Dagapur (Siliguri), Feb. 19: Subash Ghisingh spent the day taking “leisurely walks” and resting but his opponents kept vigil on the roads leading out to Darjeeling, vowing to thwart his return to the hills.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation against Ghisingh, eventually lifted a blockade near the cottage where he is staying in Pintail, near Siliguri.

But over 3,000 supporters of the Morcha are keeping watch at different points.

The Morcha has called an indefinite bandh in the hills from tomorrow to force the ouster of Ghisingh as the caretaker administrator of the council that runs Darjeeling.

But a group of residents today appealed to the organisation to shun the politics of bandh. The residents regretted that contrary to assurances given by Morcha president Bimal Gurung, the party has been using the same forms of protest employed by Ghisingh’s GNLF earlier.

Metres from the GNLF chief’s cottage, Morcha supporters demonstrated for several hours, accusing him of “duping hill people”.

The protesters could have conveyed their feelings to the him in person had the demonstration started 15 minutes before.

Around 10.45am, Ghisingh had stepped out of the bungalow for a stroll and to “inspect the campus to see how it could be developed”.

The GNLF-controlled Darjeeling municipality denied having threatened to stop supplying water and clearing garbage. “We are not being able to clear garbage or supply water because of the Morcha strike,” chairman Pema Yolmo said.