Madan son affidavit on Morcha threats

Bharati Tamang

TT, Calcutta, July 10: The son of the late ABGL chief today filed an affidavit in Calcutta High Court, alleging that Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters were threatening his family and ABGL members to force them to withdraw cases against Bimal Gurung and other hill leaders.

Other than Gurung, 22 Morcha leaders and activists were implicated in the Madan Tamang murder case by the CBI.

Sanjog Tamang, whose mother Bharati is now the ABGL chief, filed the affidavit in response to an order from Justice Ashim Kumar Roy on July 1 while hearing anticipatory bail pleas of the 23 accused.

The judge had passed the order after advocate Amitesh Banerjee, appearing for Bharti, opposed the anticipatory bail prayers.

Banerjee told the court that Morcha members were threatening his client and family members and ABGL supporters with dire consequence and telling them to withdraw the case.

The judge asked the lawyer to file an affidavit mentioning this.

A lawyer appearing for Bharati said the threats from the Morcha supporters and their pressure to withdraw the case was mentioned in the affidavit.

"Bharati Tamang and her son had lodged several police complaints against Gurung and Morcha supporters. In the affidavit, Sanjog mentioned the dates on which the complaints were lodged. Sanjog claimed that it was impossible to hold a free and fair trial by allowing Gurung and others to stay out of jail. So, the bench should hear the case in serious manner."

Madan Tamang was hacked to death by alleged Morcha supporters in Darjeeling on May 21, 2010. He was overseeing preparations for an ABGL meeting when he was attacked.

Sanjog filed the affidavit today on behalf of his mother. "The affidavit will be scanned by the court on July 31 when the anticipatory bail prayers will come up for hearing," a lawyer connected to the case said.

The Supreme Court had told the CBI to conduct a fresh inquiry on the basis of an appeal by Bharati.

After the fresh investigation, the CBI named Gurung and 22 Morcha leaders and activists in the chargesheet.

In Darjeeling, Bharati today said: "Yes, I have filed an affidavit and mentioned everything, which includes a threat letter to our party leader Laxman Pradhan, attack on Chewang Bhutia (former ABGL leader), breaking of our house window panes and also a recent poster alleging family feud behind the murder."

The Morcha denied the allegation of threat. Jyoti Kumar Rai, the assistant secretary of the Morcha, said: "Their lawyer had earlier talked about our party supporters threatening them and that is why the court had asked them to file an affidavit providing the details of the threat. We do not think anyone from the party has either threatened her or the witnesses. We, too, will reply to the court on July 16, after which the hearing is scheduled to take place on July 31."