After a lull for about five months, the Gorkhaland movement faced its first severe backlash from plains of dooars in Jalpaiguri District where Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) supporters were confronted by anti-Gorkhaland supporters of Akhil Bharatiya Adivashi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) in Malbazar and Nagrakata (about 22Km from Malbazar) on 16th Jan’09.
The clash between the supporters of GJM and ABAVP started when 5000 Morcha supporters, who took out a procession defying Sec 144 Cr.PC, came face to face with large group of Adivasis from opposite direction in Malbazar. In Nagrakata anti-Gorkhaland mob attacked two Gorkhaland supporters on mobike and set the bike on fire.
At the Gorubathan Health Center over a hundred people were treated for various injuries. Some 25 agitators- with major injuries- on both sides, were referred to district and block hospitals in Siliguri, Kalimpong and Darjeeling. The severely injured included Abinash Gurung of Morcha and Rajesh Mahato of Adivasi outfit.
The Adivasi outfit, which has been opposing the Gorkhaland demand to include dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland state, had called a strike in Doors on 16th Jan’09 to thwart a pro-Gorkhaland meeting in Nagrakata and had also set up roadblocks on two major entry points in Dooars.
Darjeeling too was shut down after the news spread about the clashes and Morcha General Secretary Roshan Giri informed that the Bandh would continue up to Saturday evening.
Police arrested 10 peoples including a Morcha leader with a gun. Sunil Pradhan, a GJM youth leader from Kalimpong was booked under the arms act. According to K.L.Tamta, the Inspector General of police, 25 policemen were injured in the clashes and a police jeep was set on fire.
Rajesh Lakra, the Adivasi leader blamed the police for not preventing Morcha supporters from entering Jalpaiguri district. Roshan Giri however blamed the police for “using the Adivasis for attacking the Morcha.”
Malbazar has a population of about 25000 of which Adibasis (scheduled castes and tribes) comprises about 6000 and gorkhas about 4000, rest all being caste Bengali.