Darjeeling/Kolkata/New Delhi: Hurling petrol bombs and stones, Gorkhaland supporters on Thursday fought pitched battles with police, who broke up protests, bursting teargas shells and baton-charging violent crowds, plunging Darjeeling hills into deeper turmoil.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), meanwhile, called an indefinite shutdown after police raided premises connected to its chief Bimal Gurung and some other leaders.
The outfit had called a shutdown of the offices of the state government and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration which its controls.
The Centre on Thursday rushed an additional 400 paramilitary personnel to Darjeeling to help the local administration restore peace. These are in addition to around 1,000 personnel, including 200 women, already stationed there, a home ministry official said in New Delhi.
GJM supporters surrounded a police contingent at Patlebas when it was returning after a series of raids on premises connected with Gurung, whose separatist campaign is escalating fast after it joined forces with arch rival Gorkha National Liberation front two days ago, and attacked them.
“They (GJM) threw stones, hurled petrol bombs and fired on the police,” S.N. Gupta, an IG rank officer who has been tasked by the state government with handling the volatile situation in Darjeeling, told reporters.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata, “We want peace in the hills. There is peace in Bengal. If anybody violates law, the administration will take action. Law will take its own course”. “There was peace in the hills. A few leaders are doing goondagiri. But one cannot do politics with guns and bombs. We will curb their violent agitation,” she later said in Kolkata.
There were reports of clashes between police and protesters from several places, as they threw stones at each other. Baton-wielding policemen were seen chasing away the agitators and bursting teargas shells to break up protests.
Earlier in the day, police seized more than 300 weapons, including pickaxes, bows and arrows, explosives, night vision binoculars and cash during raids on premises connected with Gurung, sparking a call by the separatist group for an indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling hills.
