GJM rallies Gorkha kids on Darjeeling streets, sporadic violence reported

Amid reports of sporadic violence in the north Bengal hills, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) on Wednesday took out a pro-Gorkhaland rally with Gorkha children in Darjeeling, even as state governor K.N. Tripathi urged all stakeholders to find a solution to the vexed issue through discussions.

On the 14th day of the GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown, a large number of children were seen walking in the GJM rally. Many of them had pro-Gorkhaland slogans written on their body.

When asked why they were taking part in the rally, a teenager said: "We do not want to study Bengali. None of us know anything about that language. We want Gorkhaland."

The GJM activists gathered around the Darjeeling Police Station and protested against the detention of two of their leaders on their way to Patlebas in the city.

The two leaders were later released.

"We were on way to Patlebas when the police personnel detained us, saying we cannot go there as a curfew-like situation has been imposed," Samuel Gurung, Assistant Secretary of GJM's central committee, alleged.

Earlier on Tuesday night, sporadic incidents of violence were reported around the Darjeeling hills as pro-Gorkhaland activists allegedly set on fire Dhobitala panchayat office and Rajbari panchayat office, badly damaging both offices.

The Morcha supporters also set the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)'s engineering office ablaze post midnight.

In a symbolic move to show snapping of all ties with the West Bengal government and protest against the development board of the north Bengal hills, protesters on Tuesday burnt the GTA agreement at nearly 45 places in the hills and the adjoining Dooars region.

The GJM, which is spearheading the agitation in the hills, vowed to intensity their movement through hunger strike and self-immolation unless their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland was accepted.

Meanwhile, expressing concern over the unrest, Tripathi on Wednesday urged the Centre, state government and the GJM to find a solution through discussion.

"The central government, state government and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha should discuss the issue as early as possible and try to find out a solution," Tripathi said.

The GJM has repeatedly negated any possibility of talks with the Mamata Banerjee government, accusing it of "oppression and high-handedness".

On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress government has maintained that it would hold talks only after normalcy returns to the hills.

--IANS

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