Surrender notice to democratic front leaders including Bharati Tamang

Ten hill leaders opposed to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, including Bharati Tamang, have been served police notices to surrender in a case of blocking a national highway, which they will appeal in high court.

The notice, which was issued on June 28, refers to a June 14 incident when Bharati and other leaders of the Democratic Front, a conglomeration of four hill outfits, started a march from the Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Sammelan Hall down NH55 to Chowrasta where the widow of Madan Tamang sat on a hunger strike.

Bharati was demanding the arrest of 23 Morcha supporters and top leaders, including Bimal Gurung, in the case of her husband's murder.

The CBI has chargesheeted the 23 after investigating the 2010 murder. The police notice sought their surrender within seven days of receiving the order. According to sources, different leaders got the order on different days.

At a meeting today, the Front said it had decided to file a writ petition in Calcutta High Court, challenging Darjeeling police's notice.

Darjeeling police on their own registered a case against 10 Front leaders for unlawful assembly, wrongfully restraining a person, obstructing a public servant from discharging his duty, which are bailable. They have also been charged under Section 8 (B) of the National Highway Act, which is non-bailable.

Apart from ABGL chief Bharati, the notice was sent to party leaders Pratap Khati and Laxman Pradhan, Democratic Front convenor Shankar Hang Subba, CPRM president and former Darjeeling MP R.B. Rai, spokesman for the CPRM Govind Chhetri, and GNLF president Mann Ghisingh. Three other GNLF leaders, Manikamal Chhetri, Biren Lama and Pravin Zimba, were also served the notices.

The Democratic Front is conglomeration of the ABGL, CPRM, GNLF and the Sikkim-Darjeeling Ekikaran Manch.

The decision to challenge the notice was taken at a meeting of Front leaders held in the ABGL office here today.

After the meeting, Subba said: "The voice of the people is being snatched but we will take this as a challenge. We will go to Calcutta High Court this week against the police's decision to slap cases on us."

Khati alleged that a police officer misbehaved with Bharati.

He said the Front would mention this in the plea.(TT)