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The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) late on Wednesday evening, in an ugly turn of events resorted to violence, attacking city tourists and injuring eight of them. The GJM activists and supporters blocked the way of two groups of tourists from Kolkata near the Gorumara sanctuary and attacked them with choppers and iron rods. Among those injured are an elderly couple and four women.
The GJM had earlier on Tuesday smashed up tourist buses and pelted stones at them but without harming the tourists. However within 24 hours they have turned their movement for Gorkhaland violent. The incident has left many shocked and hundreds of tourists worried, who are still trapped in the hills. This happens to be the first ever attack on tourists in the 25 year old strife. In fact even when the Gorkhaland agitation was at its peak in the 1980’s, no individual was harmed, neither a local nor the question of harming tourists arose either.
The local administration has now clamped Section 144 at Malbazar after the attack. Tapas Das, DFO wildlife remarked that it is really shameful as never before have tourists been attacked in the past at Dooars. The 16 member team was returning from a trip to Chapramari forest in two cars when it ran into GJM activists at Khunia More around 6 pm. The GJM became furious that tourists were moving around despite the strike and started pelting stones at them. One of the cars however escaped the attack and sped away. This further angered the GJM men, who armed with iron rods and bhojalis started attacking those in the car after dragging them out of the vehicle. The car was set on fire by the activists and the tourists were left behind on the road, bleeding. The fellow tourists who had escaped on reaching their resort, informed the resort owner who informed the police and rescued the tourists from the spot. All of them are now admitted to a hospital in Lataguri.
