Morcha supporters (top) place flowers on the coffins of Vicky Lama and Bimala Rai in Jalpaiguri; and a rally brought out by ex-servicemen in Darjeeling on Wednesday. Pictures by Biplab Basak and Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Feb. 9: Thousands of people today took to the streets of Darjeeling, breathing a fresh lease of life to the Gorkhaland agitation a day after two Gorkha Janmutki Morcha supporters, a teenager and a young woman, were killed in police firing in the Dooars.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri was quick to cash in on the participation count to draw a parallel with the people’s movement in Egypt. “People in Egypt are pitching tent at the protest site to dethrone a 30-year-old regime. In Darjeeling, too, our people have come out on the streets and we will carry on with our agitation for Gorkhaland. The issue of the interim set-up is a closed chapter,” said Giri while addressing the crowd. He said a similar rally would be organised in Darjeeling at 11am tomorrow.

With the statehood agitation intensifying, the hill town was deserted of tourists. “There were very few tourists this time and all have left. But we saw some six foreigners in town. Even during previous strikes some bag packers always preferred to stay back and hike around town. Till date the longest strike in the hills have been for a week and there have always been breathers when such tourists leave,” said a hotelier.

At Chowk Bazaar, Giri thundered: “There is no government which can withstand public pressure. We will see for how long the state can deny us statehood when the entire people of the region are for a separate statehood.” He appealed to the people not to desert the peaceful path of agitation. “We also demand a CBI inquiry into the Sibchu incident.”

In Kalimpong, the Janmukti Secondary Teachers’ Organisation, the Gorkha Primary Teachers’ Organisation and Janmukti Karmachari Sangathan, all affiliated to the Morcha, have demanded a judicial probe into the Sibchu firing in which two Morcha supporters were killed. In separate letters to the National Human Rights Commission and the state governor today, the co-ordination committee of the three organisations accused the state government of violating human rights by resorting to indiscriminate firing on unarmed and peaceful protesters. “The incident is a gross violation of the Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, which bestows upon every Indian citizen the right to life,” the letters said.

Back in Darjeeling, the crowd cheered as a group of war veterans started a padayatra to Siliguri. K.M. Rai, a war veteran who had served in 1962, 1965 battles with China and Pakistan and the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation, said: “There is no way of turning away from Gorkhaland and we are undertaking this padayatra to demand a state of out own. The march is for our children and for our people.”

Sagar Rai, 58, who had fought the Kargil War and was part of the padayatra consisting of 56 ex-servicemen, said: “We have come out to protest against the atrocities of the state government, which is trying to scuttle our democratic movement.”

The war veterans will camp near Sonada, 23km from Darjeeling, today followed by overnight halts at Kurseong and Tindharia, to reach Darjeeling More in Siliguri on Saturday.

After a chaotic Tuesday evening, the hills remained largely peaceful apart from a stray incident of violence in Pulbazar. “The house of a local CPM leader was attacked at Pulbazar this evening,” said Darjeeling police chief D.P. Singh.

The rest of the region, however, remained peaceful.

A .303 rifle and 30 live cartridges were stolen by arsonists who burnt down a police outpost at Singla on the Darjeeling-Sikkim border last night, said SP Singh.