Raju Bista Urges Protection of Municipal Records in Hills, Cites Allegations of Corruption and Risk of Evidence Destruction

KalimNews, May 5, 2026, Kalimpong : Darjeeling Lok Sabha MP Raju Bista has written to West Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala, requesting immediate action to safeguard important municipal records in Kalimpong, Kurseong, and Mirik. He expressed concern over the alleged risk of destruction of sensitive documents linked to corruption cases.

In his letter Bista stated that he had received “multiple representations from concerned citizens and organisations”, who feared that “sensitive documents exposing corruption in Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik Municipalities may be destroyed by the caretakers who were appointed by the Trinamool Congress government.”

He highlighted that elections to these three municipalities have not been conducted since 2022. Since then, the civic bodies have reportedly been managed by “unelected individuals as caretaker Chairperson” appointed by the then Trinamool Congress government.

Bista further alleged that these caretakers “have been accused of serious wrongdoing and indulging in rampant misuse of government funds and assets.”

Requesting urgent intervention, the MP urged the Chief Secretary to ensure protection of official records. He wrote that authorities must “instruct all the Executive Officers of these municipalities to safeguard all the documents, and not to allow any documents to be taken out of their offices.”

Copies of the letter were also forwarded to the District Magistrates of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

The elected boards of Kalimpong, Kurseong, and Mirik Municipalities expired in 2022. Since then, the West Bengal government has appointed Boards of Administrators to oversee civic operations. However, this arrangement has repeatedly drawn criticism from opposition parties in the Darjeeling hills, who have raised concerns over governance, accountability, and transparency.

The issue has further intensified ongoing political tensions in the region, with various groups questioning the administrative system in place.

As of now, there has been no official response from the state government, but the matter is expected to gain further political attention in the coming days.

Reiterating his party’s position, Raju Bista said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is a strong commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency in governance. He stated that anyone involved in misuse or misappropriation of public funds would face legal consequences.

The BJP, along with other opposition parties, has also been levelling allegations of corruption against the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which currently controls civic bodies and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in alliance with the Trinamool Congress.

Before the election results, the Darjeeling MP had also stated that the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) would be abolished on May 5, a day after the BJP assumed control of Bengal, and had demanded a central agency probe into the functioning of the council body. 

Today, BJP leaders and supporters staged a demonstration in front of the Kalimpong municipality office, pressing for the urgent conduct of local body elections that have been pending since 2022.

Meanwhile, Bista also extended his congratulations to newly elected BJP legislators from various constituencies, including five Gorkha representatives. In a message, he expressed heartfelt appreciation and pride over their historic victory:

He congratulated the newly elected Gorkha MLAs — Noman Rai (Darjeeling), Sonam Lama (Kurseong), Bharat Kumar Chhetri (Kalimpong), Bishal Lama (Kalchini), and Laxman Limbu (Madarihat) — for their landmark electoral success.

He said that “for the first time since Independence, five elected Gorkha legislators will represent our voice in the West Bengal Assembly.”

Calling it a historic moment, he thanked the people of the region for electing what he described as clean and hardworking representatives. He expressed confidence that they would work for the welfare of the people of Darjeeling, the Terai, and the Dooars, and strive to fulfil the aspirations of the region.