Jaswant Singh (left) files nomination before the district magistrate in Darjeeling on Thursday. (Suman Tamang)

Darjeeling, April 9: The legendary war cries of the Gorkha community, “Jai Jai Kali Mahakali, Ayo Ayo Gorkhali”, reverberated across Darjeeling as Jaswant Singh, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-backed BJP candidate, filed his nominations for the hill seat today.

Accompanied by Singh’s wife Sheetal Kumari, his close aide Ram Krishna, Morcha chief Bimal Gurung and BJP district president G.S. Yonzone, the 70-year-old leader filed his nomination at 11.20am.

The leader clad in navy blue safari suit and cap started from the hotel, where he was staying, with just three cars. However, he stopped his vehicles 50 meters from the district Magistrate’s office where he was greeted by Gurung.

A rally of the ex-servicemen, which was also proceeding towards the district magistrate’s office to “observe a black day” to protest against the lathi-charge on former soldiers at Siliguri a year ago, too, joined Singh and Gurung.

Young boys and girls clad in the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) tracksuits formed a human chain to allow Singh a smooth passage. As Singh headed a rally of about 200 people, the war cries by the ex-servicemen rent the air.

With the process of filing papers to contest the elections over within 10 minutes, Singh said: “I am elated and feeling humble after filing the nomination. It will be great to work for the citizens and the great people of this land and country.”

Asked about her reactions, Kumari said: “Feeling nice. He has filed nominations so many times. Coming from the dessert, its nice to be here.”

Even after Singh left, the ex-servicemen continued to hold the demonstration in fr-ont of the magistrate’s office. Col. (retd) D.K. Dikshit, the general secretary of the Bharatiya Gorkha Bhutpurba Sainik Morcha, said: “Today is a black day for all the ex-servicemen. It was on this day last year that our people who had served the country were lathi-charged by the state police.”

The ex-serviceman alleged that the rally had been stopped near Darjeeling More despite having permission to go to Siliguri. “The police force, instead of providing protection and security to the rally, was fully prepared to unleash mayhem at the behest of Asok Bhattacharya (Bengal urban development minister),” said Dikshit.

Dikshit has demanded a CBI inquiry into the lathi-charge. “We had made the demand earlier too, but the state government appointed the principal secretary, M.L. Meena, to probe the incident. But his report has not yet seen the light of the day,” said Dikshit.