SC urges Darjeeling's people to maintain peace and order

The Supreme Court on Friday urged the people of Darjeeling and Kalimpong to maintain peace and order as the Central government informed it that it has provided the West Bengal government with four more CRPF companies to deal with the violent agitation for separate Gorkhaland.

Urging the agitating people to maintain law and order, the bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar said: "Sustenance of law and order is the hallmark of progressive civilisation."

As the bench asked the state authorities to ensure the movement of transport and vehicles carrying essential commodities, Attorney General K.K.Venugopal said that the government has agreed to provide four more companies of the Central Reserve Police Force as directed by Calcutta High Court earlier in the day.

The court's appeal came in the course of the hearing of a plea by the Sikkim government seeking direction to the Central and West Bengal governments to ensure the movement of vehicles on National Highway 10 - the sole link between Sikkim and the rest of the country.

The court was moved by Sikkim's Chief Secretary A.K. Srivastav,ALok Sabha member P.D. Rai and Rajya Sabha's Hissey Lachungpa, who contended that West Bengal Police was not doing anything to protect the NH 10 and situation was deteriorating with every passing day.

The court also said that the CRPF companies being sent by the Centre to assist the State government in maintaining law and order would be deployed in Darjeeling and Kalimpong only.

--IANS

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