20 injured in GJM-JJM clash in West Bengal

At least 20 people were injured when supporters of the Jana Jagaran Morcha, an organisation of non—Nepalese people opposed to Gorkhaland, and GJM supporters clashed at Malbazar in Jalpaiguri district, police said today.

The clash took place when a motor-cycle rally of GJM supporters from Kalchini was intercepted by Jana Jagaran Morcha (JJM) supporters at Caltax More on Tuesday, Additional Superintendent of Police, Jalpaiguri, V. Soloman told reporters.

JJM President Apurba Das was seriously injured in the clash.

The JJM supporters said the rallyists had no formal permission to hold the meeting at Kalimpong. This resulted in an exchange of words culminating in a clash in which both sides pelted stones.

Police took the GJM supporters to a police station for their safety but the agitated JJM supporters, joined by local people, attacked the police station. The police burst five tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.

SSB jawans held a flag march in the area and in the evening, the rallists left for Kalimpong escorted by security guards.

Publicity chief of GJM Harka Bahadur Chheri on Wednesday blamed the police for Tuesday’s incident as it had stopped a “peaceful rally under the pretext of absence of formal permission for the meeting.”

Source: The Hindu

Plains body demands cop shift

Siliguri, April 7: Jana Jagaran today accused police of playing a partisan role during yesterday’s clash with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and asked the Malbazar SDO to transfer within a week two of the police officer.

Morcha leaders, too, have told the district magistrate to take steps against those who had attacked their supporters and also to ban Jana Jagaran and Amra Bangali, two anti-Gorkhaland forums in the plains, for trying to breach the harmony.

Yesterday, supporters of the Morcha and Jana Jagaran clashed at Malbazar after members of the plains outfit protested the pro-Gorkhaland slogans of the hill party. Around 300 Morcha supporters took shelter at the local police station and after five hours were escorted out to Kalimpong.

“Many residents of Malbazar have seen the biased attitude of the police including the officer-in-charge yesterday. We have been repeatedly insisting that the Morcha supporters should be frisked inside the police station as they were wielding firearms and sharp weapons in public,” said Avik Choudhury, the joint secretary of Jana Jagaran. “But instead, the police misbehaved with us and chased us with batons.”

Choudhury, who submitted a memorandum to subdivisional officer Nilkamal Biswas, said his outfit wanted the transfer of the officer in charge of Malbazar and the subdivisional police officer within a week as “they have acted in a biased manner”.

The Morcha leaders sent a memorandum to Jalpaiguri district magistrate Vandana Yadav. “We want steps against the attackers and a ban on Jana Jagaran and Amra Bangali which are trying to breach the harmony across the Dooars,” said Samuel Gurung, a central committee member of the Morcha.

Jalpaiguri police chief Anand Kumar said: “Three cases were registered in connection with yesterday’s clash and probe is on.”

Source: The Telegraph