Women supporters of the Morcha with ‘go back’ DM placards in Kurseong. (Vivek Singh)

Darjeeling, April 14: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has agreed to lift the ban on the district magistrate’s entry to the hills after a request from Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said: “We are happy that the governor has taken note of the treatment meted out to war veterans in Silguri.”

Gandhi had yesterday written to Bimal Gurung, the Morcha president, reminding him about the party’s promise to stick to the democratic path, apart from voicing his concern on the “distressful Siliguri incident” and his displeasure at the treatment meted out to ex-servicemen.

The Morcha had said it would not allow Rajesh Pandey, the district magistrate, to go back to Darjeeling ever since the lathicharge on the ex-servicemen’s rally. Gurung’s party had alleged that violence could have been avoided if the district magistrate had given permission for the rally.

B.L. Meena, the DGHC administrator, had convened a meeting at the circuit house here yesterday to break the deadlock but both sides ended up laying down conditions for each other. Gandhi’s letter reached Morcha after the meeting ended around 7.30pm.

“We will however stick to our demands and the indefinite closure of government offices (which started today) will continue,” said Giri.

The Morcha list of demands includes a judicial inquiry by a retired high court judge into the lathicharge. It also wants its supporters — 11 of them were arrested on that day — to be booked for bailable offences and the non-bailable charges dropped.

The Morcha wants Pradip Dutta, the deputy superintendent of Siliguri police, and Swapan Kumar Ghosh inspector in charge of Pradhannagar to be suspended for their handling of the situation. The fourth demand is that the Morcha should be permitted to hold political meetings in Siliguri and the Dooars.

The administrator on his part had said the Morcha demands would be looked into only after the district magistrate was allowed to go back to Darjeeling.

“Since there was a holiday today, I will convey the Morcha demands to the government tomorrow,” said Meena.

The Morcha said the government response was positive. “We would like to hold a meeting with the district magistrate and the Darjeeling police chief tomorrow,” said Giri. Pandey said he was ready to convene the meeting.