GNLF Leader Dies In Fall After Road Rage Brawl In Kalimpong, One Arrested

A leader of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) from Kalimpong named Roshan Lama passed away on Monday after allegedly falling over a cliff following a fistfight. According to police sources, Lama, 58, was driving his personal vehicle on Monday night from Kalimpong town to his hometown of Mongsong, which is around 19 kilometers away. At Burmek Deorali, halfway between Kalimpong and Mongsong, around 8.30 p.m., he had a minor collision with a two-wheeler that resulted in a verbal altercation and a fistfight between Lama and a resident of Kalimpong's 16th Mile.

According to a source, "during the altercation, the accused Tshering Sherpa allegedly pushed Lama off the road that runs along a cliff." Then the sherpas left the area. Lama's family members hurried him to the Kalimpong district hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. Sherpa, a man in his late 20s, was detained by the police. In accordance with a court ruling, the accused has been detained and placed in judicial custody until the inquiry is finalized. The main witnesses won't be examined until after the burial because they can't make a statement right now, according to Kalimpong SP Aparajita Rai. On Wednesday, there will be a funeral.

Senior party officials, including GNLF President Mann Ghisingh and Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba, paid a visit to the grieving family. "We don't want to quickly politicize the situation, but we do want a fair investigation", added Ghisingh. Supporters of the GNLF also put up posters in Kalimpong requesting an impartial investigation. Prior to this, Lama served as the GNLF Kalimpong branch committee's assistant general secretary.

On the other hand, the Hamro Party's president, Ajoy Edwards, announced on Tuesday that he had begun making plans to file cases before the Calcutta High Court on numerous Darjeeling-related problems. According to Edwards, "We have begun making plans to file cases against the way teacher eligibility testing was conducted (by the GTA) and on the GTA chairman's relief fund raised from the general public." The TET was conducted by the GTA in 2021, however, the results have not yet been made public, ostensibly due to "technical issues."

The GTA raised Rs 2 crore in relief funds for the tea garden workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund was not used for that reason, though, because tea gardens continued to operate throughout the pandemic. The GTA is now considering using the funds to construct a Shramik Bhavan in Siliguri. According to Edwards, "The money was raised for a specific purpose, but there are currently plans to use it for another purpose." Additionally, the Hamro Party has demanded that the state election commission hold the long-overdue municipal elections in Kalimpong, Mirik, and Kurseong right away.