Mamata Banerjee warns of stern action against GJM supporters, says situation in Darjeeling under control

Darjeeling: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday came down heavily on the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and warned the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters of stern action even as the Left Front has demanded an all-party meet on the hill issue.

The CM said Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has failed to carry out any development work in the Hill and now when their term is scheduled to be over next month, they have started torturing the public.

"Government was soft and had given them all kind of support but now government will be very tough after what happened yesterday. The government will not tolerate all these," she said.

"What happened in Darjeeling yesterday is so abhorrent that it cannot be described in words. In spite of that, Darjeeling is peaceful; I wish the people of the hills remain happy and peaceful," said Banerjee.

Attacking those who were indulging in activities aiming to create chaos in the area, Mamata added that such incidents only crept up when elections are around the corner in the state.

"This year more than one lakh tourists have come to Darjeeling - both from other states and other countries. One can only stage such protests during this time, if one is bereft of good ideas. For this reason, people are very angry with such protests," she said.

Meanwhile, situation continued to be tense in the hills on Friday even as no fresh incident of violence was reported after GJM supporters clashed with police, damaged police vehicles and set some of them ablaze on Thursday.

The 12-hour strike called by the GJM on Friday has almost stalled life in the hills with most of the shops, eateries and markets remaining closed and vehicles off the roads.

The Army has staged a flag march in Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Kurseong after angry GJM activists demanding a separate Gorkhaland state indulged in arson and pelted stones at police, injuring 15, in Darjeeling, on Thursday.

A defence ministry spokesperson said in Kolkata that six Army columns have been deployed -- three in Darjeeling, two in Kalimpong and one in Kurseong. Each column comprises of 43 personnel.

Three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have also been deployed to ensure peace.

The GJM supporters are protesting against the alleged imposition of Bengali in the schools of the hills. The agitation arose from an announcement made by Banerjee last week that Bengali would be taught compulsorily up to Class 10 in the state schools.