Life normal in Doooars, Darjeeling remains paralysed

Darjeeling/Jalpaiguri (WB), Feb 13 (PTI) Life in theDarjeeling Hills was today crippled for the fifth day of theagitation for separate Gorkhaland, but vehicles plied normallyin the Dooars foothills after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)called off its indefinite bandh in the plains.

Tension prevailed in Kurseong of the Darjeeling Hillsas the body of Nita Khawas (22), who died of bullet wounds ata Siliguri hospital yesterday after getting injured at Sikchupolice firing on February 8, was taken out by GJM and crematedat Sitai, official sources said.

Besides Kurseong, where very few people other thanMorcha supporters ventured out, life remained paralysed inMirik, Kalimpong, Darjeeling town and elsewhere in the hillswith all shops downing shutters and passenger vehicles stayingoff the road, the sources said.

Life was, meanwhile, normal in all pockets of Dooarsin Jalpaiguri district, including Bagrakot, Banarhat,Jaldhaka, Chalsa, Meteli where the GJM-sponsored bandh hadevoked some response in the past four days, they said.

All shops and markets were open in the Dooars asvehicles plied normally.

In the hills, the relay hunger strike and other formsof agitations by the GJM, called in support of the demand forGorkhaland and CBI inquiry into the February 8 police firingat Sipchu causing the death of three Morcha supporters, wenton.

The GJM had lifted its indefinite strike in Dooarsand postponed the padayatra in the plains after a meeting withCentre''s interlocutor Vijay Madan yesterday.