keeping a close watch on the situation. Forces have also been kept at outposts in sensitive locations like Sukna and Panighata,” Singh said. “A deputy superintendent of police has been instructed to investigate and file a complete report of yesterday’s incident in Kurseong.”
Tamta said he had asked for more forces from the government. “We have asked for six platoons to be deployed in the hills and in the plains.”
Shilda security holes across war zone Camp norms go for a toss 
An EFR probe team at Shilda on Friday. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya
IMRAN AHMED SIDDIQUI, TT, Calcutta, Feb. 19: No roll calls, no security drills, no daily briefing to the district headquarters and no surprise inspection or supervision by senior officers.
This was how the Shilda camp, where 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) jawans were massacred by Maoists on Monday, was run.
This is also how most other camps of the state police are run, officials reviewing the security set-up in West Midnapore said today.
The investigation by the police brass reveals that basic security norms were not followed in the camp 
“We were shocked to find that there was no roll call of the jawans and the mandatory drills had not been carried out for months. They were anything but battle ready,” a senior officer told The Telegraph.
He said the district administration compromised the security of the camp and of its personnel. “What was the point of setting up a camp when the jawans were not secured. There was no infrastructure at all,” he asked.
No senior officer ever visited or went on a surprise check to ascertain if security measures were in place. This is true of most other state police camps, the officer said, in sharp contrast to the security alertness of the central forces.
Inspections have to be conducted every week to find out the battle-readiness of the jawans and their problems. The exercise has not been carried out in any of the police camps since they were set up to combat the Maoists. “Senior officers need to attend the drill every week to oversee their preparedness. After inspection, they can tell the camp-in-charge what they are lacking and how to secure the camp. Such visits also help in boosting morale,” the officer said.
After the inspection, the officer is expected to give a standing order to the person in charge of the camp and other policemen, especially sentries. “The standing order is based on how many people will be guarding the camp and others co-ordinating with local people,” he said.
About the Shilda camp, he said: “With no bunkers and watch towers, it resembled adharamsala. Most of the time the 50-odd policemen at the camp slept or relaxed.”
The subedar who was in charge of the camp was reporting to the inspector in charge of Binpur police station but there was little co-ordination.
“Even regular briefings to the district headquarters or the commandant didn’t take place. Despite the intelligence inputs, nobody bothered,” the officer added.
A senior EFR officer blamed the district administration for the massacre. “We had written six times to the superintendent of police to shift the camp to a strategic location but nothing was done. Our policemen were kept there to be used as cannon fodder,” he said.
He recounted how CRPF personnel had refused to stay in the camp last year, citing security reasons. “After a night at the camp, they forced the authorities to shift them to a secluded place.”
KalimNews: A 12 hrs Strike is called by CPM in Siliguri on 20th February. The bandh is called by Darjeeling District Committee of the CPI(M) protesting and alleging a connection between Trinmul Congress, GJMM and Maoists. It has reminded that Roshan Giri, General Secreatry, Samuel Gurung and Binay Tamang of GJMM had visited Lalgarh on 18th February 2009 and met  Maoist leader Chatradhar Mahato too. They had addressed a meeting organised by People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, a suspected frontal organisation of the CPI(Maoist).
Morcha president Bimal Gurung had also addressed the gathering in Lalgarh from Gorubathan through Giri’s cellphone.
Meanwhile a Nursery English run and owned by Netra Thakuri ex-councillor of Lebong, Darjeeling was torched today by some unknown miscreants. 
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Posted by AK Rai at 9:36 PM

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