While GNLF leader Ajay Edwards citing Darjeeling MP Raju Bista’s home quarantine yesterday said, “Darjeeling MP Raju Bista sat for 14 days Home Quarantine setting a good example for everyone, I request Anit Thapa and Binay Tamang too to observe Home Quarantine after coming back from Kolkata”. Binay Tamang was seen visiting quarantine facility in Ranju Valley on 27th June 2020.

Reacting to this, one Keshav Raj Pokharel from the AT-BT camp has claimed in The Statesman, “the government SOP, which the GNLF is citing, does not apply to our leaders as it is an intra-state travel. The state government has a guideline for domestic travel by air within the state which maintains that on arrival, health screening will be done for all passengers. Those asymptomatic persons will be released with the instructions that they self-monitor themselves for 14-days and contact the different helplines if they show symptoms. These are being followed by our leaders.”

“The leaders should read government protocols before misleading the people” Mr. Pokharel adds for good measure.

So we decided to look into it and see what’s what

What Mr. Pokharel claims was true as of 25^th of May 2020 and indeed the West Bengal government had issued such a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) under the “Guidelines for domestic travel by air.”

However, on the 27^th of May, 2020 the Government of West Bengal had modified the SOP and issued the “Revised SoP for medical screening of migrant labors, stranded tourists and students arriving in groups” notification. Under the revised guidelines, it states, “After medical screening, all asymptomatic persons will be released with instruction for 14-days strict home quarantine.”

This document does not make any distinction between international, interstate or intra-state travellers. The document is simple and straightforward anyone coming into the region/state should follow strict home quarantine.

It might have perhaps helped if Mr. Pokharel had acted on his own statement, “The leaders should read government protocols before misleading the people”.

But, to quarantine or not to, is more of a moral question and not a question of simple enforcement alone. Kolkata is one of the hottest COVID zones in India, so naturally, people should be cautious after travelling to the city. If we are requiring our own brothers and sisters coming from these cities to remain in mandatory quarantine, what exempts Mr. Anit and Mr. Binay? What makes them COVID proof?

The reason why West Bengal is so messed up today is because no one in authority or power feels the need to follow the law. They have always considered over and above the law. By visiting one of the quarantine centres, immediately after coming back from Kolkata yesterday, Mr. Binay Tamang has shown, to which side his moral compass swings and perhaps that of his team members too. Should such people aspire to lead?? What example are they setting for others?? It would serve them well if they reflected on these sentiments.

Also, Mr. Edwards who is so much in favour of opening Darjeeling for tourists – will he require the same level of scrutiny and caution from the tourists too? Will all tourists coming to Darjeeling have to undergo mandatory 14-day lockdown?? We all should ponder over it too.

The post To Quarantine or not to Quarantine – The Anit Binay Conundrum appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

“Respected all, I write this to draw your attention to the degree of corruption that is prevalent in the GTA. I am going to sight you an example and you may understand the gravity of the situation.
This is about a school.

Couple of months back a school named Hemlata Memorial Primary School, situated at Bhalutar, Sonada was granted fund from the DED department (Ghoom-Jorebunglow), GTA for dismantling and re-construction of the whole of the dilapidated three rooms of the school building. The cost of construction was whopping Rs. 33+ something lakhs (thirty three lakhs plus).

The construction of the school was handed to a group of boys from the locality. These boys are affiliated to GJMM (Binay faction). Their motive is just to earn profit. The old structure was dismantled but the cemented flooring of the old building was not touched. New pillars were erected but if you dig the floor you will not find any tie bim below.

Since Darjeeling lies in the earthquake prong zone I feel it is mandatory to tie all the pillars with bims so that it can withstand a mild earthquake. But here the lives of the students who come to study in the school are being compromised.

With 33+ lakhs for three rooms, means – 10+ lakhs per room of the size let’s say 15ft X 18ft. So with 10+ lakhs per room can’t we have tie bims? We request the officials of the GTA to take cognizance of the matter and do the needful.

We even request the police to investigate the matter.

We hear that a lot of money is misused in the name of donation to the GJMM (Binay faction) and official commission and this matter must be investigated. We hear that the distribution of cut money (from 33+ lakhs) has started from Kurseong Sub-division committee GJMM (Binay faction), Sonada –Pachyang Samasti Committee GJMM (Binay faction) and to the local leaders of GJMM (Binay faction).

Now our question is when all the level of GJMM (Binay faction) is involved in cut money then is Anit Thapa the Chairman of BOA, GTA clean or has he received the major share of the cut money. If Anit Thapa is clean then please look for the tie bim or else what are we to believe? Is the cut money being used to fill another sintex.

Please don’t play with the lives of the students. Let your greed not take life of the innocent and poor children’s.

Believe me this is not even a tip of the ice-burg. Imagine the magnitude.”
We hope the concerned authorities will take necessary and appropriate action against this

The post Sonada Children’s Lives Are Being Put to Risk appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

BUT people in Mirik are still devoid of clean and safe drinking water.

The project was taken up by Manjushree Company and construction started from the beginning of May 1992 but the work got stopped, without completion.

In 2010 the work was restarted by Surya India Pvt Ltd but and the work was supposed to be completed by 2012, but its past half-way into 2014 and the project is nowhere near completion.

In the past three years, we have highlighted around 10 infrastructural deficiencies that are plaguing Mirik, but there has not even been a word of response from either Bimal Gurung, Binay Tamang, Mamata Banerjee, SS Ahluwalia, LB Rai, representatives from Mirik Municipality or any other politician.

It is a shame that the politicians who are supposed to take care of our place and thump their chest citing our place, have not even bothered to come and check out the situation for themselves or at get their minions to inquire and get the work done.

The post 26 Years – 10 Months and 16 Days Later Drinking Water Project for Mirik Still Incomplete appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Times of India has reported that Binay Tamang-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Trinamool Congress are going to field a common candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency.

Tamang left for Kolkata on Monday to make a joint announcement of the candidate with Trinamool chief and CM Mamata Banerjee.

The Tamang-led GJM has also moved the high court to remove the names of former GJM president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri from the party after these were found to be recorded with the Election Commission still. As a result, Tamang’s GJM is unable to use the party symbol registered with the poll panel.

Justice Debangsu Basak on Monday directed the panel to address the issue and pass a reasoned order within two weeks.

Trinamool (Hills) observer Rajen Mukhia feels the ‘jote’ candidate will have an edge over BJP in both the Hills and the plains in Siliguri. The move will prevent a repeat of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Darjeeling when GJM-supported BJP polled most votes of Hills people.

However, Hills party activists are keeping their fingers crossed since Banerjee is yet to earn the confidence of a sizeable section of Gorkhas. “The Lok Sabha elections will bear out how far this is true. It will also be an acid test for Binay Tamang, who was termed a betrayer by Hills people at one point of time. It all depends on the candidate,” an influential GJM leader said.

The Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) named its candidate on Sunday. BJP, with support from the Bimal Gurung faction, is yet to announce its candidate for Darjeeling.

The post Trinmool-BT to Field Common Candidate in Darjeeling appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Here is the full Press Release issued by Binay Tamang, which we have reprinted without any edits.

“In our great nation the role of the credibility of the highest institute of the country, the CBI is in stake.

In the past few months the CBI has seen a lot of drama regarding the appointment of the CBI Chief and yesterday we saw how the CBI has been used as a political tool in West Bengal.

The CBI today is left with zero credibility and sadly suppose to be an autonomous agency.

Autonomous institutions are being used relentlessly by the ruling the BJP Government for their own political revenge.

Its disheartening to see how central institutions are being hijacked only to discredit political opponents . This step is against the federal structure of india and does not bode well for the Centre – State relationship .

The CBI today has become a tool for the BJP to use as a tool for vindictive politics.

What was the reason for suddenly for waking up to Saradha scam and going straight to grab a state’s DGP that too weeks before polls.

It looks like the CBI is doing all their activities under ‘political influence’ on the four-year old probe.

The GJM thinks that the unfortunate incident yesterday Ka blatant misuse of CBI in to intimidate the opposition and settle political scores.

The GJM strongly condemns such mockery of democracy and federal structure and stand by Ms Mamata Banerjee at this time.

Binoy Tamang
President
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha” [sic]

The post Chit Fund Crisis: Binay Tamang Faction Joins Protests Against BJP appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

In their report, Punjab Kesari has claimed, “with the GJM now joining hands with the Third Front, four seats in North Bengal have come in play, which includes the prestigious Darjeeling Loksabha seat, which the BJP is set to lose. This will be an embarrassment to the BJP, as currently Union Minister of State and senior BJP leader SS Ahluwalia had won with the help of GJM in the constituency.”

The report further states, “this has made the path for election of Yashwant Sinha from Darjeeling clear, as Mamata is keen on Yashwant Singa contesting from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in 2019.”

In the recent days, rebel BJP leaedrs Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and Shatrughan Sinha have become closer to TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee, and speculations are rife that all three could join TMC in the coming days. This will help TMC raise its national statue, and at the same time help these three veterans find some toe and political relevance.

From university and college professors, to NGO workers, to Facebook activists, everyone seems to be eager to contest from Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. Even within TMC, many names keep cropping up such as Dr. PD Bhutia of Kalimpong, LB Rai of Mirik and now Yashwant Sinha

The post Yashwant Sinha Likely Third Front Candidate From Darjeeling – Claims Punjab Kesari appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

In a strongly worded press statement, released yesterday, Binay Tamang has questioned the sincerity of intent on the part of BJP towards the Gorkha community, and has accused them of time and again lying to the Gorkhas, about including the 11 Gorkha communities as Schedule Tribes of India.

Here is the full statement, reproduced verbatim

“There has been a lot of buzz with regarding to the inclusion of 11 Gorkha communities as ST after the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of a bill to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. The cabinet was chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The cabinet approved the introduction of the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2018, in Parliament for certain amendments in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, so as to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.

On Thursday the BJP MP of Darjeeling along with Lila Gurung and other Bimal Gurung’s camp had released video of Shri Jual Oram, Hon’ble Tribal Minister saying that the bill can be introduced any day in the upcoming winter session.

The tribal minister also says that the process for Sikkim and Darjeeling is completed and vaguely says bills are in different stages like some has gone for financial clearance, some gone in the cabinet and some in the drafting stage of the bill.

Lila Gurung had also given a quote to a leading English newspaper, The Statesman where he said that the bill for ST status for Gorkhas had been forwarded from the office of the Union Tribal Minister to union finance minister as it needs financial clearance and then it goes to cabinet clearance. He also said that he will know about the exact position of the bill only next day.

Some Gorkha advocate also mentioned in her social media page that the Bill will be brought to the parliament in this winter session and that she has got some information on this. Even yesterday a member of a NGO met the tribal minister in Delhi and was assured the bill to be brought in the winter session.

But today we expose the truth of the granting of ST Status for Gorkhas and what is the exact position of it.

We are releasing an official email from Gopal Sadhwani, Director, Ministry of Tribal Affairs which was sent on 3rd Jan 2019 at 5.14 pm to the Government of Sikkim where he has mentioned about the visit to Sikkim with the committee for granting ST Status. This is the same day Shri SS Alhuwalia along Lila Gurung of pro Bimal Gurung Camp had met the Tribal Minister and released a Video that the Bill can be brought any day in this winter session.

BJP Lies: Email from Gopal Sadhwani, Director MoTA

This email exposes the truth while the Minister and the Bimal Gurung camp lies by saying that the bill can be brought anytime. The email proves that the committee has not even finished the process of collecting data regarding granting ST Status for the 11 Gorkha communities and the bill in the parliament is a long way to go.

How come the tribal minister does not mention about this official visit and he lies saying the process for Darjeeling and Sikkim is done.

Shri Jual Oram’s video which was released only in what’s app but it never made it to Shri Jual Oram’s official FB account or his official twitter handle whereas all previous visits by GJM was uploaded. The video was not seen in SS ahluwalia’s official FB and Twitter account.

The video was only meant to fool the Gorkhas once again because he says the process is complete and in within one hour a director from his own ministry sends a email to Govt of Sikkim for a visit.

In 2016 Vishnu Maini had visited Sikkim and Darjeeling had said the report would be submitted by December 2016.

The Union ministry of tribal affairs set up the committee under Ashok Pai, a joint secretary, in the first week of April 2016 to examine the proposal for these 11 communities in Bengal and other states.The committee was given three months to submit its report. But before Ashok Pai could examined the matter, he was transferred to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.

The panel – later reconstituted under another senior officer, Vishu Maini and she had visited Darjeeling on 11th November 2016 and during her speech she had said that the report of this committee will be placed by December 2016.

The other members who was present along with her was Shri B. Sasmal, Director, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Kakoli Chakraborty, the deputy director, and Rabindra Das, a research assistant at the Anthropological Survey of India. They visited not only Darjeeling but Sitong, Latpanchar and Selphu in Kurseong subdivision.

Vishnu Maini while speaking in Gorkha Rangamanch Bhawan said: “We have collected a lot of information. The field visit is of much importance, to come to the site and see things. We have come across a lot of materials and need to study them now. We will submit the report by mid-December.”

Now the question is what is the necessity of a new committee with a new chairman to visit Sikkim after 2 years after the visit in 2016.

BJP Lies: “Committee pe Committee”

The report for this committee is now pending for the last 2 and half years where in the original notification the committee says only report to be submitted in 3 months.

On 27th September we had exposed the double standard of the BJP where we exposed an official document whereby we had said the RGI rejected twice the recommendation of the West Bengal Government for granting of ST status to the Gorkhas.

We again exposed another important document on 14th December when we said that the bill for granting of ST status for the Gorkhas is not present in the current winter session.

Today again we have exposed the lies of the BJP and Bimal Gurung fraction.

I appeal to BJP and Bimal Gurung camp to stop lying and insulting us by thinking we are fools and that everything they say will be believe.

I reiterate our demand that we want ST status for the 11 Gorkha communities not only for Darjeeling and Sikkim but for the Gorkhas living in Assam, Delhi, Harayana, Uttarakhand and other Gorkha dominated places. The Tribal Minister in his last video only mentioned Darjeeling and Sikkim.

The BJP is the biggest traitor to the Gorkhas, leave alone Gorkhaland which they haven’t spoken a single word even after two MPs they couldn’t give ST Status to the 11 Gorkha communities which is in the MOU of the GTA agreement.

The BJP will do nothing for the hills and that they are only using Gorkhas has vote banks. The BJP didn’t utter a single word while we suffered for 105 days in the name of agitation under a directionless leader.

Gorkhas across India will give a befitting reply in 2019 to the BJP for letting the Gorkhas down in every aspect.” [sic]

The post “BJP Lies Stand Exposed on Gorkha ST Issue” – Binay Tamang appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

These Hills of Darjeeling,
A Hill that is forever eclipsed from the sight of all;
A hill that is neglected by all;
A hill that is unheeded by the Capital Delhi!
A hill that has of course been an abode of a plethora of local deities,
but yet forsaken by them all!”

Today one can nostalgically look back at how Subhash Ghising had captured the imagination of the people of Darjeeling in 1986-87 with these words. His superb oratory skill that gave audiences goose bumps, arguably the best in the Hills, was so captivating that even the Sikkimese child that I was back then had memorized those lines. (These may not be the exact lines but the theme was the exact same). Every line was enormously powerful, not just cosmetically, not only because of the pathos with which it was said, but because of the incontrovertible truth that it proclaimed publically for mass awareness. The majority of his audience did not even know how badly they were ignored in their own land. The Hill people who had been habituated to taking hardships and injustice with a big smile as part of their destiny suddenly felt the pain of exclusion and prejudice. They were now painfully aware of being homeless in their homeland. Their anesthetised consciousness gave way to an actual sensation. Subhash Ghising convinced them to stop faking a happy existence and admit the reality of the pain of being unappreciated and unacknowledged citizens in the country that they loved to the moon and back.

Wrapped up in his poetic expression was an innate cry for justice that was long overdue for venting if not for serious hearing by the nation. What better person than the Hill’s best speaker who possessed a typical Gorkha temperament – decidedly firm without thinking through his course of action! The temperament of an impulsive dreamer who had the language to articulate his dream but not the insight to interpret it – that was Ghising. But the man of the moment had arrived. What followed next was a violent agitation that ended up killing over 12 hundred people in a matter of two years until the agitation was bumbled. The rest is history!

Ghising was tricked into exchanging the Gorkha dream with the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. He scored an ‘own goal’ in the 1988 accord between the Centre, the West Bengal Government and the GNLF. The cruellest irony – a mighty leader that embodied the statehood aspiration was relegated to a mere administrator who supervised the petty affairs of the district of Darjeeling under the strict vigilance of the state government. Gone was his passion for Gorkhaland; gone was his vision; gone was his oratory; gone was the people’s hope! Sadly, after 27 years, in 2015, gone was the man who taught the Gorkhas to dream of Gorkhaland.

Bimal Gurung, Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri and Binay Tamang were the most prominent leaders that emerged post Ghising era. Bimal raised the demand to a new level, only to be tricked just as his predecessor was. Dr. Chettri hasn’t grown popular enough for the nation to turn to him and ask what he wants. The attainment of district-hood for Kalimpong, albeit nothing to do with the Gorkhaland demand, did display his lobbying ability. The sudden rise of Binay Tamang gave him administrative power but not the political leverage to talk about the dream.

GJM back in the day: Binay Tamang, Roshan Giri, SS Ahluwalia, Rajnath Singh, Bimal Gurung,Harka Bahadur Chettri and Anit Thapa

The Darjeeling hills still remain forsaken. The estrangement has only become starker.

The reoccurrence of the Gorkhaland movement under Bimal Gurung revealed three realities – a marked escalation in the public desperation for a statehood demand, the stagnation in leadership vision and the intensification of anti-Gorkhaland strategies by the establishment.

The alliance with the BJP was the smartest move by Bimal Gurung so far. Given that the Communist party and Trinamool Congress, are vocally against the demand and Congress is inclined to Trinamool, the only hope was the BJP’s support. Shah and the Modi-led BJP sized up the situation of the Gorkhas and got their support. Probably calculated in the grander scheme of things was the sympathy from Gorkhas spread across the country. In fact, the Indian Gorkhas can make a decisive influence in two Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam and Dehradun. Narendra Modi even said that his government would sympathetically look into the Gorkha dream. But four years of muteness on the part of his government has set a new standard of deception. The BJP is hoping to woo the West Bengal voters in the next election, cashing in on the anti-incumbency feeling against Trinamool. Gorkhaland, to them, will be an even less relevant issue in that sense. Bimal Gurung is in a different situation now. For this beleaguered leader, his political comeback is a more pressing need than the statehood demand. The BJP may strategize its move around his need.

Where does the hope of the supporters of Gorkhaland lie? The 2019 election could therefore become the least important election for the Gorkhaland supporters. More so because of a terrible leadership crisis that the Hills face right now. In a worst case scenario, as their MP candidate, the Hills may go for a lesser known figure of ‘Gorkha origin’ with the sole intention of displaying loyalty to Gorkha rootedness, thus laying aside the statehood issue. That would be a vindictive move alright but the emergence of another mediocre leadership would further take the sheen out of the Gorkhaland demand. There is a need for an overdue swing of the pendulum, away from the old ineffective tradition of merely creating a little noise in the Hills.

Darjeeling has tried everything – boycotting election, forming pre-poll alliance with a national party, going alone – what next? But these strategies were confined to electoral manoeuvring. In other words, Gorkha’s genuine need of a state has not merited a national attention in true sense. The Gorkha dream has just been looked at as a commodity, valuable only in the market place of general election. The Hills’ leadership could never muster courage to tell those national parties that their dream was not a commodity for exchange with electoral support. The BJP will once again want that trade off. Do the people of the Hills have any other option? Right now, there seems to no other option!

Will Indian politicians ever grow tall enough to appreciate that the Gorkhas and other Hill people are first citizens then voters. Hopefully, the dismal political situation of the Hills will eventually birth a leader who can think beyond these petty electoral strategies and make Gorkhaland a vital political issue in the country. Looking at BJP or any other national party is Twelfth of Never.

[Author: Jiwan Rai, he can be reached at: jiwanr@gmail.com This article has been shared via our partner organization Sikkim Chronicle]

The post Gorkha Dream in Limbo: From Ghising to Modi – What Next? appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

                                                                                                                   – Pastor Martin Niemöller

Of late, a very scary trend has started in our Darjeeling hills, notices are being issued to those Gorkhaland supporters who have gone underground or missing, asking for them to show up at various designated Government offices with ‘relevant documents by a certain date’, barring which their names will be removed from the voters list.’ In a democratic nation like India, where Majority will always thrive, this is a very scary scenario unfolding for the minorities, and especially for micro-minority communities like the Gorkhas, it could translate to the end of any and all forms of resistance and rebellion against the powers that be.

Legally and technically, the district administration is entitled to seek revision of voters list, and as per rule if a person doesn’t live at a local address for over 6 months, her/his name can be removed. The most famous such case was the removal of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name from the Lucknow Municipal electoral list in September of 2017. However, Mr. Vajpayee had been residing in Delhi for long, and the removal of his name didn’t really affect his fundamental right as a citizen of our great nation.

However, in Darjeeling region, the district administration is using this rule to target those Gorkhaland supporters against whom various cases have been filed, and who have gone or remained underground, for fear of injustice looms large.

In such a situation, the people who are missing, cannot and in all likelihood will not, file for their names to be transferred to other jurisdiction to register as voters. Removal of any name from an electoral roll means such individuals cannot exercise their basic duty as a citizen of our nation – to elect the government of its choice. In a country like India, where criminals of all hues and colours thrive, it is rare for the state government to pursue individuals in a manner which deprives them of their citizenship rights. Case in point, Vijay Mallya still features in the electoral list in Bangalore, and Sanjay Dutta – a convicted terrorist supporter/helper also features in the voter list of Mumbai.

What is worrisome in this exercise the district administration has embarked upon, is that, it cruelly curtails our ‘right to protest’ against a powerful government. The government, in such a case may slap severe charges (actual and fabricated) against any individual forcing him or her to go underground, and then the government may proceed to struck off the name from the electoral roll, thus barring that individual from becoming a part of the democratic process of our nation – they won’t get to vote or contest in elections. Which translates to the government, if it so desires, being able to slap cases against its political opponents, cause them to run and then remove their names from the electoral roll, thereby emptying the political field.

Moreover, the government may, if it so decides, start this process of review for everyone from the micro-minority community who have lived outside their home constituency for over 6 months. Imagine, if such a scenario were to play out, almost everyone who were yelling ‘Gorkhaland’ at Jantar-Mantar or writing and shouting for/against it from anywhere outside Darjeeling region, may actually not retain their voting rights in Darjeeling, if the government of West Bengal decides to take a more draconian stance.

What is really worrisome, in all this is the silence of ALL THE GORKHA POLITICIANS. May be, many are secretly rejoicing at the prospect of having the names of their most detested opponents removed from the voting list, but what they seem to fail to realize is that someday, this same tool of oppression can be and will be used against them. As the Nepali adage goes, ” ऊसलाई  खाने बाघले तिमिलाई पनि खान्छ है  – one cannot ride a tiger forever, the tiger will eventually get hungry and run out of other animals to devour.” Their silence speaks volumes about how strongly they feel about the welfare of our community.

In comparison when BJP threatened to kick out illegal Bangladeshi refugees from Assam, the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee went on record to challenge the BJP and threatened them with dire consequences if even a single Bangladeshi was touched – forget Indians, she fought for the rights of Bangladeshis, and here in our hills, the Gorkha politicians who are busy serving under her, are instead defending cops who allegedly threatened one of our Gorkha mother and a sister with rape.

Perhaps such is the curse of being born a Gorkha, we seem to be loyal to everyone else, but our own people.

The politics of Vendetta which had consumed a generation of our people, has today infested our community again. When Subash Ghising was removed from the hills GJM had rejoiced, today when Bimal Gurung is removed and hounded similarly, GNLF is rejoicing, so is AT-BT group of GJM. While CPRM, ABGL and JAP have maintained a seemingly dignified silence, their silence too speaks out loud about how they feel about the whole issue. In the race to play the politics of vendetta, the Gorkhas are losing big time. Today we have become so fragmented that we cannot even dare to speak against this hounding out of Gorkhas from our own lands.

It has begun with the missing GJM leaders, but I am certain, this is just the beginning. The Bengal government will use this on everyone of us, who dare to raise our voice for the welfare of our community and people. From asking for “Family tree since 1950” to those who went to seek residential certificate the Bengal government has made it abundantly clear that they view all of us with suspicion. If we are not careful today, a day may come when the Gorkhas will be rendered homeless. Much like what happened in the rest of North East could end up happening here, and we may end up being rendered homeless in our own lands.

So, please speak out against what’s happening in Darjeeling today. Because if we let this trend continue, soon a day may come, when you may want to speak out, but your tongues may have been cut without you even realizing it.

Remember, “if you are afraid to speak out against tyranny, you are already a slave”

The post GORKHAS UNSAFE IN BENGAL – Removal of names from voters list, points to a bleak future appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

In a strongly worded letter, the MP has written to the WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi calling upon her to “urgently intervene with regard to case of outrage of woman’s modesty’..

In the letter, the MP has quoted the controversial call, and has asked the Minister to constitute a team of National Commission for Women officials to visit Darjeeling, and to initiate a suo moto case against Darjeeling IC Saumyajit Roy..

The letter, a copy of which was sent to the Press reads…

“On behalf of my constituents, I humbly request you to kindly order a NCW  inquiry and proceedings into  this  matter  at  the  earliest,  and  to initiate  a suo  moto case  against Darjeeling  IC  Saumyajit  Roy. Such  behavior  attitude  and  acts  by  those  expected  to uphold the law and the constitution, has led to the people of Darjeeling losing their faith in the Police, and it becomes incumbent upon the Government of India to ensure that the situation is rectified immediately. A team of NCW officials should visit Darjeeling District immediately to look into this matter, as well as other complaints by women similarly targeted  for  supporting  the  NDA  ally  Shri  Bimal  Gurung and his party GJM, as it would help bring out the truth, as well as rebuild the faith  women  need  to  have  in  our  Society  and  our  Government, and our ability to protect them from such element.” [sic]

Darjeeling MP letter to WCD Maneka Gandhi – page 1

Darjeeling MP letter to WCD Maneka Gandhi – page 2

Darjeeling MP letter to WCD Maneka Gandhi – page 3

In a similarly worded letter, the Member of Parliament from Darjeeling has asked the Home Minister Rajnath Singh to order National Investigation Agency to probe all the cases filed against GJM cadres since the beginning of agitation for Gorkhaland since June of 2017.

The letter, reads…

“Citing various acts of arson and violence, the West Bengal Police has booked NDA ally GJM’s  Chief  Bimal  Gurung  and  hundreds  of  his  followers  under  UAPA  and  other sections. The FIR’s also include  ‘over 5000-7000 unnamed others‘ , allowing for willful inclusion  of  anyone  and  everyone  at any  time  in  these  cases.    Hence,  given  the confession by IC Darjeeling, caught on tape, it is imperative that all these cases filed in relation to the Darjeeling Bandh call from June 2017,  be investigated by an independent agency such as the NIA, since the local law enforcement agencies under the control of West Bengal government seem to be the ones perpetrating such acts.

On behalf of my constituents, I humbly request you to kindly order a NIA inquiry into this  matter  at  the  earliest, and  to  instruct  the NIA to  initiate  a suo moto case  against Darjeeling  IC  Saumyajit  Roy,  and such  Police  Officials  who  are  responsible  for maintaining law and order, but instead seem to be spreading terror thus.” [sic]

Darjeeling MP letter to HM Rajnath Singh- page 1

Darjeeling MP letter to HM Rajnath Singh- page 2

Darjeeling MP letter to HM Rajnath Singh- page 2

Reacting to the incident, Chairman GTA Board of Administration Binoy Tamang had yesterday issued a press release, which stated that the audio clip is fake.

“A high-level inquiry will take place into the circulated audio clip purportedly held between one person and the IC of Darjeeling Sadar Police Station. Preliminary inquiry suggests that it is false and baseless. If there is truth in the recording, the concerned person can file a complaint for hurting sentiments of a community and for using indecent words…” read the statement, which was signed ‘Gorkha Janata’.

While the Bengal and Darjeeling district administration have maintained complete silence over the matter, New Indian Express has quoted a top police official as saying, “[it’s a ] social media hullabaloo… People are investigating the case on Facebook.” On similar lines, Darjeeling SP was quoted by Indian Express as having said, “The audio clip is being spread through social media. We have not received any complaint.”

Yesterday, however the family members of Achutam Bhattarai, accompanied by a social worker Reseeka Chettri called a Press conference and alleged that Darjeeling police refused to accept their FIR

Copy of complaint against IC Saumyajit Roy, which the family claims was rejected – page 1

Copy of complaint against IC Saumyajit Roy, which the family claims was rejected – page 2

In further development, a Delhi based organization Gorkhaland Sanyukta Sangarsh Samiti (GSSS) released a screen shot, which shows that their letter to the MCD Minister seeking her intervention, was been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affair, with the following note, “It is requested that appropriate urgent necessary action may please be taken in the matter.”

WCD Ministry screenshot shared by GSSS

When asked on absolute silence from the administration, one senior journalists who is covering Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Darjeeling hills said, “Hope Mamata says something on this today.”

Will the Chief Minister order a probe into the matter, or will she let the storm pass is a moot question – the hills are now awaiting action from the Union Home Ministry.

The post Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia Writes to Home Minister and WCD Minister: Calls for Suo Moto Case Against IC Saumyajit Roy, and NIA Investigations into Darjeeling Violence appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.