GJM activists turn violent after police raid on party chief’s house

TIL Desk/National/Darjeeling/ The West Bengal hills saw widespread violence on Thursday as irate Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters torched a police outpost and stoned security forces in angry reaction to a police raid on party chief Bimal Gurung’s house in Darjeeling district.

The GJM activists, with their women’s wing Nari Morcha in the vanguard, virtually surrounded the police force as they were returning after the raid on Gurung’s house in Patlebas, and started stoning the police from elevated areas in the hills.

Several police personnel were injured in the stoning. In response, the security forces lobbed tear gas shells at the protesters after a baton charge failed to control the situation. Large police reinforcements arrived in the area. Some vehicles, including one belonging to a media house, were set on fire.

In neighbouring Kalimpong district, alleged GJM supporters torched the Pedong police outpost. Accusing the state government of “high handedness and oppression”, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri appealed to the central and state governments to intervene and sort out the “political problem”.