‘Move for Gorkhland being quelled’

New Delhi: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung on Tuesday claimed in the Supreme Court that the West Bengal police had lodged false cases against its members to pressure (rpt pressure) them and suppress their movement for a separate Gorkhaland state.

However, the state police maintained that Gurung was absconding, not cooperating in the probe of cases lodged against him and playing “blatant politics”. A bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the court cannot go into the matter politically and has to look into the legal aspects of the case.

“We cannot go into it politically. We have to see legal issues,” the bench observed, adding “we cannot say anything on the issue which he (Gurung) has raised politically”.

Senior counsel A.M. Singhvi, representing the police, told the bench that Mr Gurung was facing trial in 23 cases and several other criminal cases were also registered against him.

He claimed that various serious incidents had taken place under Gurung’s leadership and a 26-year-old police official was also killed during the recent Gorkhaland agitation. “His defence is that these cases are false and sham. There are so many cases. 53 FIRs cannot be sham,” he said.

Senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, appearing for Gurung, countered the submissions and said 104 FIRs have been lodged against Gurung and other GJM members by the West Bengal police and the state government had made him a fugitive.

“He fears for his life. The West Bengal government has made him a fugitive,” he claimed and added that Gurung was seeking transfer of probe in these cases to other independent agencies like the CBI or the NIA.