Loyalists reinstall Gurung photo, flags at GJM office.. 7 company CRPF withdrawn

TNN| Oct 28, 2017, : Darjeeling: Seven companies of Central Armed Police Forces stationed in trouble-hit Darjeeling started packing up hours after the Supreme Court passed orders for their deployment in election-bound states.

"The forces will start moving from Saturday morning. The state government is cooperating with us. It has provided large vehicles for speedy movement down the Hills," a CRPF PRO said in Kolkata.

The withdrawal of CAPF has come as a vindication of the complaint by Hills outfits — starting from Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to CPRM — that the state police was leading the "action", keeping central forces in reserve.

The SC order came on a day when hundreds of GJM president Bimal Gurung's loyalists gathered at the Dambar Chowk party office to pay their respects to Kalimpong municipality councillor Barun Bhujel, who died at SSKM on October 25. During the funeral procession, Gurung's loyalists took control of the party office and reinstalled flags with Gurung's photo on it. The development came 20 days after supporters of the Binay Tamang-Anit Thapa faction removed Gurung's photo from the office.

Senior party leaders R B Bhujel, Moti Sharma, Vijay Sundas, Kalimpong MLA Sarita Rai and municipality chairman Subha Pradhan were present during the "shradhanjali" at the party office even as Gurung loyalists chanted slogans "we want Gorkhaland and Bimal Gurung zindabad....traitors and betrayer leaders be warned (in reference to Tamang and Thapa)".

Rai, who had accompanied acting GTA chairman Tamang to the Nabanna meeting with Mamata Banerjee, accompanied Bhujel's widow Savita to Kalimpong police station. 

"Bimal Gurung is still the leader of the Hills and is continuing the struggle for a separate state. People have not lost faith in him. We submitted a deputation to the police demanding a judicial inquiry into Bhujel's death. He (Bhujel) was healthy when in Kalimpong correctional home. But his health deteriorated when he was shifted to Siliguri," Rai said.

(Source & Courtesy: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/loyalists-reinstall-gurung-photo-flags-at-gjm-office/articleshow/61281018.cms) Shared by Kalimpong News