Three local cable TV operators were today ordered to stop telecast in Darjeeling hills where the indefinite bandh called by the GJM to demand Gorkhaland entered the seventh day today with no relaxation for Eid.
Three GJM members were arrested during the day taking the total number of arrests to 148 in the hills, police sources said.
Among those arrested was Santosh Tamang, a leader of Gorkha Yuva Morcha. He was taken into custody from his home at Garidhura in Kurseong sub-division for 2011 cases of arson, damage to government property and for threatening people, the sources said.
The other two GJM members were arrested along with him.
Severe shortage of food was reported across the hills as a result of the bandh, sources said.
Vehicular traffic on the national highway 31A, the lifeline of Sikkim, was also hit, the sources said.
The condition of GJM supporter Purba Sherpa (32), a physically challenged person, who attempted self immolation yesterday, remained critical at the Darjeeling Sadar Hospital here.
Taking exception to the stoppage of telecast by three local tv channels, GJM president Bimal Gurung said "We will not be surprised if next telephone services are stopped. We will continue our agitation and will not enter into a dialogue with the West Bengal government," Gurung said.
Gurung said that he was not going to Delhi at the moment and that efforts were being made to fix a meeting with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
Darjeeling district Magistrate Soumitra Mohan told PTI at Kolkata from Darjeeling that three local cable TV operators in Darjeeling town were asked to stop telecast for failure to provide valid documents for operations following a routine inspection and dismissed the GJM allegation.
