Fifth day of bandh in Darjeeling

Normal life remained paralysed for the fifth day in the Darjeeling hills on Sunday because of the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in protest against the police firing on its supporters at Sipchu in the Dooars of north Bengal last week.

With a woman succumbing on Saturday to injuries sustained in the firing, the death toll in the incident has risen to three.

The bandh, however, in the Terai and the Dooars area in the north Bengal plains was lifted.

Meanwhile the GJM leadership has dismissed the draft proposal sent to it by the Centre a few days ago on the alternative administrative arrangement to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council for the Darjeeling hills.

“The draft proposal sent by the Union government is a non-statement about nothing. If the Centre invites us for further talks, they should be on a permanent solution which will have to include the inclusion of the Gorkha-dominated areas in the Dooars and the Terai in any future discussions,” Harka Bahadur Chettri, senior GJM leader and a member of the party told The Hindu over telephone from Kalimpong sub-division.

“There can be a permanent solution only with the creation of a separate Gorkhaland State. But the option of a Union Territory is still open,” he added.

Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, however, yet again ruled out any division of the State.Speaking on the fresh wave of trouble in the Darjeeling hills, he said that his government has repeatedly been saying that the only way to break the political impasse is through talks and not violence.

“The Trinamool Congress has found a new friend in them (those behind the violence in Darjeeling hills) and that's why it is quiet (on the developments there)”, he added.

GJM bandh hits normal life in Darjeeling for third day

DARJEELING: Normal life was hit for the third day in Darjeeling Hills on Friday in response to the indefinite bandh called by the GJM to protest police firing at Sipchu in Jalpaiguri district that left two persons dead.

Shops, business establishments and markets were closed while vehicles were off the roads. Attendance was thin in government offices.

All the tea gardens in the hills were closed in response to the bandh.

The GJM has exempted the census work and students appearing for examinations from the purview of the indefinite bandh which it called after two persons were killed in police firing at Sipchu on Tuesday.

Official sources said the situation in the hills was now under control and no major untoward incident has been reported from anywhere since Wednesday.

The BSF had on Thursday conducted flag marches in Darjeeling town and Kalimpong sub-division, they said.

Top GJM leaders, including GJM president Bimal Gurung, would hold a meeting in the evening to decide the future course of action including whether the bandh would continue or not, GJM sources said.

The last rites of the two persons killed in the police firing was conducted on Thursday.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri had on Thursday reiterated the demand for a CBI inquiry into the police firing at Sipchu and had stated that outfit would not return to the talks table if Gorkhaland was not the issue of discussion.

TOI

Now, Gorkhas raise their own force

NEW DELHI: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), an organisation that spearheads the separate Gorkhaland agitation, is training young men and women to fight for their cause.

Times Now travelled to the foothills of Darjeeling and found that GJM is raising its force to fight for their statehood.

A thousand-strong force of young men and women are being trained to take the fight for an independent Gorkhaland to the next level in a 30-km wide area called the Chicken's neck in the foothills of Darjeeling. It is here that the misguided youth are being brainwashed into believing in the Gorkhaland cause as a big threat to India's security.

"The security deployment is not enough and you can see openly these camps are being conducted and they are roaming around without fear," Retd Col Ramesh Allay, Commander-in-chief of the Gorkha Land Personnel, the front of the GJM responsible for recruitment.

In an open challenge to the government and police administration, about 50 retired army officers and jawans are training the youth for the fight in the camps of hate and violence. Though they are not being trained in use of arms, they will do so when the time comes.

With more young people joining the ranks, the intensity of violence has increased with ethnic clashes threatening peace in this volatile region.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Now-Gorkhas-raise-their-own-force/articleshow/4116083.cms

Gorkhaland issue will be focus of talks: GJM

SILIGURI: The demand for carving out a separate state of 'Gorkhaland' would be the focus of the second round of tripartite talks, the agitating Gorkha Janamukti Morcha said on Firday.

GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said the party was yet to receive any formal invitation for the talks.

While the GJM said that the parleys, originally scheduled in November, will be held on December 29 in New Delhi, West Bengal Urban Development Minister Ashok Bhattacharjee said the talks were likely to be held at the end of the month but did not confirm the date.

Giri claimed that the GJM did not create any pressure either on West Bengal or on the Centre for the talks in view of the militant attack in Mumbai.

He said that only GJM leadership would participate in the December 29 talks and there would be no representation of any other party like in the first round of tripartite talks in New Delhi on September 8 this year.

It was not yet decided whether party president Bimal Gurung would join the talks. Gurung would decide about the delegation only after receiving formal invitation, he added.

GJM, which called an indefinite closure of state government offices in the hills since December 8, however exempted the treasury today to help employees get their salary.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Gorkhaland_issue_will_be_focus_of_talks_GJM/articleshow/3827826.cms