Arson, violence mark indefinite bandh in Darjeeling

Arson, violence mark indefinite bandh in Darjeeling
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

SILIGURI, FEB 11: Normal life was paralysed in three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district as the first day of GNLF-sponsored `indefinite hill-bandh' was marked with sporadic violence today, police said.

GNLF called the bandh in protest against an ambush on the carcade of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) Chairman Subas Ghising near Kurseong yesterday injuring him seriously, killing three persons, including an attacker and sustaining bullet injuries to six security guards.

The Inspector-General of Police, North Bengal, N R Das said that bandh supporters set on fire an office of the All Gorkha Students' Union (AGSU) in Darjeeling this morning.

In another incident, the pro-bandh activists damaged the house of C R Rai, the president of Bharatiya Gorkha Janashakti (BGJ) by pelting stones and set ablaze three cars two of which belonged to Rai, he said.

Both AGSU and BGJ were political opponents of the GNLF.

Describing the bandh as total, Das said that barring the police, there was no movement of vehicles on the roads. Shops, markets and business establishments remained closed.

Altogether 15 persons were held for interrogation, Das said.

He said that the police were ``almost sure'' that yesterday's ambush was a Gorkha Liberation Organisation (GLO)'s plot. The police were expecting to bring the culprits into book by exploiting some clues what they had left on the spot. A mobile telephone recovered from there proved to be very useful to reach the root, he said.

Meanwhile, Kurseong branch committee president of the GNLF, I Pradhan demanded action against the district magistrate and superintendent of police of Darjeeling, as according to him, yesterday's ambush was a failure on the part of the district police and administration.