West Bengal: Prominent GNLF leader Roshan Lama allegedly killed in road rage incident in Kalimpong; accused arrested

Family members said that Lama was returning to to Kalimpong with his family from Rangpo in Sikkim when a bike-borne man attacked him and pushed him down a cliff after a road rage incident near Barmek-Deorali area.

Kalimpong: Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader and former councilor of Kalimpong Municipality Roshan Lama was allegedly killed in a road rage case in the upper reaches of Kalimpong district of West Bengal late on Monday night, his family said. Police have arrested the accused in the case and booked him under murder charges.

The incident has resulted in a stir in Kalimpong and is expected to have an impact on hill politics in the state. According to family members, the incident took place while Lama was returning to Kalimpong with his family from Rangpo in Sikkim on Monday night. It is said that Lama's vehicle was involved in an accident with a two-wheeler near Barmek-Deorali.

Following the accident, Lama got down from the vehicle and got into an argument with the accused identified as Tshering Sherpa, the family said. Roshan Lama's brother Bhushan Lama said the argument escalated to the level that Sherpa attacked him with a sharp weapon and pushed him down the cliff. Lama was badly injured in the incident.

The family members immediately rescued him with the help of locals and took him to Kalimpong District Hospital where he was declared dead, the family members said. Kalimpong Superintendent of Police, Aparajita Rai said that the family members filed a complaint with the police into the incident. The main accused was arrested during a police raided the suspected locations.

A case of murder has also been registered against the accused, police said adding further investigation into the case is going on. The accused was produced in the Kalimpong court on Tuesday and taken into custody for further questioning. According to police sources, the deceased GNLF leader was a resident of Upper Nyong, Pedong, Kalimpong.

He is also a former councillor of Kalimpong Municipality. Party sources said that Lama was poised to become the Kalimpong district president of GNLF in coming days.