State writes to Centre for 10 CRPF companies for Darjeeling

The state government wrote to the Centre seeking 10 companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to tackle the ongoing unrest in the Hills.

The unrest resulted to the death of a truck driver when the vehicle was set on fire by the agitators on Wednesday. The state government announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh and a job to the next to the kin of the victim. Senior IPS officer, Raj Kanijia, DG (Home Guard), has also been sent to Darjeeling to assist his colleagues to tackle the situation in the Hills.

Surajit Kar Purkayastha, Director General of Police, held a press conference in Nabanna on Friday following the fresh trouble in Darjeeling. He said, at present there are seven companies of Seema Suraksha Bal including four women companies deployed in the Hills. "At present, no Army is deployed in Darjeeling and there is a need 10 companies of CRPF," he said adding that the state wrote to the Centre again for the same.

This comes on the day when the Calcutta high court directed the Union government's additional solicitor general to apprise the court on the Centre's stand on deployment of additional force in Darjeeling on July 4. Advocate General Kishore Dutta on Friday submitted before the division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice T Chakraborty that the state had sought for around 30 companies of Central forces and there is an immediate need to deploy at least 15 companies.

Aniket Chetri, the driver of the truck had received severe burn injuries in the incident. He succumbed to his injuries in SSKM Hospital on Friday.

Stating that the state government is always with the affected people, Purkayastha announced in Nabanna on Friday that a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh and a job will be given to the next to the kin of the victim.

He further said hooliganism is going on in Darjeeling. The police are working keeping their patience but they would take stringent measures as and when required.