GJM leader arrested in Darjeeling, BJP criticises move

A GJM leader, Kaziman Lohagun, was arrested in Darjeeling for allegedly supplying arms to miscreants, prompting its ally BJP to criticise the move today.
Lohagun, also a member of the Darjeeling hill council, Gorkha Territorial Administration, was arrested from Bijonbari yesterday on charges of supplying arms to five persons, Superintendent of Police A K Chaturvedi said.
He was sent to five days' police remand by the Darjeeling district sessions court yesterday.
Reacting to the arrest, senior BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh today accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of vindictiveness.
"The arrest shows the vindictive attitude of the TMC regime as they have lost the prestigious seat to BJP. We demand immediate release of Lohagun," Singh said in Kolkata.

"The case against Kaziman Lohagun is completely false and politically motivated. It will disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the Darjeeling hills," Singh said.

He said the Trinamool Congress was not only attacking BJP in the state, but also its allies such as GJM.
The police officer said that the GJM leader was arrested for supplying arms to five persons, who had been arrested and sent to judicial custody earlier.
The five persons had allegedly threatened nine farmers who had demanded that their land acquired for a water sports complex at Jamune, around 18 km from Darjeeling, be returned to them as they had not been paid, Chaturvedi said.

Earlier, District Magistrate Puneet Yadav had clamped Section 144 of the CrPC on the acquired land about a month ago, which was challenged by the GTA.
The Tourism Department of GTA had filed a petition in court against the promulgation of prohibitory orders, but the court upheld the DM's order.