Nov. 14: Police today held a GNLF
leader in Kalimpong making this the second consecutive day of arrests of
the hill party’s activists, which Trinamul sources tried to explain as
“killing two birds with one stone”.
The arrests — six GNLF activists
were held yesterday in Darjeeling and today Maurice Kalikotey, the
GNLF’s chief convenor of Kalimpong, was arrested — have happened days
before the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the state government are about to
sit for bipartite talks on November 20.
The tripartite talks involving the Centre are scheduled for the next day.
Government sources
said the police’s move was to keep calm in the hills before the talks.
“The government wants peace and stability in the hills so that
development work can take place. The government will not tolerate any
attempt to disrupt peace,” said an administrative source.
The six GNLF
activists were arrested yesterday for planting party flags in
Darjeeling. Maurice, too, was arrested on similar grounds. The six GNLF
activists got bail today.
Sources in
Trinamul said the move was aimed at trimming the wings of the GNLF that
could emerge as a competing force for Trinamul as both are trying to
build a base in the hills to counter the Morcha. Also, the Morcha won’t
be too unhappy with the arrests as it had overthrown the GNLF to rise to
power in the hills. “It is like killing two birds with one stone,” said
a party source.
The Trinamul source said peace was uppermost on the party’s mind.
About the six GNLF
activists released today, Pankaj Prasad, the assistant public
prosecutor, said: “The six were booked for wrongful restraint,
extortion, criminal intimidation, common intent in addition to an arms
act case. The court has granted interim bail till November 27 on the
grounds that as per the complaint filed, there was no ingredient of
extortion.”
Nima Lama, the
convenor of the GNLF in Kurseong subdivision, said: “We do not want to
comment immediately on whether the state is cracking down on the party.
But we are sitting for a meeting with our president (Subash Ghisingh) in
Siliguri tomorrow…. We will officially comment only after the meeting.”
A police source
said: “Thirteen other people have also been named in connection with the
incident (of planting flags in Kalimpong) and we are looking for them.”
Maurice has been
charged with criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and obstructing
public servants from performing their duty.
A GNLF leader
said: “We do not think we have done anything wrong by hoisting party
flags. Those arrested from Darjeeling were accused of carrying khukuris but our supporters were not carrying any weapons,” he said.
The six GNLF
supporters were arrested yesterday on a complaint by Tilak Chhetri, the
youth president of Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha’s Darjeeling town
committee.
Trinamul has filed
a complaint against Dawa Lepcha, a GTA Sabha member from Pedong, and 14
others for beating up its supporter Sagar Gurung and his 11-year-old
son last night.
In another
complaint filed by Trinamul, GTA member Sanjay Thulung was accused of
threatening supporter Ranjit Biswakarma to withdraw a case against
Morcha workers who allegedly burnt down his house at Glenburn recently.
The Telegraph
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