GJM chief Gurung, 17 others surrender in court, get bail

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) President Bimal Gurung was among 18 leaders who gave themselves up before a city court on Tuesday in connection with the murder case of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League Chief Madan Tamang.

The court, however, granted them bail.

The surrender followed the directions of the Calcutta High Court which had on December 14 accepted the anticipatory bail plea of 21 GJM leaders accused in the sensational case.

The Calcutta High Court division bench comprising Justices Ashim Kumar Roy and M.M. Banerjee had ordered the petitioners to surrender within December 21 before the Chief Judge of city sessions court here.

But three of the accused did not appear in the court on Tuesday.

The 18 persons who appeared got bail on bonds of Rs 10,000 each.

The accused have been barred from leaving the city without permission of the court till the charges are framed.

Tamang, a front-ranking Gorkha leader of Darjeeling hills, was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Darjeeling on May 21, 2010 while he was preparing for a public rally.

Initially probed by the state police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the matter was handed over to the CBI after prime accused Nicole Tamang disappeared from the CID's custody in August 2010.

The CBI had on May 29, 2015 filed a chargesheet indicting 23 GJM leaders including Gurung, his wife Asha Gurung, ex-GJM leader Harka Bahadur Chettri, GJM Assistant General Secretary Benoy Tamang, Pradeep Pradhan and hill development body Gorkha Territorial Administration Deputy Chief Executive Ramesh Allay. One of the accused is absconding and the other dead.

On June 6 last year a city court had issued the arrest warrants.

Gurung and the other GJM leaders then approached the Calcutta High Court seeking anticipatory bail.

--IANS

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