Life paralysed in Darjeeling, 30 more arrested in crackdown

Life remained paralysed in the Darjeeling hills as there was no transport on the roads and markets were closed on the first day of the two-day "Janata Curfew" announced by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

However, there was no picketing on the streets of Darjeeling unlike the past few days.

Police sources said that 30 more GJM activists were arrested since last night during the special police drive.

The arrested included GJM central committee member Ashok Lama from Kalchini in the Dooars plains, according to SP Kunal Agarwal's office here.

In line with its softening of stance, the GJM has said it will participate in the election of a new chief executive of the GTA after earlier announcing that all members of the hill body would resign.

On Monday, GTA Sabha chairman and Morcha central committee member Bhupendra Pradhan said he would write to the GTA principal secretary R D Meena to call a meeting of the GTA Sabha on August 16 to elect the new chief executive of the hill body.

GJM president Bimal Gurung had resigned from the post of chief executive of GTA on July 30 prior to the start of the agitation for a separate state.

On Monday GJM spokesman Harka Bahadur Chhetri had said all GJM members of the GTA would resign at an "appropriate time".