Darjeeling on the boil: CM Mamata wants Bengali mandatory in schools, Gorkhas want Nepali, Hindi

[SarthakGanguly]

WTF is she doing?

 

[pothead]

WTF is she doing?

Playing right into the hands of BJP.
She does not have much choice though. She is being forced to choose between two distasteful options and she is choosing the one that will bring her lot of votes in the plains.
Hate her but she does not have many options left. With BJP bringing in Hindutva card into West Bengal, Mamtas days are numbered, hence these moves.

Meh, she is screwed anyway.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...otest-rally/article19098288.ece?homepage=true


Darjeeling remains in a state of complete shutdown on the fourth day of the indefinite strike called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha

The situation remained tense in Darjeeling on Sunday after there were widespread clashes between GJM supporters and security forces on Saturday in which the GJM claims three persons were allegedly killed.

Here are the latest updates.
"In a democracy like India, resorting to violence would never help in finding a solution. Every issue can be resolved through mutual dialogue," the Home Minister said.

Mr. Singh spoke to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the situation in violence—hit Darjeeling. He had spoken to her on Saturday as well.

"All parties and stakeholders should resolve their differences and misunderstandings through dialogue in amicable environment," said Mr. Singh.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealed to residents of Darjeeling to remain calm and peaceful, says nobody should resort to violence, says a PTI report.

Rallies at Chowk Bazaar
The city's Chowk Bazaar is seeing back-to-back rallies. GJM supporters parade a body which they claim to be that of a party worker killed in Saturday's police firing.

A few hundred members of the Muslim community in Darjeeling too came together earlier in the morning to pledge their support for a separate Gorkhaland.

Local GJM MLA Amar Singh Rai held a press conference saying the claims of the State government that police did not fire was "laughable". "Three people have been killed. We have bullets to show that they were fired by security sources," he said adding that they were not happy with the role of the Central government in the imbroglio.

"We are being made pawns by the Centre and the State," he said. "We are disappointed that the BJP MP from Darjeeling (SS Ahluwalia) is not with the people of the hills. I have doubts in my mind that the centre is not really helping us," he said.

"What happened yesterday was unfortunate. This was something that could have been prevented had the honourable CM issued a notification saying that Bengali will not be implemented in the hills. The situation here is still very volatile," he added.


Mr. Rai also said that they were ready to talk with the Centre anytime.

On the possiblity of talks with the State govt, he said there cannot be talks until the central forces and army were withdrawn and there was some semblance of normalcy in the hills.

GJM calls for protest rally
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung on Sunday gave a call for a protest rally at Chowk Bazaar here. GJM will observe a black day today, he said.

Darjeeling remained in a state of complete shutdown on the fourth day of the indefinite strike called by the GJM.

Violence escalated on on June 17, 2017 with widespread clashes between GJM activists and the police. ADGP (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma blamed the GJM activists for “opening fire”.

Singamari, the headquarters of the GJM, turned into a battle zone with Morcha supporters who had strategic advantage of height and knowledge of the terrain, targeted security forces with stones and projectiles. The security forces resorted to massive tear gas shelling and baton charge but had to beat a retreat.

For almost two hours a large part of Lebong Cart Road came under the control of the protesters. A large contingent of security forces later regained control over the area and arrested some GJM supporters. Later the Army was deployed to bring the situation at Singmari under control.

 

[Exiled_Soldier]

It will be nice if Darjeeling secedes from West Bengal and form new state or merge with Nepal. Bangladesh will then enjoy sharing border with a new country or new state.

 

[pothead]

It will be nice if Darjeeling secedes from West Bengal and form new state or merge with Nepal. Bangladesh will then enjoy sharing border with a new country or new state.

Or may be we should just split Bangladesh and throw the Jihadis into Bay of Bengal and build some nice Temples for the remaining to pray

 

[Hindustani78]

It will be nice if Darjeeling secedes from West Bengal and form new state or merge with Nepal. Bangladesh will then enjoy sharing border with a new country or new state.

Sikkim is actually part of Bengal Province since centuries.

Or may be we should just split Bangladesh and throw the Jihadis into Bay of Bengal and build some nice Temples for the remaining to pray

There are centuaries old mandirs all over North Eastern parts of Indian union.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...m-agitators/story-wiTGYO1gvwUZztDfeBg6yI.html

Internet services in and around Darjeeling hills were disrupted since the wee hours of Sunday following damage to a fibre optic cable network, posing a handicap for Gorkhaland agitators who were coordinating between themselves through the internet.

A senior official of a private operator told HT that a fibre optic cable network that runs through Guwahati and north Bengal was damaged during construction work on the inter-state highway. This is a network that is used by many operators.

The disruption triggered partial outage since late night on Saturday. There was, however, less trouble with telephone voice calls.

An official of a private operator told HT that efforts were on to locate the damaged spot. He also said Internet services might be restored by Sunday evening.

The damage posed a setback to the agitators who had been using internet-based messaging app WhatsApp and social media platform Facebook heavily to exchange information, send pictures and videos since trouble began on Thursday morning after police raided the office of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) at Patlaybas.

Smartphones turned out to be an extremely useful tool for the agitators who recorded videos from one clash and sent it to agitators at other spots.

Since Thursday, Morcha supporters who went into hiding were using the Internet not only to coordinate with their followers, but also to exchange information with the media.

On Saturday when the government claimed there were no deaths in Darjeeling, Morcha supporters sent mediapersons pictures of the body of one of their supporters through WhatsApp. It was played on TV channels and on news websites, causing some embarrassment to the administration.

“Communication is vital to the agitation, especially with our leaders going underground. With interruption of Internet services, planning and coordination has become the first casualty,” said a GJM supporter.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung who went into hiding since the police action in GJM office, sent two video recordings of his statements to followers and the media.

He criticised the government in one of those. In another, he urged the people to come out and join the rallies that the agitators would take out on Sunday with the bodies of the GJM supporters who fell to bullets of security forces on Saturday.

Video clips of agitators chasing policemen at Singamari on Saturday were sent by the agitators to their counterparts to other spots such as Ghoom and Kalimpong where thousands gathered, turning the situation tense and posing a challenge for the administration.

An hotelier in Siliguri, however, said the situation was relatively normal in the plains.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Home Affairs
18-June, 2017 17:33 IST
West Bengal CM telephonically apprises Union Home Minister on prevailing situation in Darjeeling

Shri Rajnath Singh appeals to the people of Darjeeling to remain calm and peaceful

The Chief Minister of West Bengal Sushri Mamata Banerjee, telephonically apprised of the situation prevailing in Darjeeling to the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh today.

Shri Rajnath Singh has appealed to the people living in Darjeeling and nearby areas to remain calm and peaceful. In his appeal, he said that nobody should resort to violence. The Union Home Minister has further said that, in a democracy like India resorting to violence would never help in finding a solution. Every issue can be resolved through mutual dialogue, he added.

Shri Rajnath Singh has appealed that all concerned parties and stakeholders should resolve their differences and misunderstandings through dialogue in amicable environment.

***

 

[Grevion]

Momata di pagal ho gyi hai. Both Bengali and Nepali should be optional in Gurkhaland.

Or may be we should just split Bangladesh and throw the Jihadis into Bay of Bengal and build some nice Temples for the remaining to pray

Your username.

 

[StraightShooter]

Will the Modi Govt. make a Gorhaland, next state of India, out of WB??

Yes That was always has been the plan.

BJP has always followed the policy of dividing states to depose the ruling party and come to power in the newly created state.

This happened in Jharkhad, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and will happen in Gorkhaland too. Northern Karnataka and Vidharbha are next.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...n-the-hills/article19102698.ece?homepage=true

Two political parties mount pressure on GJM to sever ties with West Bengal government.
The Jan Andolan Party (JAP) and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) on Monday mounted pressure on the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) to sever its ties with the West Bengal government, even as the situation on the fifth day of the indefinite strike called by the GJM remained tense with a near-total shutdown in the Darjeeling hills.

The protesters blocked the national highway 31A at some places in Darjeeling district to protest the death of three GJM activists on Saturday.

The 92 km long NH 31A, 30 km of which passes through West Bengal, connects Sevoke in Darjeeling district to Gangtok and is considered the lifeline of Sikkim.

The two parties have called for immediate dissolution of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a regional autonomous body that has been functioning in the hills since 2011, along with the resignation of three GJM MLAs from the State Assembly.

JAP president Harka Bahadur Chhetri said, “The half-hearted approach for Gorkhaland will not yield any results." The JAP had put a condition that the three MLAs should resign from the Assembly.

GNLF spokesperson Neeraj Zimba said, "GJM president Bimal Gurung should lead by example by resigning as the chief executive of the GTA. Once he does that, other representatives of the GTA will follow soon."

Mamata effigy burnt
Pro-Gorkhaland protesters raised slogans at Chowk Bazaar and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. All mobile Internet services remained down in Darjeeling for the second consecutive day on Monday.

The political parties in the hills hope that some relaxation in the shutdown may be announced after a local party meeting on June 20.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...me-ministry/story-Tis7Wq3zFswDpiycfTm6AL.html

Forthcoming elections to Hill Council and involvement of militants from the northeast have been listed by the West Bengal government among the reasons responsible for the recent violence and indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling.

According to sources in the Home Ministry, the West Bengal government’s report, received by it on June 17, stated these reasons among others as factors responsible for the violence in Darjeeling.

It said the unrest started after an agitation programme, organised by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on June 5, that led to blocking of the state highways.

The situation started to worsen from June 8 onwards after three processions taken out by the GJM at Gorkha Rang Manch bhawan, situated about 100 metres away from the Governor’s house, turned violent.

The agitators pelted stone on police and there were bombs explosions for two hours in which one state transport bus, eight police vehicles and one police kiosk were burnt, the sources said today, citing the report.

The agitators, who are mainly from the GJM, are demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland.

The report suggests that elections to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), that includes Darjeeling and other neighbouring areas, could be a reason behind the ongoing violence, they said.

Bimal Gurung headed GJM dominates the GTA. In 2012, the GJM secured all the 45 seats--22 in Darjeeling sub-division, 10 in Kurseong and 13 in Kalimpong--under the GTA.


Referring to recovery of arms in large scale and cash, the report suggested involvement of militant groups from the northeast behind the violence in Darjeeling, the sources said.

The West Bengal government’s report, which was sent to the Home Ministry on June 17, mentions the status as on June 13. It mainly gives details the way protests were carried out, they said.

In all, 24 cases have been registered by police. A total of 49 security force personnel have been injured in the violence, the sources added.

The situation is tense but under control, they said.

Both Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi have spoken to the state administration over the issue.

A total of 11 companies--about 1,375 personnel--are stationed in the region. Of them, one is an all-woman company.

Darjeeling hills had seen a violent movement for a separate Gorkhaland in the mid 1980s under Subhash Ghisingh.

The movement ended with the establishment of a semi- autonomous administrative body in 1988 called Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), which was headed by Ghisingh.

As Ghisingh’s influence waned over time, the GJM launched another movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland. In 2011, the GJM signed an agreement with the state and central governments and another semi-autonomous administrative unit GTA was born replacing the DGHC.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...ortheast-militants-report/article19110301.ece

The West Bengal government has alleged that the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leading a campaign for Gorhaland in Darjeeling had “links to Northeast-based militant groups”. The accusation is contained in a report it sent to the Union Home Ministry on the agitation.

The report was sent after the Union government held back additional Central armed police forces. The five-page report said the “situation was tense but under control”. It said the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, headed by the GJM, is due for elections, suggesting the agitation could be linked to politics.

The GJM is an ally of the BJP government at the Centre and has been pushing for a separate State for the Nepali-speaking Gorkhas. The decades-old demand for a separate State revived recently when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that Bengali would be made compulsory in schools.

While the report gave details of all the policemen injured, it remained silent on the civilians — except for the June 17 incident when it said that a civilian “died” and five others were injured. It does not mention the cause of death.


Till June 13, 24 cases were registered against members of the GJM for fuelling the agitation, the report said.

“On June 5, the GJM organised an agitation and obstructed the State highway. On June 8, they took out three processions and converted it into a dharna. Around 3 p.m., the crowd got violent and pelted stones at police and explosion of bombs and explosive devices continued for almost two hours,” said the report.

The report did not mention the number of people arrested for spreading violence.

“We have received a report from the West Bengal government and around 100 Central forces were sent as requested by them,” said Ashok Prasad, spokesperson, Home Ministry.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/619173/ham-operators-pick-up-suspicious.html

Ham radio operators working with the security forces to track down radio communications of underground GJM leaders have picked up "suspicious and coded signals" of the activists to other countries and states.

The security forces and intelligence agencies first got the clue that the GJM was using radio signals as a mode of communication when two radio sets were seized during the June 15 raid on the premises of some Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leaders.

It was then that the police administration decided to deploy a group of Ham radio operators to track the radio communication of GJM activists. The operators picked up the suspicious cross border signals during the drill.

"Most of the coded signals and communications were in Nepali and Tibetan languages. After decoding the words, we came to know about some kind of consignment that is about to come. The rest is classified and we cannot disclose it," an official privy to information told PTI.

Ham or amateur radio operators are under the ministry of communications and are licenced card holders to conduct such communication under specific radio frequencies.

A team of ham radio operators is monitoring the radio signals round-the-clock and another team of language experts is helping the officials break the coded language, he said.

Radio communication among leaders of pro-Gorkhaland leaders and activists has increased by "leaps and bounds" after Internet services were suspended on June 18 and their phones are being tracked by the agencies, the official said.

Several top GJM leaders have gone into hiding after last week's violence in the hills.

According to official sources, the GJM has imparted radio communication training to its cadres and has also set up small temporary radio stations in various parts of the hills. It is through these radio stations that such signals are being sent and received.

"Some of the radio communications have pointed out that they were well prepared for a showdown and the violence in the hills is not just an incident which happened in the heat of the moment. It was pre-planned," said an official.

GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri, however, denied recovery of any kind of radio sets and called it a malicious campaign of the state government to defame the party.

 

[Hindustani78]

People buy newspapers in Darjeeling amidst the strike for separate Gorkhaland.(PTI/REPRESENTATIVE PICTURE)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...nternet-ban/story-0nUjO7t3L59DU9mGao5tpM.html

The government’s attempts to control communication in unrest-hit Darjeeling hills through an Internet ban, has not brought locals to a standstill as many are crossing into Nepal and Bhutan to access the web.

The bandh for separate Gorkhaland entered its 12th day on Monday, and the internet ban — imposed since June 19 till June 27, Tuesday — is expected to be extended, but locals have found light in the neighbours’ networks, just a few kilometres away.

Though no numbers are available, every day dozens of people, including youths, businessmen, and even the unemployed, are walking or riding over for a few hours. A few also have SIM cards from Nepal and Bhutan for use in bordering areas.

Darjeeling is the only district in the country to share borders with three countries — Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

There are two check posts on the Darjeeling-Nepal border at Pashupati and Kakarvita that offer almost free access to Nepal. One has to produce a document of Indian citizenship if intercepted by the SSB guards who man the posts. Besides, there are many village roads connecting the two countries.

The access to Bhutan is through Bindu and Todey Tangta villages in Kalimpong district. Residents from here visit Tendu, Sipsu and Gempang villages in Bhutan along the border.

There are two tea gardens Thurbu and Okty (near Mirik) in Darjeeling that share their borders with Nepal.

“Initially I thought that Internet services would be back in 2-3 days. As the ban was extended, I became restless. But soon, I realised that I can walk 4 km and reach Pashuati Phatak and access Nepal’s internet services,” said Sukman Rai (27), a resident of Simana village.

For Prakash Kattel, a farmer-cum-businessman based in Paren in Kalimpong district, the Bhutan border is just across the Jaldhaka river.

“We can cross over using a bridge. I have crossed the border a few times since the Internet ban,” he said, adding that one could get Bhutanese SIM cards easily.

“SSB guards know almost all the villagers, but they will be sure to check unknown faces,” Kattel said.

GJM and other political parties, agitating for a separate state of Gorkhaland, students and academicians have all condemned the ban on Internet, dubbing it as the denial of the right to express themselves.

“After I got the connection in Nepal, I felt relieved, satisfied and empowered,” said Rai.

Sitaram Gupta, a businessman based in Sukhia Pokhari, was affected as his transactions are mostly done through net-banking. Now he visits the Nepal border and comes back after completing his work, although at a higher cost.

“Youngsters form a majority of those rushing to the border to use the web, which has become a part of their life,” said Gupta.

Journalists based in Mirik are also making use of Nepal’s Internet facilities.

“Most of the journalists in Mirik are walking for about an hour to places like Samalbung and Antu in Ilam district of Nepal,” Binod Parsai, a correspondent of a popular Nepali daily based in Siliguri, said, adding that it takes only 15-20 minutes on a bike.

Prativa Chettri, a class 11 student and a resident of Rangbhang Bustee in Darjeeling, said, “With no school, Internet and local television channels, life has become boring.”

Chettri and her friends get updates on the Gorkhaland movement (in which they haven’t taken part yet) through social media platforms only when they visit Nepal.