The gherao outside the DM’s office. (Suman Tamang)

Darjeeling, Feb. 6: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters today confined the Darjeeling district magistrate and other government officials in their offices across the hills for over four hours to press for six demands that the hill outfit had already placed before the government.

The gherao was lifted at all offices about 5.45pm when district magistrate Surendra Gupta met a Morcha delegation and informed them that he had sent a report on the demands to the government. He also said four Morcha supporters picked up for the January 16 violence in Malbazar — Nagen Sewa, Sampen Lepcha, Rajiv Thapa and Hari Rai — had been released. Gupta had been confined to his office since 1.15pm.

Twenty-two Morcha supporters are on an indefinite hunger strike at Gorubathan to press for the same set of demands. “The condition of these Morcha supporters is deteriorating everyday. We will confine the officials till we receive a positive response,” said David Rai, the president of the Janmukti United Labours’ Welfare Organisation, earlier in the afternoon. He added that the government would be held responsible if anything happened to those on hunger strike.

The Morcha supporters started shouting slogans outside the various block development offices from 11am and followed it up by submitting memorandums to the BDOs.

Around the same time in Darjeeling, the party brought out a rally. Gupta was not at his office then. However when he came in at 1.15pm, about a 100-odd rallyists were there on the office premises. After Gupta entered his chamber, members of the Nari Morcha squatted on the corridor and did not allow him to leave.

“The office has been gheraoed and movement has been restricted. I have informed my higher authorities,” Gupta had said around 4pm.

With the talks between chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Morcha chief Bimal Gurung remaining inconclusive in Calcutta on February 4, today’s gherao was a desperate attempt to pressure the government into fulfilling the party’s demands.

Gurung has demanded that the government should provide protection to all Morcha supporters in the Dooars. He also wants the arrest of the 14 Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Parisad leaders who had allegedly led the attack on his supporters in the Dooars, release of all Morcha activists who have been “framed” in the Dooars clashes and compensation for properties damaged at that time.

The hill party wants to hold rallies in the plains and wants the government to reopen the 12 closed gardens of the Dooars.