Darjeeling unrest: Civic police personnel killed in grenade attack in Kalimpong

A civic police personnel was killed and another injured after a hand grenade was hurled at Kalimpong police station tonight, police said, following a high intensity blast that shook Darjeeling early on Saturday.

The two incidents, a blast and hurling of the grenade at Kalimpong police station were the first such incidents since the indefinite shutdown to press for separate Gorkhaland state began over two months ago.

The hand grenade was hurled at the Kalimpong police station by unidentified miscreants around 11 pm, police officials said.

The intensity of the grenade blast killed a civic police volunteer and injured a home guard personnel, they said. “The grenade was thrown by unidentified miscreants at the police station. A civic police volunteer was killed on the spot. A home guard personnel received serious injuries”, Inspector General of Police, Darjeeling range, Manoj Verma said.

Read more: West Bengal floods: Met department forecasts heavy rain

The police and security personnel cordoned off the entire area after the grenade attack, a police officer said.

The grenade attack happened on the same day when a high intensity blast shook Darjeeling in the early hours on Saturday.

The blast took place near the motor stand in the Darjeeling’s Chowkbazar area. Though there was no reports of any casualty several shops were destroyed in the blast. The site of the blast was only 200 meters from the Darjeeling Sadar police station.

The police had accused the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) of being involved in the early morning blast. The GJM leadership denied the allegations and said police were trying to malign the democratic movement for Gorkhaland.

“The allegations are completely baseless. The blast is the handiwork of those who do not want Gorkhaland state to be formed. We feel that a high level inquiry committee should be formed comprising NIA officials to bring out the truth”, GJM supremo Bimal Gurung had said.

Read more: Gorkhaland protest: Hunger strike will be lifted after talks, says GJM

Additional Director General (law and order) Anuj Sharma had said cases will be filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Gurung and other GJM leaders. “We have already started the investigation. The forensic team has visited the spot”, Sharma told PTI.