Separatist charged with murder amid Darjeeling unrest

DARJEELING, India: Indian police on Thursday charged a separatist leader and his wife for their involvement in a murder and arson, after his group warned of escalating violence as tensions rise in Darjeeling.

The picturesque hill station has been reeling from deadly separatist unrest that has forced shops and businesses to shut and caused tourists to flee. As the violence escalated sharply last Saturday, police said one man died as protesters torched cars and set upon security forces with knives, who responded with tear gas and baton charges.

"Police have lodged a case against Bimal Gurung and his wife Asha for their alleged involvement in violence, arson and killing of a person during clashes," Inspector General Anuj Sharma told AFP.

Gurung’s Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) -- a separatist movement that has long called for a new state of "Gorkhaland" to be carved out of West Bengal -- claimed three of their men were shot dead by security forces in the clashes, which police have denied.

"Three of our supporters were killed and they are filing cases against us," said GJM’s general secretary Roshan Giri. "Cases should be lodged against the police and state administration for violating human rights and killing," he told AFP.

The GJM has warned its indefinite strike called earlier this month could degenerate into more violence. The separatist movement has given local schools 12 hours to evacuate their students and shut down on Friday.