Arrest warrant issued against Bimal Gurung

An arrest warrant against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung and seven others has been issued.

According to the reports, the warrant has been issued in the wake of the unrest created in Darjeeling on June 8 when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had held a cabinet meeting in the hilly city.

Earlier, on September 1 the police issued a lookout notice against the GJM chief for his alleged involvement in various cases, including a bomb blast in Kalimpong police station, in which a civic volunteer was killed.

This comes right after the expulsion of the party assistant general secretary Binay Tamang and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) member Anit Thapa for violating the party line.

On Thursday, a section of the GJM's central committee met in Kurseong and decided to suspend the indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling and Kalimpong till September 12, when the Hills parties would be meeting West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Siliguri for a second round of talks.

But, the suspension of the shutdown resulted in turmoil and confusion within the GJM as another group, apparently with party president Bimal Gurung's blessings, removed Tamang from the post.

A delegation of the GJM leaders met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on August 29 and submitted a memorandum demanding a judicial inquiry into the deaths caused due to the police action.

The meeting was also attended by other hill parties like the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Jan Andolan Party (JAP).

Accord to the reports, the TMC chief said that the meeting was held on a positive note and was cordial.

"It's the beginning of a dialogue process. We are happy we have been able to sit across the table. We have requested them to withdraw the strike since it's causing a great hardship to the people," Mamata had said.