Ghisingh in front of his residence in Darjeeling. Picture by Suman Tamang

Siliguri, March 16: GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh quietly left Siliguri for Darjeeling today, nearly a month after he was first prevented from entering the hills by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters protesting against the Sixth Schedule bill.

In that period, the once-undisputed lord of the hills had been dealt a double blow: Parliament sent the bill to cold storage and the Bengal government forced him to step down as the caretaker administrator of the DGHC.

This afternoon, around 12.30, a motorcade of five vehicles slipped out of the rest house of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL), Ghisingh’s home for the past 10 days, and disappeared towards the hills before anyone could get a wind of what was happening.

Ghisingh’s hosts were among those who did not have a clue. “We came to know late in the afternoon that Ghisingh has left for Darjeeling,” said Abhijit Moitra, the public relations officer of WBSEDCL in Siliguri.

Even Jalpaiguri police, who had been guarding Ghisingh at the rest house because it falls within their area, said they did not know of his departure until the last moment.

The operation was overseen by Darjeeling police.

“Ghisingh started from Siliguri around 12.30pm and reached his residence (at Jakir Hussain Road in Darjeeling) at 2.35pm,” said Rahul Shrivastava, the Darjeeling district police chief.

Shrivastava added that security arrangements have been made for the GNLF chief in the hills. “We have posted Mohan Chhetri, the deputy superintendent of police (town), to look after his security. I have also asked for central paramilitary forces in the hills to maintain peace.”

The Morcha, however, had said earlier that it would not prevent Ghisingh from coming to the hills once he resigned from his DGHC post.