Bhanu Bhavan violence case: GJM Delhi chief Manoj Sankar arrested by CID, brought to Kolkata

West Bengal CID on Wednesday arrested GJM Delhi president Manoj Sankar from his residence in Safdargunj Enclave area of New Delhi. (Representational image)

The West Bengal CID on Wednesday arrested Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Delhi president Manoj Sankar from his residence in Safdargunj Enclave area of New Delhi, in connection with the Bhanu Bhavan violence case. On June 9, GJM supporters had clashed with police outside Bhanu Bhavan in Darjeeling, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was holding a Cabinet meeting. Police had booked GJM chief Bimal Gurung, among others, in the incident.

“He (Sankar) has been arrested in connection with the Bhanu Bhavan case. He will be brought here on transit remand,” ADG (CID) Rajesh Kumar told The Indian Express. Sankar is expected to reach Kolkata at around 11 pm on Wednesday, and will be produced in court on Thursday. CID sources said that while Sankar was not among those named in the FIR, filed at Sadar police station, he was wanted in connection with the case. They alleged Sankar had provided financial support to Gurung during the 104-day indefinite strike in the Hills for the formation of a separate Gorkhaland.

“He was in touch with all top personalities of Delhi who are in favour of Gorkhaland. He had also been in contact with people in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for funding,” a top CID officer told The Indian Express. Sankar was also allegedly attempting to aid the Gorkhaland movement by recruiting people from areas such as North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda in the state. The arrest comes a day after Gurung had criticised the West Bengal government for directing a CID probe into the death of sub-inspector Amitabha Malik. Malik was killed in a forest near Sirubari area of the Hills, in a gunfight with alleged supporters of Gurung.

In an audio message sent from an undisclosed location, Gurung said 11 Gorkhaland supporters had died in the violence outside Bhanu Bhavan, and demanded that the probe be handed over to the CBI. He alleged that the CID probe was a conspiracy by the state government against him and the GJM. A month earlier, a West Bengal CID team had arrested three senior GJM leaders — Dhan Kumar Pradhan, Tilak Chandra Roka and P T Ola — in connection with the same case.