2 GJM leaders, their kin off electoral rolls

The Darjeeling district administration has struck off the names of two senior most Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders, Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri, from the electoral rolls. The names of their family members have also been deleted.

The administration had pasted notices outside the houses of Gurung, Giri and other absconding GJM leaders in March, asking why their names should not be struck off.

Both Gurung and Giri have been on the run since July last year after they were slapped with sections under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Gurung had led the agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of north Bengal hills. The agitation included a 104-day general strike in the hills that resulted in the loss of 13 lives including that of a police officer.

A rival faction of the GJM, led by Binoy Tamang, who is close to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, is now running the semi autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, of which Gurung was the chief executive before he became untraceable.

“Striking off names of those who are dead, who have permanently shifted to other places and who are untraceable, from electoral rolls is a routine process (as part of the summary revision),” said Joyoshi Dasgupta, Darjeeling district magistrate and also the election officer. “Proclaimed absconders are also not eligible.”

The names of a few hundreds have been deleted from the rolls.

She confirmed that the names of about a dozen people on the run have also been deleted. “Names of Asha Gurung, Bimal’s wife, and their two children were also struck off,” said an officer of the administration.

Incidentally, on June 21, Dasgupta wrote to the state education department alleging that Annapurna Gurung, Bimal’s daughter, had used the Class 10 ICSE board exam results of one of her batchmates from Nepal to secure admission in Class 11 because she had failed the test.

After the police put up the notice and raided Giri’s house, his mother Deepa alleged conspiracy and said the police also took away computers and files.

ECI directives say that a person absent from his address for long periods and is not available to, or traceable by, the police and the agencies entrusted with the task of execution of non-bailable warrants, if any, can be presumed to be not a resident at that address, and struck off the list by the electoral registration officer.

SILIGURI: