FROM NEWS.ONEINDIA.IN

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) In the wake of alleged involvement of armed party cadres in violence in West Bengal, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said the government does notsupport any individual taking arms in his hands as enforcementof law and order is its own responsibility.

“Government of India does not encourage or support anynon-state actor or non-state player enforcing law and order.

Enforcement of law and order is primarily and exclusively thefunction of the government,” he said.

He was replying to a question by a reporter on why thegovernment was allegedly adopting a double standard — on theone hand it “supported” the Salwa Judum movement in Chhattisgarh where villagers were given arms to defendthemselves from Maoists and on the other hand it opposed CPI(M) cadres taking arms in West Bengal.

Chidambaram said when the first time he was asked aboutthe Salwa Judum after he took over as Home Minister, he madeit clear in the Rajya Sabha that the Central government didnot encourage or support any non-state actor or non-stateplayer taking part in enforcing law and order.

“I said we don”t support any organisation — I said itmay be Salwa Judum, it may be any organisation, we don”tsupport any non-state actor or non-state players taking partin enforcing law and order,” he said.  Read the rest of this entry »

FROM KALIMNEWS

Khunia, 31 January: On the 14th day too Bimal Gurung and GJM is not allowed to walk through the Dooars area. No GJM supporter is also allowed to enter and assemble in and around Shibsu area and near Shibsu Community Hall the hunger strike venue. Today as usual seven GJNM women members participated in the relay hunger strike without any obstruction. Several thousands of GJM supporters gathered at Khumani near the barricade area and shouted slogans against the state government and state police. More and more youths are reinforcing in the Khumani GJM camps to support the GJM volunteers.

Bimal Gurung had started his Dooars Padyatra “Long March” on 18th January from Gorubathan but was stopped at various points and lastly at Samsing during the late afternoon of that day. On the 19th Gurung and Dr Harka Bdr Chhetri separately tried to enter the Dooars area bordering Darjeeling District from Kumai Chalsa Samsing area but were stopped by the Jalpaiguri police near Khumani. And from that very day Gurung is stationed there with a determination to enter Dooars. Though all are stopped at Khumani Gurung and some GJM members managed to sneak to Shibsu Forest Village area of Nagarkatta Dooars twice and cross a few hundred meters of the barricade once. Read the rest of this entry »

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE]

BY ARCHANA LWHRWNG RAI

The All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU) is holding a ‘Sit in Demonstration’ program at Dispur Lastgate, Guwahati on the1st day of the last winter assembly session of the Assam Legislative Assembly that is on 1st February 2011 Tuesday to press for AAGSU’s fundamental demand formation of the Gorkha Autonomous Council (GAC) on satellite basis in the geographical territory of Assam within the framework of Indian Constitution and various other demands that includes amicable solution of the disturbing border dispute, arrest inflation most importantly sky rocketing price of essential commodities , provide adequate security to lives and security of common man and etc. and other important state issues and in support of the proposed peace talks with all the extremists organization of Assam to restore peace and harmony in the state.

Nanda Kirati Dewan Information and Publicity in a media release informed correspondents and mediapersons at Gorkha Thakurbari that AAGSU’s same charter of demand will be placed before the Chief Minister through a memorandum that includes 15 demands besides the basic demand of formation of Gorkha Autonomous Council (GAC) with a copy to Mr. Parfulla Kumar Mahanta Leader of the Opposition and Speaker Mr. Tanka Bahadur Rai. Jagadish Khanal; President AAGSU told reporters that around 500 members of AAGSU will participate from across the state and 16 district units are participating. Shyam Shrestha; Office Secy AAGSU told this correspondent that a huge number of members of AAGSU of Greater Guwahati region is expected to turn up in the program. Being the first day of the last assembly session ahead of Assembly elections AAGSU will have a mileage to press for their demand in the assembly said Keshav Pandey, C-in-C Volunteer Cell. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Morcha supporters demonstrate in front of Darjeeling police station on Sunday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Another attempt by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters to move from Kumani to Sibchu in Jalpaiguri was thwarted today by police with the agitators claiming that they were baton-charged, a contention that was denied by the administration.

The Morcha supporters led by party president Bimal Gurung, who has been camping in Kumani in Kalimpong subdivision since January 19, have so far made two unsuccessful attempts to breach the police barricade on the Dooars border.

The first attempt was made on January 25, on the day the Morcha leadership met Union home minister, P. Chidambaram in Delhi.

Matters were peaceful at Kumani today where around 10.30am Morcha supporters led by Gurung observed the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Then around 300 Morcha supporters, including those from the Nari Morcha, suddenly headed towards the police barricade at Sibchu, 5km from Kumani.

A number of Nari Morcha supporters also sat on a relay hunger strike at a community hall in Sibchu, protesting the administration’s refusal to allow their party president to lead a padayatra through the Dooars to Jaigaon for Gorkhaland. Read the rest of this entry »