Gorkha body calls for indefinite bandh

The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha on Monday gave a call for an indefinite bandh in the proposed areas of Gorkhaland state.

The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha on Monday gave a call for an indefinite bandh in the proposed areas of Gorkhaland state. The hills were back on the boil with uncertainty looming large on the area. The indefinite bandh call comes in the wake of Sunday’s incident near Bagdogra airport in Siliguri where GJM supporters had put up a blockade.

The local traders, many of them non-Nepalis, were of the opinion that politics of bandh and blockade had resulted in serious disruption to their livelihood. They were not able to open shops, the sick were not able to access hospitals, and normal life was totally paralysed, following such frequent disruptions. The GJM supporters, on the other hand, said that it was their democratic right to protest and hold rallies.

The situation went out of control and ended with police lathicharge and bursting of teargas shells to disperse the two warring sides. The trouble spread to localities with mixed population of Nepalis and non-Nepalis and there were incidents of assaults, threats and intimidation from both sides. Following this, the GJM gave a call for a day’s bandh on Monday.

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GJM president Bimal Gurung at a rally at Kalimpong on Sunday had asked people to be prepared for the final movement for an autonomous state and keep a stock of food and essential items in their homes for two months. Besides, all vehicles registered in the hills would have GL (Gorkha Land) number plates from next month, he had said. The proposed Gorkhaland includes, apart from three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, areas of Siliguri, the Dooars,Terai.

West Bengal Minister for Municipal Affairs Ashok Bhattacharya, who represents Siliguri, described Sunday’s violence at Bagdogra as a ‘spontaneous reaction’ of the locals against GJM supporters who, he alleged, were “always trying to create law and order problems”.