Siliguri, June 22: The West Bengal government Thursday offered talks to defuse the crisis in the restive Darjeeling hills where a case of murder was filed against Bimal Gurung, the underground leader of the agitation spearhead, the GJM, and his wife for the death of a man during Saturday’s clashes.
Darjeeling remained tense, but incident-free on day eight of the indefinite shutdown which crippled normal life. Internet services remained suspended with the police saying the step has been taken to stop the spread of rumours that may incite violence. Local cable TV channels were also not beamed.
State Home Secretary Malay De, who chaired an all-party meeting in Siliguri on the prevailing situation in the scenic hills, said the doors of the government “are open for talks to restore normalcy in the hills”. The meeting was not attended by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) or any political party in the hills. The Congress, the CPI (M) and the BJP also stayed away from it.
A senior police official said a case of murder, arson, assault on police personnel and conspiracy to incite violence on June 17 has been filed against Gurung and his wife Asha.
Darjeeling had on that day witnessed widespread clashes between GJM activists and the police in which one person was killed and 35 security personnel were injured, including an India Reserve Battalion (IRB) officer seriously.
“We have lodged a case (against Gurung and his wife) and the investigation is on. There were allegations that they were involved in the violence, arson and killing of one person during clashes on Saturday,” the official said.
Reacting to the police case against Gurung and his wife, a senior GJM leader charged the police with implicating them in false cases. “Three of our supporters were killed and they are filing cases against us. Cases should be lodged against the police and the state administration for violating human rights and the killing of people,” he said.
On the meeting convened by the state government, the home secretary said three political parties, including the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), and two development boards of the hills participated in it. The other parties were not named by him.
Asked about the absence of major parties at the all-party meet, he said, “We had invited all the parties without any condition. Had they given their advice on how to bring back peace and normalcy, it would have been better.” De said, “The process will be on. We hope that they will participate in the future. Everybody wants peace. But peace will not return if one adopts a confrontationist attitude.” PTI
