New Delhi: Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leaders Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri, who have been living in hiding for over two years to avoid arrest by West Bengal Police, were spotted at a wedding reception of BJP national president J.P. Nadda’s son.

The presence of the two absconding leaders, who were at the forefront of the over 100-day long Gorkhaland statehood agitation in 2017, at the family function of the top BJP leader was reported by the media, accompanied by a photograph featuring the duo with Nadda, his son and daughter-in-law at one of the wedding receptions.

Between February 26 and March 6, Nadda’s son had wedding receptions in Pushkar in Rajasthan, Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh and in New Delhi. The reception in Delhi was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While reports by the Indian Express and the Times of India said the photograph was clicked at the New Delhi reception, held on March 6, a report by Hindustan Times didn’t mention the location, but said it was clicked in February.

Giri, speaking to Hindustan Times from an undisclosed location, confirmed the authenticity of the photograph circulating on social media without clearly stating which reception they attended.

Giri and Gurung, the founder of GJM, are facing about 126 cases under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedures Code, the Arms Act, Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act, among others. Bimal Gurung has also been named in 14 cases under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act. Soon after Gurung and Giri went underground to avoid arrest, along with their families, speculation was rife in media that they took shelter in Sikkim and may have entered Nepal.

Towards the end of 2017, GJM split into two factions. While the pro-BJP faction of Gurung and Giri went underground, the other, led by Binay Tamang, joined hands with the ruling TMC.

In mid 2018, prior to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration elections, the names of both the leaders, along with their family members, were removed from the electoral rolls for failing to respond to summons by the electoral office in Darjeeling. The summons were issued after electoral officers failed to verify their names in the voter’s list during a door to door verification drive conducted on over a hundred people.

On March 9, after the photograph of Giri and Gurung with Nadda appeared on social media, a war of words ensued between the TMC and the state BJP. TMC spokesperson Snehasis Chakraborty reportedly said, “BJP has proved itself to be hand-in-glove with those trying to bifurcate Bengal.” He accused the BJP of harbouring those wanted by police for terror acts.

In response, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said, “They are our allies. Even opposition leaders were invited in the marriage ceremony. I did not come across them at the ceremony but what’s wrong if they were there? Merely being an accused did not mean one was guilty. Moreover, all opposition leaders in Bengal are implicated in numerous false faces.”

The Gurung faction of GJM jointly contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections for the Darjeeling seat with the BJP and the Gorkha National Liberation Front. Raju Bista of BJP, the joint candidate, won the seat.