Gorkha activists gheraoe Darjeeling police station as shutdown enters 23rd day in Hills

Darjeeling/Siliguri: Hundreds of Gorkha activists today gheraoed Darjeeling Sadar Police Station, demanding release of some of their leaders, arrested recently for indulging in arson, as indefinite shutdown in the Hills entered the 23rd day with no violeny incident reported so far, official sources said.
Hundreds and thousands of Gorkha activists with women upfront paraded the town from DHR station to Chowkbazar and then virtually laid a siege of the Sadar police station, demanding statehood and release of their leaders, arrested for their involvement in arson.
Though there had been no report of any arson and violence from the any part of the hills so far today, combat forces, deployed since June 8, had continued patrolling sensitive areas and taken position in all vulnerable places.
Shops remained closed, government offices though open but attendance was thin even as the authorities announced salary cut and remark on service book for deliberate absence from work in the Hills.
The highway connecting Siliguri, about 90 km from Darjeeling town, looked deserted barring screeching of para-military forces and police vans. Last night an ASI sustained khukri assault by unidentified miscreantsin Darjeeling town. Assistant Sub-Inspector Manzil Rai, who went to an eatery at Old Super market last evening, was assaulted with sharp weapon by some unidentified miscreants.
The cop was admitted to a local hospital with three cuts on his head.The police official was recently posted in violence-hit Darjeeling from Khoribari and went there to have dinner.
Police said investigation was on to ascertain whether the attack cop was personal or political one. Meanwhile, the district administration extended another eight-day ban on using internet and TV channels. GJM general secretary Roshan Giri today said their indefinite strike would go on unless the Central Government convene a tri-partite meeting on the issue of separate state for Gorkhas. ” We are not secure under the West Bengal Govenment and our future lies in our Gorkhaland state, ” Mr Giri iterated.
Meanwhile, speculation was rife on the scheduled first meeting of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee ( GMCC) to he held on July 6. The GMCC has been set up to spearhead the statehood struggle as the all-party meeting decided on June 29.
As the State Government was now maintaining wait and watch policy on the hill situation, keeping the tempo of statehood demand was becoming a tough proposition for the leaders, particularly for GJM (Gorkha Mukti Morcha), which first led the movement from June 8 onwards.
With logjam continuing between Kolkata and Darjeeling, the parties in the hills were now looking up to the Centre for mediation. (UNI)