Situation continues to remain tense with state govt- GJM faceoff.
Amid violent protests in the hills, the West Bengal government today transferred Darjeeling Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradip Kumar Singha and replaced him with Avijit Mitra.
According to a notification issued by the state police directorate, Mitra, who was the Joint Assistant Director, IB, in West Bengal, will replace Singha. Singha will now be the Deputy SP, DEB, Nadia, it said. Incidentally, the state government removed Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Amit Javalgi after the incident on June 8, when Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) supporters clashed with the police while trying to break barricades near the Raj Bhawan, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was holding a cabinet meeting.
GJM supporters had damaged police vehicles and set some of them ablaze. Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner, Central, Akhilesh Chaturvedi was made the new SP of Darjeeling. The state government had earlier replaced Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) principal secretary Ravi Inder Singh and brought in Barun Ray and appointed C Murugan as the new secretary of GTA in place of Donbosco Lepcha.
GJM has revived its separate Gorkhaland demand and its indefinite bandh in the offices of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and state government in Darjeeling Hills entered its third day today. The hill outfit has called an indefinite shutdown after police today raided premises connected to its chief Bimal Gurung and some other leaders.
In a stern warning to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is spearheading the movement for a separate Gorkhaland, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said her government would curb its "violent agitation". "There was peace in the hills. A few leaders are doing goondagiri (hooliganism). But, one cannot do politics with guns and bombs. We will curb their violent agitation," she said while speaking at a police programme here.
"We are with the people of the hills. A conspiracy was hatched to disturb the peace there. We will not allow this," Banerjee said, adding, "We are ready to shed blood, but will not allow the peace to be disturbed in the hills." She also said the GJM will not be allowed to "do politics by taking away the livelihood of the people".
Referring to the June 8 incident in Darjeeling during the state cabinet meeting there, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said, "I have never seen the way they (GJM) planned to attack the ministers. For two hours, they resorted to hurling bombs. There was an intelligence failure. That was why we had to take action."
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