West Bengal police on Friday said Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supremo Bimal Gurung has links with Maoists and insurgent groups in the North East and had procured sophisticated arms from them.
Additional Director General (law and order) Anuj Sharma said the police had information about Gurung’s links with Maoists and the rebel groups.
“He has procured arms from them. We have recovered six AK-47 assault rifles, one 9 mm pistol, 500 rounds of ammunition and bombs from the place where a police party was ambushed by his group near Darjeeling on Friday,” Sharma told reporters.
He said the police faced “heavy fire power” from the group, which led to the death of a police sub-inspector and injuries to four police personnel.
Gurung was in hiding in neighbouring Sikkim and had tried to enter the Darjeeling hills on Friday, Sharma said.
The police had the information and when they raided the area, Gurung and his group attacked them, the ADG said.
Earlier reports said GJM supporters had clashed with the police party.
Gurung was now trying to get back to Sikkim, he said.
Sharma said a cornered Gurung was trying to foment trouble in the hills again.
“We will not allow this to happen at any cost, even if we have to make sacrifices,” he said.
