Violence broke out in Darjeeling over the weekend, in which one man was killed, the police said.
Nearly a week after violence hit Bengal's popular hill town of Darjeeling, Bimal Gurung - the Gorkha leader spearheading the statehood agitation in Darjeeling - has been accused of murder. The Bengal police filed a case against him and his wife today, setting the stage for further confrontation with the Mamata Banerjee government.
Today, the all-party meeting called by Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress fell flat as all the hill parties boycotted it. Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has weighed in for the statehood movement, writing to home minister Rajnath Singh in support for the demand for a separate Gorkhaland
Expressing concern for the spillover effect of the Gorkhaland movement in Sikkim, Mr Chamling wrote, "The fulfilment of the constitutional demand of the people in the Darjeeling hills... will provide long-awaited justice to their patriotism, which has been second to none". His party, the Sikkim Democratic Front, has already passed a resolution supporting the ongoing agitation by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Since the outbreak of violence last Saturday, Mr Gurung and his wife Asha Gurung have shifted to an undisclosed location from where they have been coordinating with the protesters. The police said they are absconding.
The case against them was among the 22 filed against several people over the weekend's violence. Mr Gurung's party, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, claims three supporters had died in police firing on June 17. The next day, the party held a silent protest in Darjeeling, carrying the coffins. The police, however, claims only one man had died.
The party has also appealed to the court against the suspension of internet services that has been in place since last week. It has asked telecom companies to restore services immediately.
Since last Sunday, no one has been able to use social media, which has hit the GJM's communication lines.