Efforts to trace Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung continued on Saturday, a day after a sub-inspector was killed and four other policemen were injured in an encounter with GJM cadres.
According to the police, Mr. Gurung may have shifted from Darjeeling to Sikkim after the incident. Search operations continued in the forest area near Darjeeling where the encounter occurred in the early hours of Friday. A huge cache of arms, including nine AK -47 rifles, 1,800 round of ammunition, detonators and gelatin sticks, was recovered.
The GJM leadership, however, sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, raising concerns about Mr. Gurung’s safety.
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“We are now fearful that Shri Bimal Gurung’s life is in grave danger and that the West Bengal police are out to eliminate him,” Lopsang Lama, GJM central committee member, said in a letter to the Home Minister.
Mr. Gurung has been in hiding since mid-June after an indefinite strike was called in the hill districts by the GJM. Though the strike was lifted on September 27, he has not surfaced, fearing arrest. A number of cases under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) have been filed against the GJM president.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Director-General of Police Surajit Purakayshtha would visit the hills next week.
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The last rites of Amitava Mullick, the 28 -year-old Sub Inspector killed on Friday, were held in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on Saturday.
State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and Food and Supplies Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick along with the DGP of police attended the funeral and consoled the bereaved family.
“SI Amitava Malik laid down his life in the line of duty at Darjeeling during a gunfight with armed miscreants on 13.10.2017. We are deeply shocked on such untimely death of an young braveheart. Also feel proud of him for his courage & leadership at the same time. Salute. RIP, Amitava,” West Bengal Police tweeted.