DARJ SHUTDOWN ENTERS 10TH DAY

DARJEELING: Protesters demanding Gorkhaland state continued to march through the streets here even as the indefinite shutdown called by the GJM in the Darjeeling hills entered its 10th day on Saturday.

People wearing the traditional Gorkha attire marched through the streets of Darjeeling on Saturday in support of Gorkhaland even as the indefinite shutdown in the hills entered its 10th day.

Internet services remained suspended and local cable channels remained blocked in certain parts of the hills.

Meanwhile, the family members of a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activist, who was allegedly killed in police firing on June 17, lodged a complaint against the police.

The police had earlier denied the allegation of opening fire at the GJM activists.

The GJM has decided to burn the copies of the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) Accord, signed in 2011 between the Union home ministry, the West Bengal government and the outfit, on June 26 and 27.

The elected members of the GTA, belonging to the GJM, which is leading the stir, resigned en masse on Friday.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung, who had surfaced in public on Friday, addressed the media at the party's stronghold at Patlebas and threatened to “fight till the end” for their one-point agenda of a separate Gorkhaland.

Meanwhile, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh denied that the saffron party had ever talked about Gorkhaland. “We had never talked about Gorkhaland. Didi (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) had signed the GTA accord. We are not in favour of creation of states on the basis of any linguistic group or community. We had said this earlier too,” he said. – PTI

Family members of a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activist, who was killed allegedly in police firing on June 17, lodged a complaint against the police. Police earlier denied allegation of opening fire