Gorkhaland protests: Cops sniff armed struggle plot in Hills

TNN, | Oct 20, 2017, DARJEELING: At least three police teams in mufti are at work at Nayabazar along the Bengal-Sikkim border to gather inputs from Bimal Gurung's trusted Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) about his armoury. The cops have come to know that the Gurung faction of the GJM is gearing up for an "armed struggle" in the Hills.

That they have stockpiled a huge cache of arms and ammunition became clear during the October 13 encounter at Chhota Rangit, in which sub-inspector Amitava Malik was killed. The Darjeeling Police wants to get a clear picture of the fugitive leader's firepower before it goes the whole hog against Gurung. According to the cops, the Gurung brigade had planned to plot mines at Badamtam in Darjeeling to stop troop movement on the Pulbazar-Jorethang Road. That, however, was foiled, thanks to effective community policing.

Police have reasons to believe that the absconding leader is in touch with the northeast insurgent group NSCN (K) and has been procuring arms since 2014. To support this claim, the police cited the arrest of Umesh Kami and Ganesh Chhetri from Assam's Chirang district way back in 2014 after the Assam Police recovered a huge cache of arms from their vehicle. "On interrogation, Kami revealed that two arms consignments from the NSCN (K) had reached Darjeeling. Some NSCN (K) members had also come to Darjeeling and met Bimal Gurung and former GTA sabhasad Sanjay Thulung," a police officer said. The gun-running via Nepal is also under the police scanner.

"We have specific inputs about the arms deal and also details of the arms consignments coming in to Darjeeling since 2014. "Two such consignments reached Darjeeling in August and September from the northeast via Nepal," a police officer said indicating that Gurung may also have established contacts with the Maoists from Nepal. "We have all the details like how many vehicles were used to carry the consignments, how the vehicles were changed during the journey and whose vehicle was used before they reached Darjeeling. We also have the call records of Prakash Gurung and Sanjay Thulung's having a hand in bringing the consignment. We have also got vital leads from the one arrested at Barnesbeg, whose name we cannot disclose at the moment," the police official said.

Gurung loyalists, however, held that this was a "ploy" by the state government to put a Maoist tag on Gurung in an attempt to substantiate the UAPA charges on him.