Violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills as supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and the West Bengal police clashed again in the early hours of Friday, resulting in the death of a sub-inspector.
Amitabh Mullick died allegedly of bullet injuries in an early morning operation at a hideout of GJM president Bimal Gurung.
Acting on information that Mr. Gurung and his supporters were hiding in a forest area at Sirubari under the Darjeeling police station, the police raided the place.
“They had to face very heavy firepower which led to the death of our sub-inspector Amitabh Mullick and injury to some police persons,” Additional Director General, Law and Order, West Bengal Police, Anuj Sharma, told journalists.
Mr. Sharma said Mr. Gurung was earlier hiding in Sikkim. “Bimal Gurung has links with Maoists and insurgent groups in the northeast. He has been cornered. He has no mass support and has told cadres to attack the police,” the ADG said.
One arrested
Darjeeling SP Akhilesh Chaturvedi said the police found blood trail at the site of encounter which reveal that those hiding at the spot also suffered injuries. “We have arrested one person. He said Gurung was staying here for one-and-a-half months,” Mr. Chaturvedi said.
The police recovered nine AK 47 assault rifles, one Bareta pistol, 1,800 rounds of ammunition, gelatin sticks, detonators from the area, Mr. Sharma added.
This is the first major incident of violence after the 100-day-long strike was lifted in Darjeeling. Earlier, a civic police volunteer had died of injuries sustained in a low-intensity blast near the Kalimpong police station. Eleven Gorkhaland supporters have been killed in the three-month-long violent agitation between June and September.
While the bandh was lifted on September 27, the situation in Darjeeling hills remains tense with the police attempting to arrest the GJM president, who is facing several charges of inciting violence.
He has been in hiding ever since the protests demanding statehood for Gorkhaland erupted in June 2017.
Meanwhile, the State government has nominated rebel GJM leader Binoy Tamang as the chairperson of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the regional autonomous body of Darjeeling hills. Mr. Tamang, who was in Kolkata to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said Bimal Gurung would have to take responsibility for what happened in Darjeeling during the day.
