Darjeeling:
A Rapid Action Force constable allegedly molested a school girl in Darjeeling, triggering angry protests by locals and students who fought a pitched battle with police.
The police fired three warning shots in the air and lathicharged the protesters to disperse the mob which threw stones at the securitymen and attacked the police outpost at Singmari last night, police said.
The locals gheraoed Darjeeling police station last evening as the news of a RAF constable, Arun Pramanik, allegedly molesting a Class XI student of Ghum Girls' School, sources said.
Pramanik, who was arrested immediately, pleaded innocence, officials said.
Angry locals and students blocked roads and set two buses on fire in Darjeeling and Kalimpong last night. Twenty-five people were arrested this morning for the violence.
A 12-hour general strike across the hills is being observed since the morning. Shops and other business establishments have downed shutters and most of the roads in the town wear a deserted look.
CRPF and RAF jawans have been patrolling the streets of Darjeeling to maintain peace and contain violence, sources said.
Meanwhile, Jyoti Kumar Rai, an elected member of GTA (Gorkha Territorial Administration) and close aide of GJM chief Bimal Gurung was arrested early this morning in connection with an old case relating to torching of a police outpost at Pokhribang.