Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung on Thursday threatened to further intensify the Gorkhaland agitation to protest the police crackdown in the Hills. The renewed agitation includes total shutdown on Saturday and Sunday, sustained street protests and hunger strike by the arrested GJM leaders and workers in jails.
The immediate trigger for the GJM’s fury were the arrests of two senior GJM leaders and GTA members. Benoy Tamang and Satish Pokhrel who were arrested after midnight near West Bengal-Sikkim border in Kalimpong are close associates of Mr Gurung. With these arrests the number of GJM leaders and workers held rose to 720, including 15 GTA members. Mr Tamang is the senior most GJM leader to be arrested so far.
“Ghar bahira janata (people on the streets) agitation will now continue indefinitely till all the arrested GJM leaders and workers are released and cases against them are withdrawn. The 721 arrested people who are in judicial custody will also go for an indefinite hunger strike,” Mr Gurung thundered. He was addressing a rally in Chawkbazar in Darjeeling.