West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) at a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday, June 17, even alleging that the Bimal Gurung-led outfit has links with terrorists.
The chief minister met the journalists on a day when the GJM's supporters clashed with the police in Darjeeling, resulting in spilling of blood. The supporters stormed into a police camp in Singmari and stabbed a police officer called Kiran Tamang who many had termed as dead. Banerjee later said that Tamang was still alive and fighting for his life.
The GJM protesters also claimed that two of their colleagues were killed in police firing while five were injured. The police, however, refuted such claims and counter accused the GJM of firing first.
The situation turned worse after the police raided the office of GJM chief Bimal Gurung and recovering cache of arms and ammunition and mobile phones, among others. Gurung has gone underground in the face of the government's ire and not many quarters have sympathised with him at this hour, not even electoral friend BJP.
Speaking to the media, Banerjee said her government is all for democracy but will not tolerate such violence in the Hills. She said tourism is the backbone of the Hills' economy and if the tourists' footfalls decrease, the Hills would starve.
She said a political party should not work against the spirit and principles of democracy. She said illegal arms are being stashed in the Hills and foreign hands are fuelling the fire. She said the more things will turn violent, the stronger will be the demand to get rid of Gurung.
