After the clashes on June 17, in which three supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha were killed in police firing and many others injured, an indefinite strike was announced in the hills of Darjeeling. The renewed demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland left the tourists scurrying home, while all commercial establishments and educational institutions shut down. Vehicles also stayed off the roads. Instead of the packs of tourists, the hill streets now only had khaki-clad security forces marching on them.
The strike caught us by surprise. Earlier bandhs for Gorkhaland were announced in advance and people stocked up. This