The burnt car in the Nagrakata police station on Thursday. Picture by Biplab Basak

Lataguri, June 12: A 72-year-old Calcuttan today recounted how a group of alleged Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters armed with daggers burnt down his hired car while he and other tourists were returning from the Chapramari forests to Lataguri yesterday evening.

Bimal Nandan of Bhowanipore had to walk 3km through the jungle in the dark to take shelter in the Khunia forest beat office. “It was a terrifying experience,” he said.

The elderly man was the only one in a group of 12 tourists staying at Tapoban Resort in Lataguri — nine of them had gone to the Chapramari forests, 65km from Siliguri — who was willing to talk about the ordeal. The others were too scared to come out of the resort.

“Around 6pm, seven of us were travelling in a Bolero and another car with more tourists was ahead of us. When we reached Khunia More, a few youths started throwing stones at the two vehicles,” said Nandan.

“The driver of the first car, though injured, managed to drive away but we were caught. The youths had daggers. The windows and windshield were shattered. We got off and pleaded with them with folded hands to let us go, but they set the Bolero on fire.”

All the passengers, including two elderly couples from Calcutta — Saroj and Indira Sinha and Amal and Sulekha Ghosh — suffered cuts from shards of glass.

They walked to the beat office and were given shelter by the forest staff. “We were taken to the Mangalbari health centre and I returned to the resort around 10pm,” said Nandan.

The manager of the resort, Bikash Bose, said: “In the first car, Sharmishtha Das, Tapash Pal and two other women were injured.”

The incident has created an atmosphere of fear in Lataguri. No one is ready to venture outside the town. “We cancelled our trip to Jaldapara sanctuary today. We hope to board Kanchankanya Express on Saturday,” said Nandan.