Shutdown ends, people count losses - Five booked for burning vehicle
www.telegraphindia.com
Kurseong, Nov. 28: Five bandh supporters were arrested last night for setting a car on fire on Monday.
Dhiraj Thapa (44), Gautam Lama (40), Kishore Thapa (49), Ranjit Thapa (20) and Mahendra Chettri (24) were produced in the court of the Kurseong subdivisional judicial magistrate and remanded in jail custody.
All five are GNLF supporters and were picked up from Chilauna Dura, below Makaiari Tea Estate, 3km from here. They have been booked under Sections 147, 148 and 307 of the IPC for rioting and attempt to murder. The sections are non-bailable and if proven guilty, the accused may have to serve a sentence of two to 10 years.
The group had also heckled the block development officer (BDO) of Kurseong, Manish Verma, the same day.
The announcement that the bill on the Sixth Schedule has been included in Parliament’s list of business and is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha soon had triggered a spate of bandhs in the hills. The Gorkha Janmukti Mancha had declared a 96-hour bandh to protest against it and was joined by the ABGL. Though the Morcha shutdown was withdrawn after a day, the GNLF called an indefinite strike from Friday after one of its leaders was assaulted.
The Maruti Zen that was set on fire near Saath Ghumti here during the GNLF bandh belonged to Subhod Pradhan, a primary school teacher from Pankhabari.
“Pradhan was going to Methibari near Siliguri to meet his daughter around 10pm. He was accompanied by two of his friends. All three fled the spot when they saw the bandh supporters, who burnt the car,” said Saumit Lepcha, the subdivisional police officer of Kurseong.
Pradhan had filed an FIR with the Garidhura police station yesterday morning.
The confrontation with Verma had taken place more than an hour before the car was burnt.
“Despite a constable accompanying Verma saying that the BDO was inside the vehicle, they abused and punched him. Verma was returning after some official work at Sukna. It was around 8.45pm,” Lepcha added.
Section 144 was lifted from the Kurseong municipal area from six this morning. The area had been under prohibitory orders after a group of women came out in protest against the bandh. The arrival of some GNLF supporters at the same time had added to the tension after which Section 144 was imposed.
November 29th, 2007 at 1:32 am
we the people of the hills are so short tempered that even the slighteset of spark would fire them. most of the party supoorters do not know what they are figthing for, they suport blindly just because that party has provided for them so the party leaders become their ‘devtas’or demi gods.
November 30th, 2007 at 2:55 am
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSING THESE BANDHS WHICH HAS BECOME THE HABIT OF THESE SO CALLED POLITICIANS , THE LOSERS ARE THOSE SHOP KEEPERS, STUDENTS AND THOSE WHO ARE MAINLY DEPENDENT ON THE DAILY WAGES. WHAT HAS THE GOONS WHO HAVE COME TO THIS BEAUTIFUL TOWN FROM OUTISDE TO LOOSE????? IF U POLITICIANS ARE FOR THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE THEN DO NOT SPOIL THEIR STUDIES BY CALLING UNWANTED STRIKES….. COZ THESE KIDS ARE OUR FUTURE AND THEY ARE OUR HOPE FOR TOMORROW.
November 30th, 2007 at 3:59 am
its not only those goons from outside but also our own people who cannot choose the correct leadership because there is no good leadership so people have to keep guessing which ultimately leads to violence .
December 1st, 2007 at 2:48 am
WELL MR. POTR…U CANT SIMPLY BLAME THE INNOCENT CITIZENS… WELL LETS GO THIS WAY IN NEPALI ..JUNAI JOGI KO KAANAY CHIREKO….OUR PEOPLE ARE SO INNOCENT THAT ONCE SOME PEOPLE CAME TO THE TOWN TO SEE THE CURFEW….I WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF U COULD NAME FEW GOOD SINCERE LEADERS, WHO ARE NOT CORRUPT…..
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:17 am
that is what i am trying to say…there is not a leader who is not corrupt, all work for their own benefit. as for the ‘innocent’ people , there are no innocent people in kpg ,the so called ‘innocent’are the ones who are misled by the false promises of the so called ‘leaders’