Life paralysed in Darjeeling, 30 more arrested in crackdown..... जनता कर्फ्यु : पहाड जनशुन्य बन्यो

PTI, KalimNews & Agencies, 13 August, 2013:  DARJEELING: 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. It has come to know that GTA Sabha nominated member 85 yrs old Birkhu Bhusal will be elected as GTA CEO, perhaps to ridicule the state government or make GTA inert.

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".

The state police, continued to mount pressure on GJM while arresting over 20 leaders and cadres in a day, important among them being a GTA-elected member from Kurseong, Anuj Thapa, and Darjeeling Municipality Commissioner Zahid Khan, also a GJM member. 

Thapa's arrest is the seventh arrest of a GTA Sabha member. 
So far the arrested GTA members are Ramesh Lama ( Peshok) on Aug 4, Prakash Gurung (Rimbick-Lodhoma) on Aug 4,  Anit kumar Thapa (Kurseong-Giddapahar) on Aug 5, Mahendra Pradhan (Sonada-Pacheyang) on Aug 10, Pranay Thapa (Pankhabari- Ambootia) on Aug 11, Kalyan kumar Dewan (Gitdabling-Nimbong) and Anus kumar Thapa (Tung-St. Mary’s) on Aug 12. 

The total number of GJM leaders and cadres arrested since August 3 has risen to almost 200. 

Yesterday GJM vice president and GTA Sabha member Kalyan Dewan was picked up in Kalimpong. Dewan was arrested for his warrants of Nagarkatta police station  .

GJM activists including leaders are being arrested regularly over various charges. 

In keeping with this trend, two GJM activists Sachin Tamang and Samir Tiruwa, were arrested from Panighatta yesterday. They were arrested on the basis  of Kolkata High Court’s order against enforcing strikes, police sources said. 

CRPF staged a flag march at Soureni Bazaar where the main road wore a deserted look. 

These arrests, all pertaining to old cases, are the state government's response to GJM breaking the tri-partite agreement by holding agitations and indulging in violence over its demand for a separate state. 

As per the agreement the state government had promised not to execute pending cases against several GJM leaders has revived those cases and executed warrants which include those against Gurung and GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.

छुट्टै राज्य गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति दार्जीलिङ पहाडमा डाकिएको दुईदिनव्यापी जनता कर्फ्युको पहिलो दिन कालेबुङ शहर जनशुन्य बन्यो। शहरमा केवल पुलिस, सिआरपी, र्‍याफका जवानहरु देखियो। कतै कतै सेनाको वाहन, पुलिसको वाहन चलेको देखियो भने एम्बुलेंस समेत चलेको देख्न पाईएन

Photos of Kalimpong: Source- KalimNews, Dainandini News