West Bengal govt to keep GJM out of all-party meet

RESTORING NORMALCY: Security forces conduct a flag march in Siliguri on Friday.

Other stories in the section:

Darjeeling tense after killing of GJM supporter

Urmila Sharma of the GJM's women's wing was shot dead on Friday.

• Gorkha group in Delhi, suspends Darjeeling bandh
• Storm in the tea cup as Darjeeling engulfed in turmoil

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• Darjeeling tense after killing of GJM supporter
• Gorkha group in Delhi, suspends Darjeeling bandh
• Storm in the tea cup as Darjeeling engulfed in turmoil

Keywords: Bandh, West Bengal

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has decided to keep the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) out of the all-party meeting called to resolve the Gorkhaland crisis on June 17.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has invited Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung for talks on June 18.

Also the 48-hour bandh called in Siliguri by anti-Gorkhaland activists has been withdrawn from 1400 hrs IST in the afternoon from Friday.

The decision was taken after the groups - Amra Bangal, Bangla Bhasa

Prachar Samiti and Janajagaran Manch - met district authorities on Thursday evening.

Shops and other establishments also opened and 22 battalions of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order. They also conducted flag marches in violence-hit areas of the city.

The Army has also been kept on stand by.

In the hills of Darjeeling, however, the 60-hour relaxation in the indefinite bandh called by the GJM will end at 1800 hrs on Saturday.

The GJM leaders are scheduled to meet on Friday afternoon to decide their future course of action. They have assured that the bandh won't affect essential services and education institutions in the hills.

Superintendent of police, Darjeeling, Rahul Srivastava told PTI that the situation was normal with no one restricting the movement of vehicles in the town and trucks loaded with food items and other essential commodities moving towards the hills freely.

Srivastava said of the six companies of CRPF, some were deployed in the town and the rest were sent to Malbazar in Dooars region of Jalapaiguri district, which too had witnessed violence between rival groups on Thursday.

The GJM has been demanding for a separate state of Gorkhaland and has unleashed largescale violence in the Darjeeling hills and in different parts of north Bengal.

(With inputs from agencies)