Protestors demanding Gorkhaland issue continues in Darjeeling
A public library, two panchayat offices and a police vehicle were set on fire at Kalimpong on Sunday, though Darjeeling, the hub of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)-led agitation for a separate state called Gorkhaland, remained incident-free. GJM activists took out a protest march carrying the bodies of two party supporters who, they alleged, were killed in police firing on Saturday.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the second time in two days and appealed to the protesters not to resort to violence and come forward for a dialogue to resolve any issue.
The police said that a library, two panchayat offices and a police vehicle were set on fire in Kalimpong in the afternoon as the indefinite shutdown call given by the GJM to press for a separate state had entered its fourth day.
The GJM, however, denied its involvement in the incidents and alleged that these were a "handiwork" of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to "malign" it. The party has claimed that three of its activists were killed yesterday.
The protesters, carrying black banners and Indian flags, assembled at Chowk Bazaar. They shouted slogans in support of Gorkhaland and demanded that the police and security personnel be "removed immediately" from Darjeeling.
Carrying bodies of the two supporters in a hearse with GJM flags and posters terming them as "martyrs of Gorkhaland", thousands of locals, including GJM activists, shouted slogans like "police, go back".
Despite the GJM's claim, ADG (law and order) Anuj Sharma had yesterday denied the allegation of police firing.
He had, however, said that one person had died yesterday, but did not specify the cause of his death. Thirty-five security personnel, including an India Reserve Battalion officer, were injured during widespread clashes between GJM activists and the police on Saturday.
There was a massive deployment of police and para- military personnel, but they didn't stop the GJM from taking out the march with the bodies.
Internet services have been blocked in Darjeeling since 9 am. According to police sources, the step was taken to stop the GJM activists from using social media to spread "messages and provocative posts".
The GJM gave a call for a 12-hour bandh, but if failed to evoke much response.