Feb. 21: The rumbles in the Darjeeling hills are now within Subash Ghisingh’s earshot.

Eleven fasting Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters today posted themselves close to the GNLF leader’s bungalow in Pintail village, 3km from Siliguri, from 5.30pm.

Morcha members are opposing plans to impose Sixth Schedule status on the hills and demanding Ghisingh’s removal as caretaker administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

The Morcha has kept Ghisingh out of Darjeeling since February 18, the day he returned from Delhi.

More than 2,000 Morcha supporters headed for Siliguri this morning as the indefinite hunger strike entered the second day. Police intercepted 60 of them on the way and detained 51 on a Siliguri court campus. By 3.15pm, around 1,000 protesters had reached Darjeeling More in Siliguri, sneaking past the police cordon on National Highway 55.

After three rounds of talks with officials, the Morcha agreed to move away from Darjeeling More. Eleven people are now continuing their fast in Pintail while 10 others will take care of them.