Indian police on Thursday charged Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) party leader Bimal Gurung and his wife with involvement in a murder and in arson, after the party warned of escalating violence as tensions rise in Darjeeling.
The picturesque hill station has been reeling from deadly separatist unrest that has forced shops and businesses to shut and caused tourists to flee.
As the violence escalated sharply last Saturday, police said one man died as protesters torched cars and set upon security forces with knives, who responded with tear gas and baton charges.
“Police have lodged a case against Bimal Gurung and his wife Asha for their alleged involvement in violence, arson and killing of a person during clashes,” Inspector General Anuj Sharma told reporters.
“The investigation is on,” he added.
The GJM is a separatist party that has long called for a new state of “Gorkhaland” to be carved out of West Bengal, claimed three of their men were shot dead by security forces in the clashes, which police have denied.
“Three of our supporters were killed and they are filing cases against us,” GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said.
“Cases should be lodged against the police and state administration for violating human rights and killing,” he told reporters.
The GJM has warned its indefinite strike called earlier this month could degenerate into more violence.
The separatist movement gave local schools 12 hours to evacuate their students and shut down yesterday.
Except school buses, no other vehicle would be allowed to leave the area during the 12-hour “window,” Gurung told reporters on Wednesday.
The hills surrounding the city are famous for Darjeeling tea, the production of which is jealously guarded.
It is also famed for its “toy train” — a 78km uphill ride from New Jalpaiguri.
Dozens of people including police have been injured in the riots, which have rattled the area for nearly two weeks.
The latest violence was sparked by a government proposal to teach the Bengali language in schools in the predominantly Nepali-speaking area.
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