Police patrol Chowk Bazaar in Darjeeling during the bandh on Friday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Oct. 4: A day after Pradhan’s murder, a visibly shaken Opposition in the Hills united to condemn the murder as “unfortunate”, urging the government to take strict action before the violence skidded out of control in the hills.

Pradhan was the fourth leader to be mowed down since July, when Deo Chand Lama, son of former CPM leader Dawa Lama, was brutally killed near Bijanbari. Dawa Lama, then a member of the Gangata panchayat, had raised an accusing finger at the CPM. This was followed by the murder of the GNLF president of Lapchu bustee unit, Wazirman Tamang, on July 28. The murder was largely believed to be a fall-out of intra-party squabbles as a result of which Tamang was hacked to death in his residence late in the night.

The next day, Anand Rai, a gram panchayat member of Lebong-II, was killed in broad daylight in the heart of a bustling town.

And after each murder, Darjeeling Hills closed down for a few days.

R.B. Rai, general secretary of CPRM, the largest Opposition in the Hills, said: “It is time for the administration to take stern steps to prevent any more murders. Political parties should also take the initiative and try and severe their ties with anti-socials” he said. “The insecurity felt by the people grows by the day and the administration should wake up to it,” he added.

Pradhan is the second former president of the Darjeeling Branch Committee who had to face the bullet. Before him, Rudra Pradhan, who held the same rank, was gunned down in broad daylight in Darjeeling on March 28, 1999.

Terming the killings of his political rivals a murder of democracy, S.P. Lepcha, senior CPM leader, said it was sad that people were restoring to militant forms to settle disputes. Concerned about the easy availability of arms, mostly crude ones, in the hills, Lepcha said the administration should take care to reduce the gun flow.

The Congress (Hills) was also disappointed with the administration for its failure to maintain law and order in the hills. Dawa Narbula, president of Congress (Hills), said the situation was taking a “serious turn”.

Senior CPM district committee member Jibitesh Sarkar said: “We condemn the killing and urge the hill people to exercise restraint at this hour. Violence should not be countered by retaliatory tactic. The administration should take all necessary measures to bring the culprits to book.”

Darjeeling district Congress president (Plains) Shankar Malakar said: “The GNLF leaders should work together to pre-empt a spurt of violence. The incident was unfortunate and a concerted peace effort is the need of the hour.”

The Darjeeling district Trinamul Congress committee chairman, Pratul Chakrabarty, said: “We are shocked at the brutal murder of Pradhan. We don’t want violence to return to the hills. The police should be given a free hand to trace the killers who could be hiding in the vicinity.” The local unit of the BJP, too, condemned the killing and called for a united political resolve to stem the “crisis”.

The 24-hour bandh called by the ruling-GNLF in the Darjeeling hills to protest against Thursday’s murder passed off peacefully today. In Kurseong, the GNLF branch committee, which had earlier announced a 72-hour strike since last evening, now plans to call it off. “We will allow the vehicles to ply so that the people can pay their homage to beloved CK,” said Dawa Pakhrin, president, Kalimpong unit.

Uncertainty, however, persists over the time period of the Kalimpong bandh with a section of Pradhan loyalists planning to extend the bandh till Monday. The strike, otherwise, is supposed to be over on Sunday.

I.N. Pradhan, president, GNLF Kurseong branch committee, said: “We have decided to call off the strike to facilitate the movement of party supporters for the funeral.”