Prepare for final battle for Gorkhaland, says Bimal Gurung

A policeman uses a megaphone to organise queues of tourists waiting to leave Darjeeling. Pic/AFP

Gorkha Janamukti Morcha supremo Bimal Gurung yesterday asked the people in the hill station to be prepared for the "final battle" for achieving the separate Gorkhaland state.

"I urge the people to get prepared for the final battle as the time has come for a do or die fight if we want to achieve our dream of Gorkhaland," he said in a message from an undisclosed location circulated among the people of the hill town.

Gurung's message comes against the backdrop of the police raid at his premises here yesterday.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, "Time for autonomy, GTA, DGHC is over. Now the fight will not stop until and unless our demand for Gorkhaland is fulfilled."

Jan Andolan Party (JAP) leader Harka Bahadur Chetri criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for trying to counter the movement by deploying security forces. "It will further alienate the people in the hills. The solution cannot be found by deploying the police", Chetri, a former GJM MLA who had formed JAP, said. "Our first demand too is Gorkhaland, but it should be taken forward through dialogue," he added.

Six detained
Stray incidents of violence were reported from Darjeeling and nearby areas and six suspected GJM supporters were yesterday detained on the second day of the shutdown called by the outfit.

Amid violent protests, the West Bengal government yesterday transferred Darjeeling Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradip Kumar Singha and replaced him with Avijit Mitra.