An assistant manager’s bungalow was gutted in a fire at the closed Singtom tea garden here, while two more tea gardens here and in Kurseong withdrew their management on Wednesday.

All these incidents indicated the restive state of affairs in the brew belt of the hills even as Durga Puja started on Wednesday with Sashthi.

Sources said that the vacant assistant manager’s bungalow at Dhan Man Dhura in Singtom tea estate was gutted between 2pm to 3pm on Wednesday.

The garden employs six assistant managers apart from a manager and each has a separate accommodation.

The management of Singtom tea garden left the garden on September 25 after the workers stopped tea dispatch from all Darjeeling gardens demanding a 20 per cent bonus.

The state government issued an advisory to gardens to pay bonus at the rate of 16 per cent. But workers continued to demand 20 per cent. The state government has called for another round of meetings in Calcutta on November 6 to discuss the issue.

Singtom, however, has not yet cleared any bonus.

Workers in the garden said they suspect “short-circuit as two bulbs” were kept switched on all through the closed period in this bungalow.

“Everyone in the garden noticed that two bulbs were kept switched on since the time the management left the place,” said a worker.

Management sources, however, said they “suspect arson”.

“There have been some other incidents in the past week making us suspect arson,” said a management source.

The source added that guards looking after the properties stopped work
on October 3.

“The workers wanted the management to sit for a meeting on October 4 but the management could not come at such short notice,” the source said. “The workers wanted the management to clear the bonus by today (Wednesday).”

Praween Prakash, SP, Darjeeling, said probe was on to ascertain the cause of the fire. “A forensic team will look into it,” he said.

The garden has 680 workers on its payroll. “At any time we only have around 480 workers,” said the source, claiming workers come
“in rotation.”

On Wednesday, the management of Bannockborn tea garden in Darjeeling “withdrew the management”. Ringtong tea garden in Kurseong, where workers are on a relay hunger strike, declared suspension of work.

In Bannockborn, the workers refused to join work although a bonus at the rate of 16 per cent has been given.

In Ringtong near Kurseong, the management offered a bonus in two installments of 8 per cent on the grounds that the garden falls under “severely financially stressed gardens”.

“Such gardens are allowed to work out the bonus with the local unions in the state government’s advisory,” said a management source.

Many in the Darjeeling tea industry accused “fringe elements” of creating disturbances.