The West Bengal government has decided to rush two companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to Darjeeling where the indefinite bandh called by the opposition Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) entered its second day on Thursday.
The decision to dispatch central forces was taken at a high level meeting at the state secretariat here after hundreds of GJM activists including large number of women resorted to a sit-in close to Pintail village near Siliguri where the outgoing chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Subhas Ghising is currently putting up.
After some initial scuffle with the police, nearly a dozen GJM supporters have been allowed to start a hunger strike at the village, home secretary P R Roy said. “CRPF units are likely to reach there by Friday evening,” Roy said.
He, however, refused to comment on whether the state government would yield to the GJM demand to restore peace in the hills.
The Morcha has given an ultimatum to the state authorities that unless Ghising is asked to step down immediately from the Council, the economic blockade and indefinite strike will continue in the hills.
The activists have vowed to block Ghising’s entry in the hills and the administration apprehends a violent showdown between the rival party supporters anytime.