DGP ' happy' with normality in hills

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 16 October 2017, Darjeeling: The Bengal director general of police said on Monday that he was happy that the situation was becoming normal in the Darjeeling hills after the prolonged shutdown by Gorkhaland agitators.

Surajit Kar Purakayastha arrived in Darjeeling on Monday to take stock of the situation, three days after a gunfight allegedly between Bimal Gurung's supporters and police had taken place, killing a sub- inspector.

Amitabha Malik was killed when a police force raided a jungle camp allegedly housing the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president and his supporters on Friday. The encounter occurred on the banks of the Little Rangeet, 20km from Darjeeling and 7km downhill from Barnesbeg tea garden near the Sikkim border.

After reviewing the situation on Monday, Bengal's top cop said: " I have come here to take stock of the situation. I am happy to find that everything is normal. People are out on the streets and going about their work." The police officer did not take questions from the media but expressed hope that more tourists would visit the hills soon and tried to instill confidence among travellers, saying the police were doing a good job.

" Tourists are also here. Everything is normal and there is a good team of police officers here and they are doing a good job. We want everyone to cooperate with us. We want more tourists to come in the next few days and everything will be normal," said Purakayastha.

The tourism season that synchronises with Durga puja was mostly a washout as visitors turned away from the hills because of the shutdown.

The DGP, accompanied by senior state police officers, visited Motor Stand in Darjeeling where an IED explosion had taken place during the recent agitation.

Later, Purakayastha visited Roy Villa, which was vandalised by miscreants.

Roy Villa, where Sister Nivedita died in 1911, had been vandalised on the intervening night of September 13 and 14.

The DGP also took a survey of the Tukvar valley from a distance.