ABGL poser on 'digital file' which contains phone conversations of GJM leaders before and after Madan Tamang's murder

Bimal Gurung (left), Madan Tamang

TT, Calcutta, Aug. 18: The Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League today questioned Mamata Banerjee's alleged refusal to hand over a "digital file" which reportedly contains phone conversations of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders before and after Madan Tamang's murder to the CBI.

The ABGL also said it would file a petition in the Supreme Court naming an IPS officer of the rank of inspector general of police, who is allegedly the custodian of the said "digital file."

The ABGL's statement comes a day after a city session court in Calcutta dropped Bimal Gurung's name from the chargesheet filed by the CBI in the Madan Tamang murder case.

Pratap Khati, the general secretary of the ABGL, who is an advocate by profession, today told The Telegraph that Mamata's alleged refusal to hand over the "digital file" also pointed to a nexus between her and Bimal Gurung.

"Why has the chief minister, who is also the home minister, not handed over the file to the CBI? We had repeatedly met the chief minister requesting her to hand over the file. An IPS of the rank of inspector general of police is the present custodian of the file and in the past, we had met him also," said Khati.

"The refusal to hand over the file makes us wonder whether there is a tacit understanding between Mamata Banerjee and Bimal Gurung. Is this also the beginning of the end of the current statehood agitation?" the ABGL leader questioned.

The leader reiterated that the ABGL would move Calcutta High Court over the lower court's decision to drop Gurung's name from the chargesheet and added that it would also approach the Supreme Court.

"There is a pending case in the Supreme Court where we have raised questions on the CBI's investigation. This case is likely to come up for hearing next week. We will file a fresh petition, mentioning the digital file issue and we will also name the IPS officer who is the present custodian of the file in the petition," said Khati.

The ABGL said withholding the "digital file" was tantamount to destruction of evidence.

"Refusal to hand over the digital file is akin to destruction of evidence and harbouring the accused under the criminal procedure code, which is a punishable offence," Khati said.

While Gurung's name was dropped, the city sessions court had announced that charges against all other 47 accused of the case would be framed on August 28.

Those named in the chargesheet include senior hill leaders like Lt Col (Retd) Ramesh Alley, Roshan Giri, Binay Tamang, Asha Gurung and former Morcha leaders like Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Pradip Pradhan who have now left the hill party.

"We find it surprising that only Bimal Gurung's name has been dropped while there seems to be evidence against those who were with him at Kalimpong on the day of the murder," said Khati.

Madan Tamang had been hacked to death by khukri-wielding people in broad daylight in Darjeeling on May 21, 2010.