Madan Tamang murder case: We are innocent, victims of political conspiracy, says Bimal Gurung

ENS, Kolkata, 31 may 2015: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung on Saturday said he and several other GJM leaders named in the CBI chargesheet in connection with the murder of All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang were innocent.

“Me, wife Asha, party MLA Harkabahadur Chettri and all others in the Morcha are innocent and we are victims of a conspiracy… The indictment is politically motivated,” Gurung told mediapersons in Darjeeling following a four-hour emergency meeting of GJM.

Gurung, however, refrained from elaborating on the conspiracy and said: “We have faith in the judicial system and let the truth come out about the murder.”

The GJM plans to move the Calcutta High Court and seek anticipatory bail for those named in the chargesheet.

Gurung’s comments come after CBI on Friday filed the final supplementary chargesheet in a Kolkata court against him, levelling charges of murder and criminal conspiracy for the murder of Madan Tamang.

The chargesheet also named Asha, GJM MLA from Kalimpong Harkabahadur Chettri, Morcha assistant general secretary Binoy Tamang, GTA chairman Pradeep Pradhan, GTA deputy chief executive Col Ramesh Allay and 16 others for criminal conspiracy, murder and other charges.

Senior GJM leaders said the party has decided not to go for any mass agitation immediately considering this was the peak tourist season and there was a heavy inflow of tourists all over the hills. Any decision to go in for agitation might jeopardise the interests of local Gorkhas, traders, business establishments, hotels and tea gardens.

MLA Harkabahadur Chhetri said: “Whatever the court says, we will have to listen.”

Meanwhile, the CBI on Saturday appealed to a Kolkata court for issuance of arrest warrants against the accused GJM leaders.

The court asked the CBI to file written applications, instead of making verbal requests. The case will be heard at Bankshal court in Kolkata on June 6.

Sources said a GJM delegation is set to visit Delhi in a day or two to seek the support theBJP leadership.

S S Ahluwalia, the BJP MP from Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat, said: “On Friday, GJM leaders had got in touch with me and sought advice. They had appealed to me to work towards enlisting the support of BJP for the GJM leadership.

They have demanded that the issue should not be allowed to be politicised.”

“The GJM leaders told me categorically that they will respect the judicial process and they have faith in it. They have also been advised by the BJP leadership not to go in for any snap agitation in the hills,” he added.

Madan Tamang was hacked to death at Upper Clubside in the heart of Darjeeling town on May 21, 2010 when he was overseeing preparations for a public meeting.

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

Pema Tamang, wife of Nickol Tamang, had moved a habeas corpus before the Calcutta High Court saying that her husband be traced.

The Calcutta High Court had then directed the CBI to probe both Madan Tamang’s murder and Nickol Tamang’s disappearance.