Tourists panic as GJM men take to streets; unrest continues in hills

DARJEELING: Tuesday’s general strike in the Hills, Terai and Dooars took an ugly turn in the morning after three SUVs packed with 15 tourists from Mumbai, including five children, headed to Siliguri from Darjeeling were stopped by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters at Kurseong, 29km from Darjeeling.
There was an altercation between the drivers and GJM supporters for nearly 30 minutes before a large contingent of police, led by Kurseong SDPO Pinaki Dutta, reached the spot and dispersed the mob.Two persons –– Amir Pradhan and Hemant Subba –– have been arrested, but police did not confirm they were GJM workers.
According to a senior police officer, the tourists had been told of the strike but they had decided to start from Darjeeling early to avoid trouble. They started shortly before 7am but by 8am, GJM supporters were on the road. Three Darjeeling-bound local North Bengal State Transport Corporation buses too were stopped midway.
Panicked, the tourists refused to reveal their identity to the media. “We had arrived on Thursday and were to leave later, but chose to do so on Tuesday due to the worsening atmosphere. All we want is to leave this place immediately. It is a nightmare,” said one, when the other tourists dragged him back telling reporters that they would not speak to the media.
Darjeeling has been witnessing a steady exodus of tourists since Thursday when GJM supporters clashed with police. The peak-season had ensured a steady tourist inflow which would have otherwise continued till June 15. “Though the tourists weren’t harmed, there were women and children in the group and they panicked,” the officer said.
Left red-faced, GJM leaders tried to pass it off as a minor incident. One of them said the partymen were actually trying to help. “The locals were telling the drivers not to take the Rohini route as there could be other pickets along the way,” one of the leaders said. Another member said the person who caused the problem was not known to GJM workers. “He was probably drunk. Before others could intervene, he was arguing with the drivers. By the time our workers restrained him, police arrived,” he said. “Picketers had stopped three tourist vehicles and a similar number of state buses,” Dutta said.