Fresh violence erupted in Darjeeling Saturday (8) after a separatist group accused police of killing a supporter, prompting forces to fire tear gas as the Indian hill resort reels from weeks-long unrest.
Bouts of clashes and arson attacks have rattled the picturesque hill station for more than three weeks, causing schools and shops to shut down as thousands of mostly Indian tourists pack their bags and flee.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) -- a movement that has long called for a separate state for ethnic Gorkhas in West Bengal -- accused police of shooting dead 31-year-old Tashi Bhutia late Friday (7).
"(He) was shot dead by police at Sonada on the outskirts of Darjeeling town when he was returning home from a medicine shop," GJM's general secretary Roshan Giri said.
But authorities, including West Bengal tourism minister Gautam Dev, have denied GJM's latest allegation, saying they were unaware of any death and that "police did not open fire".
The GJM has said it will parade Bhutia's body later on Saturday, according to the Press Trust of India.
The news of his death sparked anger among supporters who set ablaze and destroyed parts of a police station and train terminal as baton-wielding forces responded with tear gas and rubber pellets.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee deployed the army again to quell heightened tensions, which she has described as a "deep-rooted conspiracy".
The hills are famous for Darjeeling tea, the production of which is jealously guarded. It is also famed for its "toy train" -- a 78-kilometre uphill ride from New Jalpaiguri.
Tension has been mounting in the region since the government announced it was making Bengali mandatory in state schools -- angering the state's Gorkha population, who speak Nepali.
Gorkhas have been agitating for decades for a new state of "Gorkhaland" within West Bengal, claiming Bengali-speaking outsiders have exploited their resources and imposed their culture and language.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)