Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has threatened to intensify its movement for a separate Gorkhaland State a day after one of its supporters Ashis Tamang was allegedly killed in a police firing at Mirik a hitherto known as tourist hotspot.
“The brutal killing of Ashis Tamang is a glaring example of how Bengal Government and its police have unleashed a reign of terror in Darjeeling killing innocent citizens. I want to assure the people of Hills that the supreme sacrifices like the one made by Ashis will not go in vain. We will step up our movement and force the Government to see reasons in giving a new Gorkhaland State,” said GJM chairman Bimal Gurung.
The death of Tamang was preceded by a skirmish between supporters of Trinamool Congress and GJM in which a police man and a Trinamool supporter were grievously injured, sources said adding the clash started after the Morcha supporters attacked Trinamool men leading cops to intervene. The incident took place at about 11 pm on Monday.
Tamang was the eighth person to be killed in the ongoing Gorkhaland movement.
In the melee Ashis was killed allegedly when the police opened fire sources said adding bullets mostly used in automatic rifles were recovered from the area. The State Government however denied reports of police firing
Elsewhere the Morcha supporters torched a forest rest house at Gorubathan and a land and land Revenue office at Kalimpong.
Denying reports of police firing State Tourism Minister Gautam Deb on Tuesday said “though there was no firing by the police as the Government is extremely cautious about not hurting the common innocent people it has also to be considered that the kind of movement being carried out by the Morcha is not acceptable.
“This kind of goondaism cannot go on in a civilized nation. They have been destroying government properties, attacking police and CRPF and have brought life to a stand still for more than a month. The people of Darjeeling are fed up of this goondaism. They want to come out of this into a normal life but the GJM is not allowing them to do so.
There are already whispers of dissent and soon the common people will come out on the streets in protest against Morcha’s highhandedness.”
Two districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong have been witnessing bandh for the past more than one month with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee occasionally accusing the Centre, northeastern militant organizations and even a foreign country behind the disturbance.