The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is crying foul over the arrest of a central committee leader from Kurseong even as a Darjeeling court today rejected the bail plea of party chief Bimal Gurung and his wife Asha Gurung.
GJM central committee member Bimal Darjee, one of the party’s founding leaders, was picked up from his house at Tindharay early this morning. GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang alleged the arrest was the state government’s ploy to create panic in the hills during election time.
"It is a pressure tactic and a conspiracy to create panic among people. The intention of the state government is ensure smooth sailing for the Trinamool Congress in the LS polls," he asserted.
Tamang also claimed the party leadership had a strong hunch about something like this coming up given the attitude of the state government. "We knew something like this was on its way. But we will not be deterred as our party will become stronger by such arrests, but the move will definitely backfire on the TMC. We will write to the Election Commission about this," said the GJM assistant secretary.
Darjee was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court today where his bail was rejected and he will have to appear for a hearing on March 19. He has been booked under various non-bailable sections.
Darjeeling SP Akhilesh Chaturvedi refused to elaborate on the issue while confirming Darjee’s arrest.
"There are several pending warrants which we are trying to execute, including the arrest of the GJM leader," he said.
According to the police, there are more than 600 arrest warrants that need to be executed before the election.
Meantime, a Darjeeling district and sessions court today rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of the GJM president and his wife.
"The bail pleas of Bimal Gurung and his wife Asha Gurung were rejected by judge Ananta Kumar Kapri. The government prosecutor opposed the pleas in order to send out a message that nobody is above the law," according to Public Prosecutor Pranay Rai.
The PP said the GJM president had applied for anticipatory bail on March 5 before the election code of conduct came into force and the day’s hearing was the final one on the issue.
"Today was the final hearing for the duo. Now that their bail pleas have been rejected, the only option now available to them is to move the High Court," explained Rai.
According to the PP, 36 GJM leaders and activists are named in an FIR filed by Mahesh Thakuri, the police constable who was guarding All India Gorkha League president Madan Tamang when the latter was murdered in broad daylight on May 21, 2010.
Thakuri was also shot on the leg that day and he had lodged a complaint against Bimal Gurung, Asha Gurung and 34 other GJM members. All the 36 individuals have been slapped with non-bailable sections 307 and 353, while the bailable sections include 186, 147, 148, 149 and 506.
So far, seven of them have been granted bail, while 18 others are still lodged in a Kolkata correctional home. Of the remaining 11, one of them died under mysterious circumstance while GJM central committee leader Nicole Tamang disappeared while under detention in 2010.
The remaining nine named in the FIR are GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chettri, GTA Sabha chairman Bhupendra Pradhan, GTA deputy chief executive Col (retired) Ramesh Allay, Babita Ganguly, Dinesh Subba and Sangey Yolmo.
Giri and Ganguly will have to appear before court on March 19 as their anticipatory bail pleas have also been rejected.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Chandra Rai, the defence council for the GJM, has said he would move the high court. "Since the bail pleas have been rejected, we will now approach the high court after the election," he said.(EOIC)
GJM central committee member Bimal Darjee, one of the party’s founding leaders, was picked up from his house at Tindharay early this morning. GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang alleged the arrest was the state government’s ploy to create panic in the hills during election time.
"It is a pressure tactic and a conspiracy to create panic among people. The intention of the state government is ensure smooth sailing for the Trinamool Congress in the LS polls," he asserted.
Tamang also claimed the party leadership had a strong hunch about something like this coming up given the attitude of the state government. "We knew something like this was on its way. But we will not be deterred as our party will become stronger by such arrests, but the move will definitely backfire on the TMC. We will write to the Election Commission about this," said the GJM assistant secretary.
Darjee was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court today where his bail was rejected and he will have to appear for a hearing on March 19. He has been booked under various non-bailable sections.
Darjeeling SP Akhilesh Chaturvedi refused to elaborate on the issue while confirming Darjee’s arrest.
"There are several pending warrants which we are trying to execute, including the arrest of the GJM leader," he said.
According to the police, there are more than 600 arrest warrants that need to be executed before the election.
Meantime, a Darjeeling district and sessions court today rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of the GJM president and his wife.
"The bail pleas of Bimal Gurung and his wife Asha Gurung were rejected by judge Ananta Kumar Kapri. The government prosecutor opposed the pleas in order to send out a message that nobody is above the law," according to Public Prosecutor Pranay Rai.
The PP said the GJM president had applied for anticipatory bail on March 5 before the election code of conduct came into force and the day’s hearing was the final one on the issue.
"Today was the final hearing for the duo. Now that their bail pleas have been rejected, the only option now available to them is to move the High Court," explained Rai.
According to the PP, 36 GJM leaders and activists are named in an FIR filed by Mahesh Thakuri, the police constable who was guarding All India Gorkha League president Madan Tamang when the latter was murdered in broad daylight on May 21, 2010.
Thakuri was also shot on the leg that day and he had lodged a complaint against Bimal Gurung, Asha Gurung and 34 other GJM members. All the 36 individuals have been slapped with non-bailable sections 307 and 353, while the bailable sections include 186, 147, 148, 149 and 506.
So far, seven of them have been granted bail, while 18 others are still lodged in a Kolkata correctional home. Of the remaining 11, one of them died under mysterious circumstance while GJM central committee leader Nicole Tamang disappeared while under detention in 2010.
The remaining nine named in the FIR are GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chettri, GTA Sabha chairman Bhupendra Pradhan, GTA deputy chief executive Col (retired) Ramesh Allay, Babita Ganguly, Dinesh Subba and Sangey Yolmo.
Giri and Ganguly will have to appear before court on March 19 as their anticipatory bail pleas have also been rejected.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Chandra Rai, the defence council for the GJM, has said he would move the high court. "Since the bail pleas have been rejected, we will now approach the high court after the election," he said.(EOIC)