JALPAIGURI/DARJEELING: The indefinite strike called by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and the dissident faction of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parshad (ABAVP) led to sporadic violence in the foothills for the second consecutive day. The joint forum, which called the strike, on Tuesday announced they will relax their stance for the next couple of days but would resume strike if the government does not allow them to hold rallies in the plains. The GJM also threatened to pull out of Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) agreement and hinted to boycott Trinamool Congress in the hills if the government sticks to its anti-rally stance.
"We have decided to put the strike on hold for 48 hours. We demand permission to hold meetings and rallies in the Dooars to convince people about the positive aspects of GTA," said John Barla, leader of the adivasi faction supporting the inclusion of 398 mouzas in GTA. But Rajesh Lakra, leader of ABAVP faction that is opposing the inclusion, said, "If the government wants to bring peace in the foothills, they would have to make clear that no portion of the Dooars and Terai would be included in GTA. Otherwise the trouble will increase and peace will be at stake." The district officials hinted that the situation is volatile and the condition does not permit the administration to allow GJM and its ally to hold meetings.
On Tuesday morning, the GJM took out a huge rally in the hills when the atmosphere was apparently peaceful in the plains. At a gathering in Darjeeling's Chawk Bazaar, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri warned, "We will be compelled to think about rejecting GTA if the state government does not allow us to hold meetings in the Terai and Dooars." GJM president Bimal Gurung, who is now camping in the Dooars, sounded harsher. "We will not obstruct chief minister Mamata Banerjee and his partymen in the hills but we will not be with them," said Gurung, hinting at a clear boycott call.
While Mamata on Tuesday appealed for peace for the second time in two days, CPM state secretariat member Gautam Deb turned the heat on the chief minister. "When Mamata claimed that she has solved hills problem, we warned her that she has planted a time bomb as she did not speak to all the stakeholders of the region. Now the matter is heading towards an ethnic riot," he said. Gurung on Tuesday clarified once again that his party will continue its movement for a separate state and they will not accept GTA without inclusion of 398 mouzas of the Dooars and Terai.
Meanwhile, GJM's high-pitched warning led to another round of violence in the plains as the day progressed. Trouble started when thousands of GJM supporters took out rally at Jaigaon. Cops took prompt action and rounded up hundreds of rallyists. This sparked tension in other parts of the region. GJM supporters torched a car near Bagrakot. The owner of the car hails from Odlabari - an anti-GJM bastion - and was returning from Siliguri. The incident soon turned anti-GJM groups violent and they came down on the roads and started targeting Gorkha population. In a retaliatory action, they set a two wheeler of a GJM supporter and a GJM party office on fire.
Sensing trouble, Jalpaiguri ASP rushed to the spot with huge force and Seema Suraksha Bal jawans were deployed at Odlabari later in the evening to bring the situation under control.(TOI)
"We have decided to put the strike on hold for 48 hours. We demand permission to hold meetings and rallies in the Dooars to convince people about the positive aspects of GTA," said John Barla, leader of the adivasi faction supporting the inclusion of 398 mouzas in GTA. But Rajesh Lakra, leader of ABAVP faction that is opposing the inclusion, said, "If the government wants to bring peace in the foothills, they would have to make clear that no portion of the Dooars and Terai would be included in GTA. Otherwise the trouble will increase and peace will be at stake." The district officials hinted that the situation is volatile and the condition does not permit the administration to allow GJM and its ally to hold meetings.
On Tuesday morning, the GJM took out a huge rally in the hills when the atmosphere was apparently peaceful in the plains. At a gathering in Darjeeling's Chawk Bazaar, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri warned, "We will be compelled to think about rejecting GTA if the state government does not allow us to hold meetings in the Terai and Dooars." GJM president Bimal Gurung, who is now camping in the Dooars, sounded harsher. "We will not obstruct chief minister Mamata Banerjee and his partymen in the hills but we will not be with them," said Gurung, hinting at a clear boycott call.
While Mamata on Tuesday appealed for peace for the second time in two days, CPM state secretariat member Gautam Deb turned the heat on the chief minister. "When Mamata claimed that she has solved hills problem, we warned her that she has planted a time bomb as she did not speak to all the stakeholders of the region. Now the matter is heading towards an ethnic riot," he said. Gurung on Tuesday clarified once again that his party will continue its movement for a separate state and they will not accept GTA without inclusion of 398 mouzas of the Dooars and Terai.
Meanwhile, GJM's high-pitched warning led to another round of violence in the plains as the day progressed. Trouble started when thousands of GJM supporters took out rally at Jaigaon. Cops took prompt action and rounded up hundreds of rallyists. This sparked tension in other parts of the region. GJM supporters torched a car near Bagrakot. The owner of the car hails from Odlabari - an anti-GJM bastion - and was returning from Siliguri. The incident soon turned anti-GJM groups violent and they came down on the roads and started targeting Gorkha population. In a retaliatory action, they set a two wheeler of a GJM supporter and a GJM party office on fire.
Sensing trouble, Jalpaiguri ASP rushed to the spot with huge force and Seema Suraksha Bal jawans were deployed at Odlabari later in the evening to bring the situation under control.(TOI)
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