In what Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called a “moral victory” for her Government, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday put an interim stay on the Central Government’s decision to withdraw troops from “trouble-torn” Darjeeling.
Hearing a petition filed by the State Government, the Division Bench of Justices Harish Tandon and Debangshu Basak stayed central forces’ pullout till October 27 wondering what necessitated the sudden withdrawal as the forces were sent to handle a special situation that had arisen in the area in the wake of a indefinite bandh call given by the Morcha and subsequent incidents of violence and deaths.
A police sub-inspector was killed in exchange of fire between alleged guards of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung and police on last Friday during a raid inside Singla forests from where huge quantities of arms and ammunition, including AK rifles, gelatin sticks, radio sets, etc, were subsequently recovered.
Gurung had been on the run after cases under UAPA were slapped against him by the State Government.
The HC directed the Government to move a regular Bench after the vacations were over and the Court reopened on October 23. The Centre had deployed 15 companies of central forces in Darjeeling out of which seven were ordered to be pulled out from Wednesday against the backdrop of ensuing State polls in Himachal Pradesh.
State Advocate General Kishore Dutta told the court that the Centre could not unilaterally withdraw the forces as they were deployed following a Court order in July this year.
The State Government had earlier asked the Centre to extend troop deployment till December 25 only to be told that only seven companies would be retained.
The Chief Minister welcomed the court order saying earlier also it was through the court that “we could get the deployment of central forces now again the court has given a judicious order that will help restore peace in Darjeeling.”
In a separate programme, Mamata attacked the BJP for “trying to create problem in Bengal and the country by dividing the people”. She referred to instances, when “BJP supporters had thrown beef and ham in temples and mosques in order to ignite riots and reap political benefit.”
She said, “I hate those who fan communal hatred to earn vote. But in Bengal we will not let that happen. People will have to remember that the hatred-mongers do not die in riots but the common people do. So we will have to defeat their motive.”