Centre orders withdrawal of 1,000 paramilitary personnel from Darjeeling

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed that the Centre will be withdrawing seven companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and three companies of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), that are deployed in Darjeeling and Kalimpong from October 16.

However, a notification from the MHA said that the remaining five companies of the CRPF will continue in the Hills to aid the police force till October 20.

Since the unrest that began in June 12, companies of CRPF and the SSB were called in by the state government.

Although, earlier in the day, expelled Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Binay Tamang had requested for Centre's intervention in Darjeeling hills during his meeting with West Bengal Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi at Raj Bhawan, Kolkata.

"The issues related to the series of bomb blast and the recently recovered arms and ammunition in the Darjeeling Valley have been appraised in meeting. We have requested the Governor to appraise the Centre about the same", said Tamang in a press conference after the meeting.

The former GJM leader said, "We want to talk to the Centre regarding the matter and want their intervention in the area as it is a sensitive area."

"We want the central government to talk about all pending issues as well as the Gorkhaland issue," added Tamang.

In the last few months, Darjeeling has been witnessing indefinite shutdown over separate Gorkhaland by various hill parties which have been spearheading the agitation, including the GJM activists.