GTA Sabha seven denied bail

Binay Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Dec. 23: Seven GTA Sabha members and a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha youth leader were denied bail by Darjeeling courts today.

Pranay Rai, the public prosecutor, said: “S. Mishra, the additional district and session judge (second court), today denied bail to seven Morcha leaders. I opposed the bail petition on the grounds that a chargesheet in the case has already been filed.”

Among the seven leaders, six are GTA Sabha members.

On November 27, police had slapped fresh charges on Pasang Tamang (a youth leader of the Morcha from Kalimpong) and six GTA Sabha members, Mahendra Pradhan, Arun Sinji, Anit Thapa, Anush Thapa, Pranay Thapa and Yogendra Rai, for burning down a forest office at Rimbick on August 2.

It is the only case in which the Morcha leaders have not been granted bail.

Today, the chief judicial magistrate’s court denied bail to Nima Tamang, a GTA Sabha member from Kalimpong.

Pankaj Prasad, additional public prosecutor, said: “Chief judicial magistrate Biplab Roy today rejected the bail application of Nima Tamang after I opposed the bail petition on the ground that there is enough evidence against him.”

On December 16, Nima was granted bail by the additional district and session judge (third court) here in connection with an attack on Pokhriabong police camp on August 2.

But minutes before Nima was to be freed, Darjeeling police tagged him in a case related to an attack on Singamari police outpost on July 30.

Today, Nima was denied bail in the Singamari case.

With Binay Tamang, assistant general secretary of Morcha and a GTA Sabha member, getting bail from the additional district and session (second court) on Saturday, the Morcha leaders were hopeful that the seven other GTA Sabha members would also get bail. Binay, who is out of jail, was granted bail in connection with a murder case filed by a constable on May 21, 2010. He had been booked in 18 cases, including torching of a forest bungalow at Takdah on August 2.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: “We will have to work on what can be done.”