www.kalimpong.info

The Telegraph
RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, July 28: Mohun Bagan will play an exhibition match against the Kalimpong Sports Association (KSA) XI at Mela Ground on August 5 as part of the Calcutta giant’s pre-season training that starts here on Friday.

The National League runners-up will arrive here on Thursday for the week-long camp that will be held at the football ground of Dr Graham’s Homes. The team will be staying at the Deolo Tourist Lodge of the DGHC.

The players will also be using the swimming pool at Pudung during their stay here. Bagan secretary Anjan Mitra said over the phone from Calcutta that the proceeds from the exhibition match would go towards the KSA-run non-residential football-training programme for local talents.

“The match will be organised by the KSA. The pricing of tickets will also be decided by them,” he said.

The president of KSA, Urgen ‘Mini’ Lama, said the match would give his boys an opportunity to test their skills against a top-notch team like Bagan. “We will finalise our team within the next few days.”

Prior to the 1999 SAF Games, the Indian football team had trained here.

The Telegraph

Darjeeling, July 27: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to withdraw its indefinite strike from tomorrow for a “congenial” atmosphere before talks but its president dared policemen to resign from their services for the cause of Gorkhaland.

Gurung made the announcements at Chowrastha today while observing “martyrs’ day” in memory of the 1,200 people who died during the 28-month-long statehood agitation under the GNLF in the eighties.

In 1986, on this day, 14 people were gunned down by the paramilitary forces in Kalimpong. (more…)

Press Trust of India

Kolkata, July 27 (PTI) The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, spearheading a campaign for a separate state, today suspended its indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills till August 17 to create a ‘cordial atmosphere’ ahead of the tripartite talks on August 11 in Delhi.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told PTI over phone from Darjeeling that the decision to suspend the bandh, announced by its president Bimal Gurung, was taken in response to the request by the Centre, state government and other quarters.

“We will see the outcome of the talks and act accordingly,” Giri said.

He said their demand for the transfer of senior police officials, including IG (north Bengal) K L Tamta, for the lathicharge and ‘police highhandedness’ on GJM supporters at Panighatta on July 10 still stands.

The Telegraph

Lengshong in Kalimpong on Sunday. Picture by D.K. Waiba

Kalimpong, July 26: Lengshong Huang from Kalimpong has charmed her way into the first 15 of the nationwide Fact Universal Teen Pageant that will go on air on a private television channel from August 1.

Organised by the Mumbai-based Fact Enterprises, the auditions for the pageant were held in Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi and Ahmedabad in May. Twenty-six of them were selected and groomed under the watchful eyes of former Miss World Diana Hayden in Mumbai, where the 15 finalist were eventually picked. (more…)

The Telegraph

Darjeeling, July 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has announced a day-long relaxation in its indefinite strike tomorrow to commemorate “martyrs’ day”.

However, there is little indication of the protest being withdrawn despite the tripartite meeting on Gorkhaland scheduled for August 11, as the hill party today went on an overdrive distributing rice and lentil to BPL families.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung said: “We have to provide a relaxation to commemorate martyrs’ day. Many had laid down their lives for the cause of Gorkhaland.” (more…)

The Telegraph

Darjeeling, July 24: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today announced a 12-hour relaxation in its indefinite strike tomorrow.

Announcing the decision, Morcha general secretary, Roshan Giri said the strike would be relaxed from 6am to 6pm. “The people as well as the tea gardens need to stock up on essential items.”

The party has also decided to distribute rice and cooking oil to people living below poverty line in a move aimed at mitigating the hassles they are facing because of the indefinite strike. (more…)

The Telegraph

Kalimpong, July 22: Three persons living in villages under Gorubathan block of the Kalimpong subdivision were forced to leave their homes today in the wake of the quit notice issued to them by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha for allegedly hobnobbing with the GNLF. (more…)

The Telegraph

Darjeeling, July 22: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today admitted that the stand taken by the Central and state governments on the tripartite talks was encouraging but said the party would not withdraw its strike unless their demands like the transfer of senior police officers were met.

Following, yesterday’s clarification from Bengal home secretary Ardhendu Sen that the tripartite talks would feature the Gorkhaland issue, it was largely perceived that the indefinite strike would be lifted as the Morcha had sounded upbeat about the developments. Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the party, said here this afternoon: “The right atmosphere was being created after the government pre-poned the talks and agreed to discuss the Gorkhaland issue at the tripartite meeting on August 11. As they want official level talks before a political dialogue, we believe that justice has been denied to us.” (more…)

Press Trust of India
19:8 HRS IST

New Delhi, July 21 (PTI) The government today rushed about 700 Central paramilitary personnel to open the crucial highway (NH 31 A), connecting Sikkim with the rest of the country amid an ongoing indefinite bandh called by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in support of their demands.

Four companies (about 400 personnel) of Central Reserve Police Force, two companies (about 200 personnel) of Sashastra Seema Bal along with a company of women personnel (comprising about 100) were sent to clear the highway, a senior Home Ministry official said.

The GJM has called for an indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills since July 13 in support of their demands despite the Centre preponing the tripartite meeting on the Gorkhaland issue.

“The Highway has been blocked for the long time. The Central forces will open the route in order to bring life to normalcy in the region.

The Telegraph

Darjeeling, July 21: Educational institutions in the three hill subdivisions here have once again been asked to shut down by two frontal organisations of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to protest against Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s stand that Gorkhaland would not figure in the tripartite talks in Delhi.

Keshav Raj Pokhrel, the general secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha, said today that Mukherjee’s remarks needed to be condemned. “Mukherjee is trying to derail the tripartite talks at a crucial juncture and we will not tolerate any attempt to disrupt the process of negotiation. So, we are calling a strike.” (more…)

The Telegraph

Darjeeling, July 21: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today decided to keep NH31A out of the purview of its ongoing strike, hours after Bengal government had announced the deployment of CRPF across Darjeeling district.

However, the Morcha sought to relate its decision to a letter sent by the Bengal home secretary, Ardhendu Sen, that offered to discuss the issue of Gorkhaland at the tripartite talks in Delhi on August 11. (more…)

www.newkerela.com

Darjeeling, Jul 19 : Life remained paralysed in three hill subdivisions under Darjeeling district with the indefinite shutdown called by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) entering the seventh day today.

The streets wore a deserted look with educational institutions, tea gardens, government offices and the market observing a complete shutdown.

”We have kept the NH 31A open till 0600 hours of July 23,” GJM assistant general secretary Benoy Tamang said.

”We have heard that the third round tripartite meeting has been preponed to August 11. But we have not received any official confirmation in this regard so far. We won’t take any decision on the withdrawal of bandh unless the Gorkhaland issue is given its due importance in the meeting,” GJM central committee member Amar Lama said.

Cars having Sikkim number plates were allowed to ply on the National Highway 31A, the lifeline of Sikkim.

”GJM supporters have opened NH 31A to cater to their own needs and not for the sake of the common people,” said Mukunda Majumdar, president, Bangla Bhasha Bachao Committee.

Meanwhile, four cases were registered in Siliguri police station regarding the July 16 Kalimgpong incident in which the houses of the rival GNLF supporters were allegedly torched by GJM activists.

Houses and shops of four GNLF workers were burnt down allegedly by GJM supporters on July 16. They also decamped with cash and gold jewellery worth Rs 7.5 lakh, the GNLF workers alleged.

The cases were lodged by GNLF supporters alleging murder, assualt, house damage, property loot.

”Four cases have been registered in Siliguri police station regarding the July 16 Kalimgpong incident,” Siliguri police station in-charge Prabhat Chakraborty said.

The cases have been handed over to the district enforcement branches as they do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Siliguri police station.