Fresh clashes erupted between supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and the police in Kalimpong on Wednesday.
GJM secretary Binay Tamang claimed that the police fired several rounds and three persons, including an ex-Army man, suffered bullet injuries. Refuting the allegations, Anuj Sharma, ADG Law and Order, West Bengal Police, said: “The police didn’t fire a single shot.”
Clashes erupted after the GJM supporters took out a rally with their traditional weapon, Khukri, in Kalimpong town. During the rally, protesters allegedly hurled a petrol bomb at a building which houses the Trinamool Congress office. The situation turned violent and the police fired teargas shells and lathi-charged the crowd. Some police personnel were also injured in the attack.
It took hours for the fire fighters to control the blaze at Damber Chowk. Protesters also tried to set on fire a ticket counter of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation.
On June 17, three GJM supporters were killed in alleged police firing when clashes broke out between the police and GJM supporters.
Shutdown continues
With the shutdown entering the 21st day on Wednesday, the GJM held a public meeting in the hills. GJM president Bimal Gurung said the fight for Gorkhaland “can go on for months or even years”.
