Explosives seized in Darjeeling hills, police claim GJM hand

Darjeeling Sep 8 (IANS) A large amount of explosives IED-making equipment and ammunition were seized from West Bengal s Darjeeling district on Friday and police claimed to have found links of numerous Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) activists in the case.

The seizure happened during a raid on an illicit explosives factory and some nearby residences in Darjeeling district s Limbu Basti area on Friday the state police said.

"We have seized a huge cache of explosives and IED making equipment from a factory in Limbu Basti during a raid " Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi said at a press conference.

"Apart from this some bomb making materials and bullet heads were recovered from the house of one Vishal Dumjan " the police officer added.

He said the police have found proof of involvement of some GJM leaders activists and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) members including GJM chief Bimal Gurung s personal assistant Deepen Male in the case.

However no one could be arrested during Friday s raid.

The police had busted another illegal explosives factory four days ago in Darjeeling s Lebong and seized large quantities of explosives there.

"According to the seizure the module used this factory and the factory in Lebong are inter-related. It seems the same person has been supervising the explosives manufacturing " the police officer said.

"We are suspecting that some locals who took training in the northeast are currently running these modules in the hills " he added.

Meanwhile a clash broke out between Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) activists and the police during a pro-shutdown rally in Darjeeling in the afternoon leading the police to baton charge and lob tear gas shells at the agitators to disperse them.

In a sudden escalation of violence on the 85th day of GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown in the hills the activists allegedly attacked the police with stones after their rally was stopped near Chawkbazar on Friday a police officer said.

"No permission for the rally was given by the administration. As a result they were stopped by police after a certain point " Chaturvedi said.

"When they resorted to violence we had to take necessary measures to push them back. Two of our officials got injured in the stone pelting " he added.

According to sources close to the GJM at least 8-10 activists were injured in Friday s incident.

--IANS
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