RPF office, police outpost, library set ablaze in Darjeeling
Darjeeling (WB): A Railway Protection Force (RPF) office, a police outpost and a state-run library were set on fire in the Darjeeling hills as the indefinite strike demanding a separate state entered its 30th day on Friday, police said.
As unrest simmered, internet services remained suspended for the 27th day.
The RPF office in Kurseong and a police outpost in Sukhiapokhri were set afire in the early hours of the morning on Friday while the state-run library in Mirik sub-division was reduced to ashes by pro-Gorkhaland supporters on Thursday night, a police official said.
The Army continues to be deployed in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sonada.
The Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) decided to postpone its fast-unto-death programme from July 15 due to the upcoming presidential elections.
"We have decided to postpone the programme of fast-unto-death as presidential elections are nearby. We'll take a call on it at our next all-party meeting on July 18," a GMCC member said.
The 30-member GMCC represents all hill based parties, including the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Jana Andolan Party (JAP).