Gangtok: A resident of Sikkim’s Daramdin constituency was allegedly attacked in an attempted murder linked to a community campaign against a polluting crusher and hot mix plant, with police arresting five people, including the alleged mastermind and a government contractor.
Addressing a press conference in Gangtok on Wednesday, local resident Yash Kumar Chhetri, accompanied by the victim’s wife, alleged that the June 10 attack on Chandra Hang Subba was retaliation for the closure of a hot mix asphalt plant in Kholatar village over environmental violations.
According to Chhetri, Subba was attacked at around 10 am, barely 30 to 35 feet from his residence, after returning from dropping his children at school.
“A masked youth first threw a stone at him. Thinking it was a prank, he got out of his vehicle, but more stones were thrown. The attackers chased and repeatedly assaulted him with stones until he collapsed. They fled only when another vehicle approached, continuously sounding its horn,” Chhetri alleged.
Subba sustained serious injuries, including a fractured jaw and multiple fractures to his leg. He underwent several surgeries, during which steel implants were inserted, and remains under medical care.
Chhetri said the dispute stemmed from a long-standing campaign by villagers against a hot mix asphalt plant, which they alleged had caused severe air pollution and affected the health of residents and livestock.
He said villagers had submitted a petition to the district administration, following which the matter was referred to the Sikkim State Pollution Control Board. According to Chhetri, an inspection found the plant to be operating in violation of environmental norms, following which it was ordered to shut down permanently in March.
He further alleged that after the closure, villagers received repeated threats from persons associated with the plant, who blamed them for the loss of business.
Meanwhile, Soreng District Superintendent of Police Nahkul Pradhan said the investigation, aided by technical surveillance, human intelligence and CCTV footage from Bijanbari in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, led to the identification of the accused.
Police arrested five people in connection with the case, including 37-year-old Ash Bir Subba, who has been identified as the alleged mastermind. Also arrested were 54-year-old government contractor Krishna Bahadur Gurung, who allegedly owns the crusher plant network; 28-year-old Deepesh Bhujel, identified as the prime accused; 31-year-old Peter Limboo, the alleged getaway driver; and 24-year-old Susan Subba, a Nepalese national working as a nightclub bouncer in Gangtok, who police alleged was one of the masked attackers.
All five have been booked on charges including attempt to murder and are in judicial custody. Police are searching for two other accused who remain absconding.
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The investigation was carried out by Soreng Police with assistance from Mangan, Sadar and Ranipool police stations, the Cyber Cell, Darjeeling Police and local volunteers.
Chhetri welcomed the arrests and praised the police investigation, while urging the authorities to ensure that all those responsible are brought to justice. He said the villagers would continue to pursue the case to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
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