2 Injured in Shootout in West Bengal's Kalimpong

Kalimpong: Two persons were injured in a shootout between two groups in West Bengal's Kalimpong district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident happened in the 10th Mile area of the district on Tuesday evening, leading tensions in the hill town and briefly disrupting traffic on the Siliguri-Sikkim highway, they said.

Rivalry over contracts of the Sivok-Rangpo railway project led to the shootout, suspect police.

Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Binay Tamang alleged that councillor of Kalimpong Municipality Kunal Pradhan was behind the incident.

He said Pradhan has been suspended from the party and action will be taken against those involved in the incident. Police said they have already detained three persons in connection with the shootout and further investigating the incident.

One of the injured has been admitted to a hospital in Kalimpong, while the other has been shifted to a nursing home in Siliguri.

BJP's Darjeeling MP Raju Bista alleged that the shootout happened over extortion at the project site and "TMC-supported politicians" in the hills were behind the incident.

He said he will raise the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal as the firing happened at one of the most important and sensitive highways.

"Such display of arms in the critical Chicken's Neck region doesn't auger well for the national security," Bista added.

The Siliguri Corridor, referred to as the Chicken's Neck due to its shape, is a narrow stretch of land of about 22 km that connects the Northeast to the rest of India.

The project of laying a broad gauge line from Sivok to Rangpo of length 45 km was sanctioned in 2008-09, however, it has been progressing at a snail's pace due to land acquisition issues.