Gurung deadline to arrest attackers

SILIGURI, May 7: The Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha president Mr Bimal Gurung today issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Darjeeling district administration to initiate action against those involved in the attack on his party supporters at Hospital More in Siliguri on 2 May. Addressing the first-ever GJMM gathering in Siliguri at the Indira Gandhi Maidan this afternoon, Mr Gurung threatened to paralyse both the Hills and the Terai if the administration failed to book the guilty within the seven-day deadline.  “If the state government wants peace then immediate action should be initiated against the assailants. But if the government wishes otherwise, then let it sit idle,” the GJMM president warned.  Adding on the issue, Mr Gurung severely criticised the CPI-M leaders of Gorkha origin for their alleged anti-Gorkha stance. “The DYFI-SFI activists are beating up our women in public, still people like Mr Ananda Pathak are sticking to the CPI-M and shouting slogans in favour of Mr Asok Bhattacharya,” he said.

Referring to today’s public meeting in Siliguri, the Darjeeling Hills’ new strongman said: “Today we have reached the boundary of the fort (Siliguri), now we would make our way into it.”  Announcing that Siliguri was an integral part of the demanded Gorkhaland territory, the GJMM president said: “The anti-Gorkhaland forces are saying that they would not give-up an inch of Siliguri. But let me tell them, the GJMM would not even leave a thread-like area in Siliguri come what may.” The Kamtapur Progressive Party (KPP) and the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) presidents, Mr Atul Roy and Mr Ashutosh Barma, respectively also addressed the gathering. Both of them reiterated to carry forward a united struggle along with the GJMM to realise the Gorkhaland and the Kamtapur/Greater Cooch Behar states.

The public meeting at the Indira Gandhi Maidan in Siliguri today witnessed a record turnout. The GJMM supporters from the Hills and the Dooars started pouring into the venue since 9 a.m. They were also joined by a sizeable number of KPP and GCDP supporters.  The large number of vehicles used to transport the supporters to the meeting led to a day-long traffic congestion on National Highways 31 and 55 respectively and a large section of supporters had to return from midway. While the GJMM claimed the turn out to be around two lakh, the IGP (north Bengal) Mr KL Tamta put the number between 90,000 to one lakh. [The Statesman]