GORKHA ADIVASI POLITICAL DIMENSIONS: Talks on mind, strike pushed back once again

GORKHA ADIVASI POLITICAL DIMENSIONS Talks on mind, strike pushed back once again – show of majority consensus complete, so now on to negotiate a settlement that satisfies the complete consensus including that of the opposition ?!!

GJM Secretaries Roshan Giri & Binoy Tamang at the press conference in Darjeeling - working towards an upright political settlement where Bengal cannot point any fingers ?!! (Darpan)

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

Darjeeling, Aug. 30: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to postpone its indefinite strike once again, keeping in mind the official-level tripartite meeting scheduled for September 7.

However, the party has decided to organise relay hunger strike from September 1 to demand that their party leader Nickole Tamang be produced in court alive.

The Morcha had earlier threatened to start an indefinite general strike across the hills if Nickole was not produced alive in court today. Nickole’s 14-day police remand ended today.

In fact, soon after Nickole escaped from the CID custody, the Morcha had called a strike from August 22 to 24. The party had given a two-day breather to the indefinite strike before postponing it on Friday till August 30.

Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha, today said: “We have decided to postpone the general strike keeping in mind the scheduled tripartite talks. We will however start a 24-hour relay hunger strike from September 1 which we will carry on unless Nickole is produced alive in court. Seven Morcha supporters will sit for the hunger strike in shifts.”

The relay hunger strike will take place in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. Giri said preparations were on to stretch the fast till September 17. “We are ready till September 17 and if Nickole is not produced alive even by then we will stretch the hunger strike.”

The fast will be held in front of the district magistrate’s office in Darjeeling and on the subdivisional office premises in Kurseong and Kalimpong.

CID names 30, gives Morcha seniors a miss – ABGL to continue to scream conspiracy ?!!

The 30 Accused by the CID - when just one struck the fatal blow, from the back or from the front, from within or from outside ?!! (TT)

FROM THE TELEGRAPH
BY VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, Aug. 30: The CID today submitted a chargesheet before a Darjeeling court alleging that 30 Gorkha Janmukti Morcha activists were involved in the murder of Madan Tamang.

Senior Morcha leaders, who had earlier been named in an FIR after the murder of the ABGL chief, do not figure in the chargesheet.

Assistant public prosecutor Govind Chhetri said: “The CID has filed a 519-page chargesheet and has further maintained that they can file a supplementary chargesheet if other names figure in their investigations.”

This technically means that the senior Morcha leaders could figure in the supplementary chargesheet if further investigations point to their involvement.

The FIR filed by ABGL general secretary Laxman Pradhan soon after the May 21 murder had named Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha Gurung and central committee members of the party Roshan Giri, Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Pradip Pradhan, Col(retd) Ramesh Allay and Binay Tamang as conspirators. None of the names figure in the CID chargesheet.

But seven other persons named by Pradhan figure in the chargesheet.

Set to open the system to conduct raids at will - just the Bengal Democracy all opponents have been calling for ?!!

All the 30 persons have been booked under Section 147/148 (rioting /rioting  with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief causing damage), 506 (criminal intimidation ),  302 (murder) and 120 (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Of the 30, nine people had already been arrested. One of the prime accused, Nickole Tamang, fled from CID custody on August 22. Another accused is nursing bullet wounds in hospital.

While submitting the chargesheet the CID had pleaded before the chief judicial magistrate to issue arrest warrants against those who have not yet been picked up. Court warrants make it easier to arrest the accused if they have fled to other states. Shyam Prakash Rajak, chief judicial magistrate, has granted the petition.

With the filing of the chargesheet, the first step towards the trial of the murder case has started. Had the CID failed to submit a chargesheet within 90 days of the arrest of the accused, even those picked up for non-bailable offence would have been entitled to bail.

The chargesheet is primarily the findings of the investigation team. However, whether those named are actually guilty of committing the crime will be evident at the end of the trial.

Gorkha Naari Morcha - the backbone of the Gorkha agitation, fed-up with Bengal ?!!

“The trial will take place at the session’s court. If those named in the chargesheet are not arrested, there are provisions in the CrPc to even attach their properties. A few other procedures like transferring the case to the session court (from the chief judicial magistrate’s court) and separating the cases for those who have been arrested and those who are yet to be arrested will take place before trial starts,” said a lawyer.

In fact, the court had earlier imposed a freeze on the bank accounts of 10 of the accused including Nickole.

According to Chhetri, 61 witnesses have been named in the investigations. Sources said Bharati Tamang, the wife of slain leader Madan Tamang, and his son Sanjog Tamang are among the witnesses.

The Morcha refused comment on the chargesheet. Party assistant secretary Binay Tamang said: “Let the law take its own course.”

The CID has filed a fresh FIR after Nickole’s disappearance. The accused’s police remand ended today. Defence lawyer Seshmani Gurung said: “The CID team maintained that Nickole has fled from their custody and have filed an FIR at the Pradhan Nagar police station in Siliguri. The bail application of the other seven accused were rejected and they will be produced in court on September 13,” said Gurung.

AND FROM THE BENGAL PAGES OF THE TELEGRAPH

Morcha 30 on CID list – hint of Morcha leadership under scanner for later ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH
BY VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, Aug. 30: The CID today named 30 Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders in its chargesheet for alleged involvement in the murder of Madan Tamang but left out senior leaders, including chief Bimal Gurung, who had been named in an earlier FIR.

The chargesheet, submitted today before a Darjeeling court, names among others Nickole Tamang, the prime accused in the murder of the ABGL leader. However, Nickole, who had escaped from CID custody on August 22, is absconding. His remand ended today but the CID failed to produce him in court.

Assistant public prosecutor Govind Chhetri said: “The CID has said it may file a supplementary chargesheet if other names crop up during investigation.”

This means that the senior Morcha leaders who had been named in an ABGL FIR after Madan Tamang’s murder on May 21 could still be put on the list.

The FIR had named Gurung, his wife Asha and central committee members such as Roshan Giri, Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Pradip Pradhan and Binay Tamang for “conspiring to kill” Madan Tamang. However, none of them was mentioned in the CID chargesheet today. But seven other persons named in the FIR have been mentioned.

The chief judicial magistrate accepted the CID’s plea to to issue arrest warrants against those who have not yet been picked up.

Gorka leader murder: CID files chargesheet – over a 100 days later, now room for more raids and tension in Darjeeling ?!!

From Sify.com

Darjeeling (West Bengal), 30 Aug 2010, 20:56:07: A little over a 100 days after Gorkha leader Madan Tamang was murdered in West Bengal’s Darjeeling hills, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday filed chargesheet in a court of law naming 30 accused, even as prime suspect Nicole Tamang is absconding.

Public Prosecutor Govind Chettri said the 519-page chargesheet was filed at the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court here naming 30 accused, including two women-Babita Ganguly and Biva Sona Sherpa.

The chargesheet, filed at the bench of justice S P Rajak, however, has not named any top ranking leader of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) though an FIR had accused party president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri in the May 21 daylight murder.

Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) president Madan Tamang was hacked to death near the Mall here.

ABGL’s general secretary Laxman Pradhan filed an FIR the following day naming ten senior GJM leders as suspects in the murder of the 63-year-old leader.

On August 16, the Darjeelng Police arrested the prime accused, GJM’s central committee member Nicole Tamang and by the court order had handed him over to the CID. The 47-year-old suspect, however,
fled from CID custody from Pintail village in Siliguri on August 22.

He was supposed to be produced in the court on Monday.

The CID told the court that Nicole fled from their custody and has been evading arrest.

The chargesheet was filed by CID investigating officer Ardhendu Sekhar Pahari.

Meanwhile, the GJM has withdrawn their shutdown in view of a tripartite meeting on Sept 7.

On Aug 21, the GJM called a shutdown in three hill-sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, demanding production of Nickol Tamang.

Nicole Tamang declared absconder, GJM withdraws strike – absconder according to the CID’s report, taken at full face value for now ?!!

Nicole Tamang - in the eye of the storm, dead or alive ?!! (Darpan)

From The Hindustan Times

Darjeeling, August 30, 2010, 17:27 IST: (PTI): The main suspect behind the May 21 killing of Gorkha leader Madan Tamang in the town was on Monday declared an absconder by a Darjeeling court.

Nicole Tamang, who escaped from the custody of the CID from Pintail village near Siliguri on August 22, was among the 30 named in the chargesheet filed by the investigating agency in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H Rashid in Darjeeling.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, meanwhile, withdrew an indefinite strike called in Darjeeling from today to press for Nicole’s production in the court in view of the tripartite talks with the Centre and West Bengal government on September 7.

The decision was announced by GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri here after a meeting with Darjeeling District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police Devendra Pratap Singh.

Pema Tamang, Nicole's wife - worried no end ?!!

To press for the demand, Giri said batches of seven GJM supporters would fast in Kalimpomg, Kurseong and Darjeeling from September 1 to 17.

A GJM ‘investigation team’ has also been formed, he said, adding it would leave for Assam and Nepal in search of Nicole.

He also announced that henceforth government and Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council offices in the hills would be allowed to function unhindered.

EARLIER

Sitaram Yechuri in favour of self-administered authority for Hills – conveniently forgot the Gorkhasthan ruse that labelled all Darjeeling Gorkhas into foreigners ?!!

Sitaram Yechury - must first prove this region was Bengal's to being with ?!! (SE)

From Sikkim Express

Gangtok, Aug 30, 2010: Indicating a clear signal that his party is not in favour of division of West Bengal, CPIM politbureau member Sitaram Yucheri made only a passing remark on the ‘Gorkhasthan’ demand raised by late Ratnalal Brahamn during a seminar organized here at Gymkhana Club.

Instead, Yechuri presented the Tripura model of self-administrated territory and strongly advocated similar arrangement for Darjeeling.

During the seminar organized in the memory of Ratnalal Brahamn, one of the foremost CPIM leaders from the hills, local CPIM supporters had gathered in large numbers to show that the party still has a base in the troubled hills.

MEANWHILE

Amra Bengali condemns the upcoming Tripartite Meeting – forms Bangla Bahini, any ex-Servicemen to train them or will the CPM do ?!!

Amra Bengali stand on all Indian Gorkhas as Foreigners in India - communal instigation enough for the Indian Supreme Court ?!! (DT)

From Himalayan Beacon
By HB Siliguri Correspondent

Siliguri, Aug 31, 2010: Amra Bangali took out a rally in Siliguri yesterday.

The organisation also held a meeting at Hashmichowk and condemned the demand for Gorkhaland and the upcoming Tripartite Meeting between the Union Government, the State Government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

The meeting was addressed by a number of leaders which included Ranjan Mandal, Basudev Saha, Utpal Kundu, Jayant Das, Kokil Roy, Sambhu Sutradhar, Pritam Das among others.

Bangali Regiment from Amra Bangali - look like a couple of chaprasi babus ?!! (Kalimnews, Bartaman)

The uniformed cadres of the Bangla Bahini were also present in the meeting. The leaders addressing the meeting said, “The division of Bengal will not be allowed at all cost.”

The leaders also condemned the Government’s role in the ongoing political turmoil in the Hills. One of the leader said, “The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has shut down the hills whenever they have wanted. The Government it seems is not strong enough to stop them from holding the people in the hills to ransom.”

CPM job demand – working on increasing support base in a hurry ?!!

Tara Sundas - in power, yet not in office ?!! (Darpan)

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

Kalimpong, Aug. 30: Senior CPM leader from the hills Tara Sundas has demanded that the appointments of para-teachers and midwives in the hills should not be stalled, but completed at the earliest in a fair and transparent manner.

Taking on the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Sundas, a member of the CPM’s Darjeeling district secretariat, said the appointments should not be kept on hold till an interim administrative arrangement was put in place in the hills, as demanded by the hill party.

The Morcha has called for a freeze on appointments, alleging malpractice in the recruitment process.

BRIEFS FROM THE REGION

From The Telegraph

Fake notes seized

Malda, Aug. 30: Customs officials arrested a youth from a hotel here this morning and seized fake notes with a face value of Rs 2. 4 lakh from him.

The arrested youth, Paban Sharma, said he is a resident of Guwahati. Assistant customs commissioner S.K. Jha said they had information that dealers of fake currency frequented the hotel. “We are looking for the owner of the hotel. People involved in the racket often bring fake notes to this hotel from Kaliachak and Baisnavnagar before ferrying them to other places,” he said.

Marijuana

Malda: A woman was arrested from Baliadanga in Kaliachak on Sunday night and three quintals of marijuana worth over Rs 10 lakh was seized from her. During interrogation Shanti Roy said the marijuana had been brought from Manipur and was supposed to be transported to north Bengal and Jharkhand.

Road death

Malda: Feroz Mahaldar, 23, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a truck on NH34 at Bagbari near Englishbazar on Monday. After the accident, angry residents of the area blocked the highway alleging that police had arrived late. The driver of the truck has been arrested and the vehicle seized.

Tea meeting

Siliguri: The tripartite meeting between labour minister Anadi Sahu, stakeholders of tea industry and the state labour commissioner that was held in Calcutta on Monday ended without any results. The meeting was held to discuss the interim wage hike. Another tripartite meeting has been called on September 9, a trade union leader said.

One hacked

Jaigaon: Saroj Kalikotay, 40, of Chhetri Line in Dalsinghpara panchayat, was hacked to death on Sunday. Police said neighbours Bidhan Mangar and Manjit Rai have been arrested. The two had an altercation with Kalikotay over money which led to the murder, the police said. The duo were produced in the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Alipurduar on Monday and have been remanded in jail custody for 14 days.

From KalimNews: 15 Primary Teachers’ appointment is cancelled after the investigation. It includes  Anita Paul wife of the suspended District Primary School Board’s Chairman Mrinal Paul some of the sons and daughters of the Dist Primary School Board members and prominent CPM leaders . It also includes three sons and daughters of KK Jha a prominent CPM leader of Nagarkatta.

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award-2009 to Ms. Chandraprabha Aitwal for Life Time Achievement (PIB)

The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award-2009 to Ms. Chandraprabha Aitwal for Life Time Achievement, in a glittering ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhawan, in New Delhi on August 29, 2010. (PIB)

MEANWHILE

A protest rally against Gorkhaland agitation was brought by Amra Bangali in Siliguri declaring formation of Bangali Regiment.