The former Vice Chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), Lopsang Lama, was arrested by the police from the Bengal- Bihar border at Khoribari near Siliguri. A police source said that Mr Lama was involved in various cases during the recent bout of agitation, while he was specifically wanted on in a case on 17 June 2017 when the Jaldhaka police station was attacked and two police vehicle were torched.
“He has been booked for these incidents,” the source said. Mr Lama is a GTA member of the No-44 Jaldhaka- Todaytangta constituency in Kalimpong district. It is learnt that he had all the way refused to join the Binay Tamang-Anit Thapa faction of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) and that he has been a “full-fledged supporter” of Morcha leader Bimal Gurung.
While Mr Lama was taken for medical examination from the police station here today, reporters quickly had a word with him where he said, “I was on duty. Still, I was arrested. I was going for a school inspection after returning from Delhi yesterday, I was arrested from the border of Bengal and Bihar.
I had no police case, and I don’t know why they arrested me.” Mr Lama was later taken to the Kalimpong ACJM court today, which sent him in four days’ police remand. Sources said that the police had sought a seven-day remand, but that the court allowed only for 4 days. The court also registered cases against him under sections 188/147/148/ 149/153/506 of the Prevention of Damag