Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024 | Last Update : 07:27 PM IST
Send four CRPF units to Hills, Calcutta HC tells government
The court made it clear that it would also take stern action if the Central and the state governments failed to tackle the unrest.
Kolkata: The Calcutta high court ordered the Centre to send and deploy four more companies of Central para-military forces in Darjeeling where violence has been a routine affair over the past one month amidst an indefinite shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) demanding Gorkhaland.
On Friday, a division Bench of acting chief justice Nishita Mhatre and justice Tapabrata Chakraborty directed the Centre to deploy four more Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies within next 48 hours. It also instructed the state government to deploy additional forces in the Hills. The Bench made it clear that it would also take stern action if the Central and the state governments failed to tackle the unrest.
When the hearing got underway, counsel of the Centre Koushik Chanda submitted an affidavit stating that the replacement of the female contingent of central forces with an all male CRPF contingent did not arise as women were equally competent to perform their duty.
He underlined that there was no need to replace the Sashastra Seema Bal troops with the CRPF. State advocate general Kishore Dutta countered him. He argued that the Centre was in no mood to give importance to the turmoil in Darjeeling. Ramaprasad Sarkar, a lawyer who filed a public interest litigation at the high court, pointed out that the unrest in the Hills has completed a month but there was no let-up of violence.
The acting chief justice expressed her concern over the shutdown, which has thrown public life out of gear while ordering the Centre to deploy more force. Mr Sarkar added, “The bench asked the Centre to deploy additional four companies of CRPF within 48 hours to restore peace.”
Meanwhile a railway protection force (RPF) office, a state police outpost and a state-run library were torched by angry GJM activists in the Hills.
The RPF office at Kurseong and the police outpost in Sukhiapokhri were set on fire in the wee hours of the day. The library at Mirik sub-division was torched late on Thursday night.
The Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) decided to postpone its fast-unto-death programme from July 15 due to the upcoming Presidential elections. It will hold an all-party meeting on July 18 to decide the next course of the Gorkhaland movement.
