Over ten Gorkha Janmukti supporters were arrested when they burnt a motorcycle and a car at Rambi on the National Highway near, as a three-day bandh demanding Gorkhaland began in the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal on Monday.
The motorcycle and the car were burnt by Gorkha Janmukti supporters at Rambi on the National Highway 31, where they were picketing since 6 am when the shutdown began, police said.
The police intervened and arrested 12 GJM supporters, while the remaining fled from the picketing spot on the arterial highway, which connects West Bengal with Sikkim.
Darjeeling town wore a deserted look. Traffic remained off the roads and markets and offices were closed.
Superintendent of Police Kunal Agarwal said that stringent action would be taken over destruction of government property and that the police would ensure that the NH 31, Sikkim's lifeline, remains open.
District Magistrate Soumitra Mohan also said that strong steps would be taken in case of breakdown of law and order.
A thousand GJM supporters were picketing at Chowkbazar with party flags, while large gatherings of party supporters were also reported from Jorbungalow, Mirik, Sukhiapokhri, 9th Mile and 26th mile.
Roads were also barricaded by GJM supporters in the Kalimpong and Kurseong subdivisions.
Some foreign tourists still remained in the hills, while nearly 2,000 domestic ones left on Sunday, police said.
A few shops, which opened in the morning, closed down soon as there were no customers.
The GJIM has demanded that if the Centre agrees to the formation of Telangana, it should agree to the creation of Gorkhalans as well.
Recently, a six-member GJM team, headed by GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri, had gone to Delhi with the demand.
GJM President Bimal Gurung has also threatened to quit his post as the Chief Executive Officer of the Gorkha Territorial Administration, the hill council that has replaced the earlier Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.
GJM sources said that the demand for Gorkhaland had been revived since 1986 under Subhas Ghising, chief of the Gorkha National Liberation Front.
Ghising had later settled for implementation of the 6th Schedule or tribal status for the hills.
Ghising was ousted from the hills with the GJM becoming the new force in the hills under Bimal Gurung since October, 2007.
