SP  Kunal Agrawal

KURSEONG 9 MARCH: To maintain law and order situation in the restive Darjeeling hills, two companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will finally be deployed. Notably, yesterday, two companies of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and two platoon of Rapid Action Force (RAF) had reached Darjeeling hills and subsequently deployed at different places in Kalimpong and other areas in Darjeeling hills and now two more companies of the armed forces from the CRPF are going to be deployed in Darjeeling hills. The Darjeeling Superintendent of Police (SP), Mr. Kunal Agarwal confirmed the deployment of the CRPF in the hills in a day or two. 

He added that one company will arrive on the eve of 10 March and the other the day after. Addressing a press conference in Kalimpong in the evening today, Mr. Agarwal said that we have intimation from the Central Government that two companies of the CRPF is being sent to the Hills that will be confined to Darjeeling and Kalimpong. The two CRPF companies Bravo 50 and Echo 66 doing duty in West Midnapore are being sent to the hills to maintain peace and order. When asked why the CRPFs are being sent here Mr. Agarwal said that it is the directive of the Central Home Ministry to have the CRPFs sent here and its decision is taken by the Central Government themselves.

 As there has been intermittent violence and attacks as well as reports that political parties are not being able to organize their programs and their grievances that there is no democracy in the hills, hence keeping all these in mind such deployment is being done presently. The SP also informed that in connection with the 7 March attack on Trinamool Congress leaders, one Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) activist Dipesh Dahal mentioned in the FIR from Bong Busty has been arrested today and tomorrow he will be produced before the Court.

 Notably five persons have already been arrested on charges of the assault on TMC leaders and with today’s arrest in a raid the figure has gone up to six. Mr Agarwal said that the Darjeeling Range Deputy Inspector General(DIG) Ms Damayanti Sen visited Kalimpong to take stock of the law and order situation. Importantly for the past few months there has been sporadic incidents of violence in Kalimpong region and even before a day before the 7 March attack on TMC leaders there had been a murder of a woman and several robberies in Kalimpong. 

On the other hand, however the GJMM leadership insists that there has been ample democracy in the hills and the presence of CRPF in the region was not necessary but instead it is a political ploy of the State Government to put in fear in the minds of the peace loving people of the hills in order to suppress the demand of Gorkhaland.