Prepare for 'final battle' for Gorkhaland, GJM chief Bimal Gurung tells people

MP | 16 June 2017 | Darjeeling: Gorkha Janamukti Morcha supremo Bimal Gurung on Friday asked people in the hill station to be prepared for the "final battle" for achieving the separate Gorkhaland state.

"I urge people to get prepared for the final battle as the time has come for a do-or-die fight if we want to achieve our dream of Gorkhaland," he said in a message from an undisclosed location circulated among the people of the hill town.

Gurung's message comes in the backdrop of the police raid at his premises at Singhmari and Patlebas here on Thursday.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, "Time for autonomy, GTA, DGHC is over. Now the fight will not stop until and unless our demand for Gorkhaland is fulfilled."

Jan Andolan Party (JAP) leader Harka Bahadur Chetri criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for trying to counter the movement by deploying security forces.

"It will further alienate the people in the hills. The solution cannot be found by deploying the police", Chetri, a former GJM MLA who had formed JAP, said, while stressing that a meeting should be called to tackle the situation.

"Our first demand too is Gorkhaland, but it should be taken forward through dialogue," he added.

HC directs WB govt to ensure normal life in Darjeeling

The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to take steps to restore peace and normalcy in unrest-hit Darjeeling hills where a shutdown has been called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

The directions were passed by a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty.

The bench passed the directions while reiterating earlier orders of the Supreme Court and of the Calcutta High Court that bandh or general strikes are illegal.

Acting on a petition filed by a lawyer, the bench directed the state government to submit a report on the situation in the hills after two weeks, when the matter will come up for hearing again.