Violent clashes and arson marked a bandh on Monday in north Bengal's tea producing Terai and Dooars regions.

A faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP) and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) called for an “indefinite” bandh, which began on Monday. This was in response to the State Government's refusal to permit a joint rally by the Jhon-Barla faction of ABAVP and the GJM at Jalpaiguri's Nagrakata on Sunday.

The other faction of ABAVP, however, opposed the bandh.

The confronting groups differed on inclusion of Terai and Dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Amid reports of violence, the Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee appealed to clashing groups to exercise“restraint” and restoration of peace. Terai, plains of Darjeeling district, and Dooars, foothills of the Himalayas, mainly in Jalpaiguri district, has been in the grips of tension and occasion violence in the past one year.

Agencies add : Vehicular movement on national highways in areas under Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district, especially NH 31, the link to the north-eastern states - was negligible.

Train movement in the Dooars-Terai section also was affected. Many long-distance trains were either cancelled or diverted. Several trains were running well behind schedule.

Bandh enforcers in some places put up road blocks, which were later removed by police.

Clashes between bandh supporters and opponents were reported in certain areas resulted in injuries to some. More than 60 arrests were made in Siliguri and adjoining areas of Darjeeling district.

In Naxalbari, several buses were damaged and a few vehicles were set on fire by those enforcing the shutdown.

In Oodlabari and Banarhat in Jalpaiguri district, several people were injured and police had to fire teargas shells following clashes.

The Barla-led faction of the ABAVP supports the GJM demand for inclusion of 398 mouzas (area less than a sub-division) - 196 from Dooars, 199 in Terai and three in Rajganj - in the GTA, an autonomous body to run the administration in Darjeeling.

The rival faction of the ABAVP which opposes inclusion of the Terai and Dooars areas in the GTA had called a 12-hour shutdown on Sunday.

The Chief Minister urged both the (ABAVP) factions to show restraint as the high- powered committee was yet to submit its report on the areas to be included under the GTA.

Ms Banerjee said that no one would be allowed to hold meetings or rallies in the area as long as the situation was not normal.

>jayanta_mallick@thehindu.co.in

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