Police swoop on Gorkhaland meeting venue - Speakers leave midway, rally stalled

The detained Gorkhaland supporters in Darjeeling on Sunday

TT, Calcutta, Aug. 20: A police team today marched to the venue of a public meeting by Gorkhaland supporters in the heart of Darjeeling town and detained over 30 people, the first such action by the force since the agitation began two months ago.

The police action not only forced the statehood supporters to disperse, it also brought the meeting to an abrupt halt, with the speakers whisked away by many in the crowd to escape arrest.

Police sources said they had raided the venue at Chowk Bazaar to arrest Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders and workers who had been named in FIRs during the course of the two-month-long agitation.

Pointing out that the police had for the first time stopped a public meeting organised by Gorkhaland supporters, political analysts said the action assumed significance against the backdrop of the softened stance of the Morcha and other hill parties who had made the talks offer to the state government.

The police have been patrolling the areas considered to be Morcha strongholds over the past few weeks. The intensified security measure have also prompted Morcha chief Bimal Gurung to say that he has been living in a "jungle". Today, the police booked Gurung for the attack on Kalimpong police station last night.

Since June 16, a day after the Morcha gave the clarion call for an indefinite strike, rallies are being held every day not just in Darjeeling but across the hills. But the turnouts at these rallies have come down considerably over the past few days, sources said.

In Darjeeling, the rally by Gorkhaland supporters starts near the railway station and moves through Laden La Road, Robertson Road and Dr Yen Sang Road to reach Chowk Bazaar, where a public meeting is organised daily.

Only yesterday did the rally take a circuitous route in the wake of the fluid situation in the hills after Friday night's blast.

The rally took the usual route today and was being addressed by Morcha and CPRM leaders at Chowk Bazaar when the police raided the venue.

The speakers included Tilak Chand Roka, a central committee leader of the Morcha, whose name figures in various FIRs.

"Roka was on the Sumeru Manch and there were many people on the staircase leading to the podium. By the time the police reached Roka, his supporters had whisked him away even though he was only half way through his speech," said a source.

The police detained 36 Gorkhaland supporters from the meeting venue. Some Morcha leaders alleged that the police had resorted to lathi-charge.

Those detained were released later in the day.

Morcha leaders suggested that the police disruption of the meeting could affect the situation in the hills that had been relatively peaceful before the blast a couple of days ago and the attack on the Kalimpong police station last night.

Binay Tamang, assistant general secretary of the Morcha, said: "It's not just the duty of political parties but also of the police and the government to maintain peace. They should avoid unnecessary provocations."

The police denied resorting to lathi-charge. A source said the force raided the area after getting the information that many people named in FIRs were present at the meeting.

"No arrests were made," said a police officer.

In a related development, a poster pasted in Chowk Bazaar in the name of "public" criticised the Morcha and the other hill parties for "trying to settle for an alternative arrangement to Gorkhaland" despite "the sacrifice of common people".

The poster also urged the hill people not to support "this unfruitful" indefinite strike.

The strike entered its 66th day today.