GJM leaders' arrest in Tamang murder case put on hold

IANS, Kolkata, 16 June 2015: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the CBI not to execute arrest warrants issued against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders in a murder case till the disposal of their pleas for anticipatory bail.

A city court on June 6 issued the arrest warrants after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its charge sheet indicted 23 GJM leaders, including chief Bimal Gurung, for the murder of All India Gorkha League (AIGL) president Madan Tamang, who was stabbed to death in Darjeeling on May 21, 2010.

Gurung and several of the GJM leaders approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking anticipatory bail.

Hearing their plea, the bench of Justice Ashim Kumar Roy and Justice Malay Marut Banerjee directed the CBI not to execute the warrants till the disposal of their bail petition.

The court also directed the central probe agency to file an affidavit within two weeks after which the matter will come up for hearing again.

Besides Gurung - the chief of the autonomous hill council Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) - the others facing arrest include his wife Asha, party legislator from Kalimpong Harkabahadur Chettri, assistant general secretary Benoy Tamang, GTA chairman Pradeep Pradhan and deputy chief executive Ramesh Allay, among others.

Initially probed by the state police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the matter was handed over to the CBI after prime accused Nicole Tamang disappeared from the CID's custody in August 2010.

The development comes in the wake of Tamang's widow Bharati Tamang launching a hunger strike for indefinite period, pressing for the arrest of the accused.

PTI, Kolkata: In a temporary relief to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders, including its Chief Bimal Gurung, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed CBI not to arrest them in connection with the Madan Tamang murder case till the disposal of their anticipatory bail plea.

Hearing the anticipatory bail prayer of Gurung, his wife Asha, GJM MLA Harka Bahadur Chettri and some other accused in the case, a division bench of justices Ashim Kumar Roy and MM Banerjee directed the agency not to arrest the accused till the disposal of the plea. It asked CBI to file an affidavit within two weeks.

CBI will produce a comprehensive report on the investigation into the murder of All India Gorkha League president Madan Tamang who was hacked to death in the heart of Darjeeling town on May 21, 2010, the bench said.

The matter will be taken up for hearing after two weeks.

A city court had on June six issued warrants of arrest against Gurung, his wife, Chettri and 20 others in connection with the murder case.

The court had directed the investigating agency to file a report on the execution of the order on June 26.

Following this, Gurung and 10 others moved anticipatory bail applications before the Calcutta High Court.

CBI had on May 29 filed a charge sheet against the GJM leaders levelling charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in the Tamang case.

The investigating agency had filed the final supplementary charge sheet before the court against Gurung, who is also the Chief of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), Asha, GJM MLA from Kalimpong Harkabahadur Chettri, GJM Assistant General Secretary Binoy Tamang, GTA Chairman Pradeep Pradhan, Deputy Chief Executive of GTA Col Ramesh Allay and 17 others for criminal conspiracy, murder and other charges.

Prime accused in the case Nickol Tamang had, however, disappeared mysteriously from Pintail village near Siliguri, where he was being held by state CID on August 21, 2010 for interrogation following his arrest.

CBI had later taken over the investigation following an order of the Calcutta High Court.