The Indian home ministry has ordered withdrawal of as many as 1,000 paramilitary personnel, including 300 women, deployed in Darjeeling to maintain law and order during the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state.
In a communication, the ministry said seven companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including three women companies, and three companies of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel would be withdrawn from Darjeeling from Monday.
5 additional companies of the CRPF will be in the hills to assist the state police force. The situation in Darjeeling has improved in the past few weeks
One company of paramilitary comprises 100 personnel.
The paramilitary personnel were in deployment in the hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, an official said.
However, five additional companies of the CRPF will be in the hills to assist the state police force.
The situation in Darjeeling has improved in the past few weeks.
The Mamata Banerjee government had last month formed a nine-member board of administrators, headed by Binay Tamang, instead of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to look into the development works in Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
© PTI
GEOFFREY MACDONALD | BANGLADESH’s streets have again erupted with political violence. In early July, a university student protest began over Bangladesh’s job quota system that disproportionately benefits the descendants of Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war fighters, which many students view as unfair and outdated. Early last week, peaceful protests turned violent as police and ruling party…
LOOKEAST REPORT | POLICE and security officials in Bangladesh fired bullets and tear gas at protesters and banned all gatherings in the capital on Friday, as internet and mobile services were cut off after days of deadly clashes over the allocation of government jobs. The protests, which began weeks ago but escalated sharply on Monday,…
DR MANAS DAS | SOME say it is an anachronism. To some others it is a mere fancy project. A considerable few are not sure about the future of this renovated legacy and they fume at the brouhaha over it. But not many, in their senses, can dispute the glamour and pride associated with the…
LOOKEAST REPORT | INDIA and Bangladesh moved to bolster their defense relationship and signed agreements for expanding cooperation in maritime security, ocean economy, space, and telecommunication sectors, as New Delhi tries to present itself as a regional power. The agreements were signed during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India, the first foreign leader…
DR APARNA PANDE | INDIA’S diplomatic influence has grown significantly through 2023, attracting interest from countries worldwide looking to strengthen economic and strategic bonds with the South Asian nation. However, relations with its closest neighbors remain conflict–ridden and problematic. While its western neighbor Pakistan often captures international attention, its eastern neighbor, Myanmar (formerly Burma), is…
