Tension prevailed in North Bengal amid a two-day ‘relaxation' of the ‘indefinite bandh' on Wednesday. Though life returned normal in some parts of the Dooars and Terai regions of Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts of the State after the Gorkah Janamukti Morcha (GJM) backed bandh was ‘relaxed,' reports of arson and skirmishes came from certain pockets.
While a top GJM leader in the hills reiterated the threat to pull out of the tripartite agreement for setting up the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), the State Left Front Committee chief, Mr Biman Bose, said here that the unrest was the result of the Government's mishandling of the issues involved.
“The State Government claimed that it had sorted out the problem 17 days after it took office,” Mr Bose told reporters after a Front meeting.
‘Violence spreads'
He said that while the problem earlier was centred in Darjeeling hills, now the violence has spread to the plains of Terai and Dooars area. Mr Bose alleged that during the recent violence police personnel deployed to prevent violence did not stop mobs from burning shops and damaging property.
He said the Stare Government must actively hold discussions with various stakeholders to restore peace in the region.
PTI adds: Referring to the nine-member expert committee which will come out with recommendations on the inclusions of the areas of Terai and Dooars under the GTA, Mr Bose said if the situation was so volatile now, “what will happen when the committee comes up wits its report.”
GJM General Secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, told PTI from Darjeeling: “We will be compelled to think about rejecting the GTA if the State government does not allow us to hold meetings in the Terai and Dooars.”
He said that GJM President, Mr Bimal Gurung, had already stated that the party would ‘boycott' any programme of the Chief Minister and North Bengal Development Minister, Mr Gautam Deb, in the hills.