Gorka leader murder: CID files chargesheet

Darjeeling (West Bengal): A little over a 100 days after Gorkha leader Madan Tamang was murdered in West Bengal's Darjeeling hills, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday filed chargesheet in a court of law naming 30 accused, even as prime suspect Nicole Tamang is absconding.

Public Prosecutor Govind Chettri said the 519-page chargesheet was filed at the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court here naming 30 accused, including two women-Babita Ganguly and Biva Sona Sherpa.

The chargesheet, filed at the bench of justice S P Rajak, however, has not named any top ranking leader of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) though an FIR had accused party president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri in the May 21 daylight murder.

Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) president Madan Tamang was hacked to death near the Mall here.

ABGL's general secretary Laxman Pradhan filed an FIR the following day naming ten senior GJM leders as suspects in the murder of the 63-year-old leader.

On August 16, the Darjeelng Police arrested the prime accused, GJM's central committee member Nicole Tamang and by the court order had handed him over to the CID. The 47-year-old suspect, however,
fled from CID custody from Pintail village in Siliguri on August 22.

He was supposed to be produced in the court on Monday.

The CID told the court that Nicole fled from their custody and has been evading arrest.

The chargesheet was filed by CID investigating officer Ardhendu Sekhar Pahari.

Meanwhile, the GJM has withdrawn their shutdown in view of a tripartite meeting on Sept 7.

On Aug 21, the GJM called a shutdown in three hill-sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, demanding production of Nickol Tamang.

Source: IBNS

No senior GJMM leader in Madan Tamang murder case charge-sheet

Darjeeling, Aug 30 (IANS) The West Bengal Police Monday filed a charge-sheet against 30 accused in the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) leader Madan Tamang murder case. However, the names of several top Gorkha Jan Mukti (GJM) leaders, whose names figured in the FIR, were not mentioned.

The 519-page chargesheet filed by the CID in the court of the Darjeeling Chief Judicial Magistrate S.P. Rajak, mentioned prime accused Nicole Tamang as absconder.

Two of those listed in the chargesheet are women.

Nicole Tamang, a GJM central committee member and a close aide of party chief Bimal Gurung, remains untraced eight days after escaping from CID custody at The Pintail Village resort near Siliguri.

At least 20 people mentioned in the chargesheet have also eluded the police dragnet so far. The document listed 61 witnesses to the May 21 murder of Madan Tamang in broad daylight in the heart of Darjeeling town.
Seven of the accused were produced in the court Monday and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by Rajak.

Gurung, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, assistant general secretary Benoy Tamang and press and publicity secretary Harka Bahadur Chhetri were among the top GJM leaders who were named in the FIR as suspects in the case.

Though their names were not included in the chargesheet Monday, CID sources said there was always the scope to file a supplementary chargesheet if fresh evidence was found against those not mentioned in the initial document.

Meanwhile, the GJM has decided to start a relay hunger strike from Sep 1 demanding that Nicole Tamang be presented before the court or brought out in public, Benoy Tamang said.

The GJM earlier alleged that Nicole Tamang had been murdered by the CID.

Source: IANS