Gorkhaland agitation Day 30: Fresh violence in Darjeeling; RPF office, police outpost set on fire

Darjeeling: 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. [caption id=“attachment_3787469” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] 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 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 15 July 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 18 July”, a GMCC member told PTI. The 30-member GMCC represents all hill based parties, including the GJM, the GNLF and the JAP.