Madan Tamang Murder Case: GJM files anticipatory bail plea for nine

ENS, Kolkata June 9, 2015: With its 23 leaders facing arrest in the 2010 Madan Tamang murder case, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, through its lawyer, on Monday filed anticipatory bail petition for nine leaders at the Calcutta High Court.

The party would consider the filing anticipatory bail petitions for other leaders depending on the outcome of the Monday’s petition, the hearing for which will be taken up by the the division bench of Justice Asim Kumar Ray on Tuesday, sources in the know said.

The nine leaders include party president Bimal Gurung, Roshan Giri, Benoy Tamang, Asha Gurung, Harka Bahadur Chettri, Pradeep Pradhan, Colonel Ramesh Alley, Debendra Sharma and Dinesh Theeng.

“The hearing may take place either tomorrow (Tuesday) or the day after. One of the issues which we were looking at was that if anticipatory bail is rejected by the High Court, then we will be able to move Supreme Court only in July, after the vacation. By then, the CBI would have arrested the leaders and initiated a custody trial, and once in their custody, it will be very difficult to get a bail, just like what happened in the case of Madan Mitra,” a senior GJM leader said.

He said “the instruction from the party’s Central Committee was to move petition for the nine leaders.”

After largely remaining closed for a day and a half, Darjeeling slowly came back to see normalcy on Monday, a day after GJM leaders “urged” workers and supporters to maintain peace and discipline and said they would not hold demonstrations.

Most of the shops in the Hills were open even as hundreds of supporters gathered outside the residence of GJM general secretary Roshan Giri to offer solidarity.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Giri said, “We respect the judiciary and we have full faith in it. We know we are innocent and justice will prevail. This trial would be an opportunity to prove our innocence.”

The other 14 leaders of GJM who have been named in the chargesheet related to the murder of All India Gorkha League (AIGL) president Madan Tamang in 2010 are Themba Thenshring, Sushma Rai, Sandhya Gurung, Gautam Tamang, Urmila Rumha, Mamata Rai, Anita Lahaltri, Ruden Sada Lepcha, Edwin Sanchabir, Rubin Subbah, Khagen Tamang, Ranjeet Rai, Jiten Tamang and Kabita Dahal.