Dooars normal, bandh in Darjeeling

Jalpaiguri/Darjeeling (West Bengal) : Normalcy returned in West Bengal’s Dooars region on Friday after the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad (ABAVP), which is opposing land for Gorkha state in the plains, called off
its indefinite bandh owing to secondary and other examinations.

The ABAVP, a platform for tribals and other ethnic communities in the Terai and Dooars, had called the bandh to oppose the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s (GJM) proposed rally or padayatra for inclusion of the Dooars in the proposed “Gorkhaland? state.

The GJM’s padayatra was scheduled between Feb 17-27 from Sankosh in the Dooars to Kumani under Jaldhacca police station of Kalimpong sub-division.

The Jalpaiguri district administration, however, banned any type of rally including of the GJM’s padayatra.

A district officer said, the GJM was denied any permission to hold the rally as major parts have been under section 144 Cr pc.

ABAVP’s president John Barla said they called off the bandh on Thursday evening after the authorities assured them no one could take out rally in the Dooars.

“Our consideration is on two ways -let the boys and girls go peacefully to their respective examinations centres and let our people have safe passage from any element – for lifting the bandh,” Barla said.

A GJM rally today from Sankosh was stopped by police at Hatipota under Kummargram police station of Alipurduar on Thursday, a partyman claimed on Friday. They will take up again separately from Jaigaon and Birpara on Feb 18, he added.

The GJM has been organising an indefinite shutdown since Feb 9 after three of its supporters were killed in the Feb 8 police firing in the Reserve Forest land area of Sibchu in Dooars.

A member of Nari morcha, women wing of GJM and a 16-year-old boy died on the spot, while another woman succumbed to injuries at a nursing home in Siliguri.

GJM’s president Bimal Gurung has been camping at Kumani since Jan 19 to organize the rally.