Darjeeling, Sep 02: Tension ran high in Kalimpong town today after hundreds of Bimal Gurung's followers assembled preparing for a rally with the body of driver Dawa Bhutia, allegedly shot dead during crossfiring at Sadam, Sikkim, even as police arrested 14 GJM leaders from Majitar in Sikkim and brought them to Phansidewa police station to produce them in court at Siliguri later in the day. In the latest crackdown on the GJM leadership, police also arrested former Kuseong municipality chief Krishna Pradhan and Norman Thapa, the latter accused of setting afire Kalimpong forest guest house recently. Meanwhile, the indefinite shutdown, which entered the 82nd day, continued to paralyse life across Darjeeling hills with shops, offices and business establishments havingdowned their shutters responding to the strike for statehood in Darjeeling hills. The people in general rejected the appeal of GJM assistant general secretary Binay Tamang to suspend strike for 12 days up to the next government-sponsored meeting to be held on September 12 at Siliguri. The pro-Bimal Gurung supporters now seeking the head of Tamang, whose house was basically now fortified with the armed security forces as he virtually stayed home for the past three nights. The statehood struggle has now spilled into neighbouring state of Sikkim, which has filed a case under Section 302/34 IPC against Kalimpong SP Ajiit Singh Yadav and his police team for alleged intrusion by West Bengal police on Friday, a report from Gangtok said today. Sikkim also allegedly prevented Bengal police from taking into custody six GJM leaders, who have been arrested along with 14 others from Majitar near Namchi in south Sikkim, claiming the Bengal police violated territorial jurisdiction. The arrested were Sanjit Tamang, Raju Biswakarma, Dawa Lama, Anil Kr Gupta, Shankar Adhikary, Hemanta Goutam, Ganesh Sharma, Sidhant Adhikary, Arjun Ghimray, Buddhaprasad Sharma, Milan Pradhan, Saran Thapa, Keshab Nirala and Krishna Limbu. The Sikkim police had also allegedly seized three police vehicles of Kalimpong police station. A latest report said Bengal police could get back the six arrested GJM leaders only after the Sikkim court order. West Bengal police allegedly cracked down on the GJM leaders before they could meet in the scheduled central committee meeting at Majitar, which could have ratified the expulsion of Tamang and Anit Thapa and on the future of indefinite shutdown. West Bengal police issued lookout notice in the name of Bimal Gurung, Prakash Gurung and Roshan Giri. UNI
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