Rival camp at Bimal home

Gurung's house after it turned into a Morcha office on Wednesday

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Apr 12, 2018, Darjeeling: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's Binay Tamang faction on Wednesday took possession of former chief Bimal Gurung's home at Patlebas in Darjeeling and announced that it would function as a party office.

"Locals were feeling unsafe as anti-socials had made it a den. They requested us to do something and we decided to run our Tukvar office from there," said Morcha leader Alok Kant Mani Thulung, referring to the three-storied building 5km from Darjeeling town.

Thulung, president of the Morcha's Darjeeling sub-divisional committee, was speaking after leaders of the Tamang camp put up a signboard at the building announcing the opening of the office.

Gurung's home has been abandoned since August last year when he fled after being booked over the violence during the statehood agitation. A large number of Morcha supporters and locals gathered on Wednesday at the building in Patlebas, which falls within the Tukvar constituency of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. Tamang heads the hill body.

Thulung said only one of the three floors in the house was being used as an office. "Other floors can be used for social events or relief work."

The Morcha leader said the party's central committee office at nearby Singamari had been closed by the administration after investigations concluded that Gurung had illegally built it on government land. "Since that office is closed, Morcha supporters did not have any other space. Instead of allowing it (the Patlebas house) to be misused, we decided to make better use of it," said Thulung.

The Patlebas building is also under the scanner after claims it was illegally built on forest land. Gurung had earlier claimed he had stopped staying in the house, though sources said his wife Asha used to live there. Asha is also on the run after cases were lodged against her.

Recently, the severed head of a goat smeared in vermilion was found hanging at the gates of the building. On Wednesday, Morcha supporters brought a tantrik (occultist) and performed a puja to purge the premises of evil spirits.