Bimal Gurung and aides surrender in Kolkata court, get bail

Newsman, Kolkata, 20 December: GORKHA Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung and 17 other accused in the assassination of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (AIGL) president Madan Tamang surrendered at the City Sessions Court in Kolkata today and were subsequently released on bail.

Chief judge of the City Sessions Court, Suvra Ghosh, granted them bail on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each as was directed by the Calcutta High Court on 14 December.

Despite being released on bail, Gurung and the other accused cannot leave Kolkata until 11 January, the deadline that the High Court has fixed for the lower court to frame charges in the Madan Tamang assassination case being investigated by the CBI.

On being granted bail, Gurung said that they have followed the directive of the High Court and were happy to be granted bail. He chose not to respond to a query as to how would he manage the politics in Darjeeling as he and aides cannot go to the Hills for the next near one month.The High Court, in response to a plea for anticipatory bail by Gurung and his aides, had on 14 December had said that all the 23 accused in Madan Tamang assassination of 2010 shall have to surrender before the City Sessions Court by 21 December and secure bail from there. Furthermore, they cannot leave Kolkata until charges were framed in the case.

Following this, of the 23 accused, 18 today surrendered and secured bail. They included Gurung, his wife Asha, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, central committee member Binay Tamang, Col (retd.) Ramesh Aley, and others.

AIGL president Madan Tamang was hacked to death in broad day in Darjeeling town on 21 May 2010. This came just as Tamang was perking up public support against the GJM accusing them of running a half-hearted agitation for a Gorkhaland state.

Tamang’s widow Bharati later moved the Calcutta High Court demanding a CBI probe into the assassination and the court obliged. Earlier this year, CBI filed charge-sheet against Gurung, his wife Asha, and 21 other GJM leaders for plotting the assassination of the AIGL president.

Fearing that they might be arrested by the CBI, the 23 accused moved an anticipatory bail in the High Court.