Bengal govt eyes Centre’s intervention in urging Sikkim to help arrest Gurung

West Bengal government has decided to lobby with the Centre to prevail upon the Sikkim government to cooperate with the Bengal police to arrest Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president, Bimal Gurung, who is believed to be hiding in the Himalayan state.

The Mamata Banerjee government and Pawan Chamling administration are locked in a bitter confrontation over GJM senior leaders such as Bimal and GJM youth wing leader Prakash Gurung and several others who have taken refuge in Sikkim.

Last week, police of South district of Sikkim prevented a team of Bengal police to bring back GJM supporters who were arrested from a spot near Namchi. Sikkim Police said that the Bengal team entered their state without any information and did not have any document to arrest

the GJM leaders. Murder charges have also been slapped at Namchi police station against the police superintendent of Kalimpong district and his men.

Incidentally, on Monday a Namchi court gave bail to Sabitri Rai, the GJM member who was arrested by Bengal police, said

defence lawyer Yanzee Pinasha. The order was a setback for the Bengal police that was locked in a bitter confrontation with the Sikkim Police when the latter prevented them to bring the arrested leader to Bengal.

The confrontation between the two states began on June 20 when the Sikkim chief minister shot off a letter to home minister Rajnath Singh expressing his support for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

The Bengal strategy, according to state government sources, will be two-pronged. First, the state will be writing to the Union government highlighting incidents of non-cooperation by the Chamling administration. Second, bureaucrats will hold regular parleys with the Sikkim and Central government.

The government, has decided to go by the rule- book before conducting any police action within Sikkim to arrest Gurung, following the Sikkim government’s allegations that the last police raid by Bengal police was without prior permission.

“The CID (north Bengal), Ashoke Prasad, has already written a letter to South Sikkim SP Pratap Pradhan seeking permission to conduct a raid at Namchi, where Gurung is believed to be hiding,” said an officer of the West Bengal home department.