Singh also said no government vehicles had been registered.

In Calcutta, Bengal home secretary Asoke Mohan Chakrabarti said the “GL” conversion was not happening in the Siliguri area. “They are converting number plates only in the hills, but we are keeping a watch on the situation,” he said.

Although no number plate conversion took place in Siliguri, the heat was felt there this afternoon when Nimai Das who owns two Tata Indicas (WB-74K-6336 and WB-74K-5885) reached the taxi stand on Burdwan Road from Kurseong with the number plates smeared in black.

When Das narrated how he was harassed despite showing “tokens” in Kalimpong given to him by Morcha leaders in Sukna, the drivers at the stand decided to block Burdwan Road in protest. The “tokens” are given to car owners who need time to change into “GL”. “Until they get it, tokens are supposed to help them pass through,” said a driver.

Jayanta Moulik, the CPM councillor of the area, however, pacified the drivers and promised to take up the issue with the administration.

In Darjeeling, Narbu Lama, the president of the joint action transport committee, claimed that his outfit has been able to “blacken” about 60 number plates in the hill town.

Asked if this form of agitation was in keeping with the Morcha's claim of a democratic and Gandhian form of movement, Sanjeev Tamang, the vice-president of the committee, said: “Everyone had been given time (August 25 was the deadline for private vehicles) to change their number plates. We are neither attacking vehicles nor forcibly seizing papers. After all, this is an agitation. While the conversion has been complete in Kalimpong, it was sad that a few people in Darjeeling had not complied.”

Madan Tamang, the president of the ABGL, came down heavily on the “blackening” drive. “If this is how the government is being kept under pressure, then why have the district magistrate and the subdivisional officers been spared. Let us stop following all state government rules,” said Tamang.