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Darjeeling, Dec 26 : Through much of 2017, the picturesque Darjeeling
Hills -- once a dreamy tourist gateway -- simmered with violence over
the revived demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.
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The agitation that started against the alleged imposition of Bengali
language on the locals snowballed into an intense movement for
statehood, triggering widespread arson and vandalism, massive clashes,
multiple casualties, political blame games and the longest-ever shutdown
of 104 days that brought the entire northern West Bengal hills to a
standstill.<br><br>
During the May civic body polls, Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), the
leading political force in the hills for over a decade, retained its
supremacy by winning the Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong
municipalities, but suffered a crushing defeat in Mirik Notified Area,
where the Trinamool Congress gained a two-thirds majority. The Trinamool
also significantly upped its vote share in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and
Kurseong.<br><br>
Elated with her party making inroads in the region, West Bengal Chief
Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee called it the beginning
of a new era.<br><br>
However, her jubilation soon turned to concern as the Gorkha locals hit
the streets in early June against the West Bengal government's
three-language policy in the state schools and accused it of imposing
Bengali on them.<br><br>
Banerjee, in turn, accused the GJM of spreading lies to divide the
Bengali and Nepali communities and vowed to take action against the
board members of the GJM-run hill development body, Gorkhaland
Territorial Administration (GTA), if a special audit ordered by her
government unearthed financial irregularities.<br><br>
The very next day, GJM activists burnt the Chief Minister's effigies and
rallied, demanding the state government publish a written circular
about not making Bengali compulsory in the hills.<br><br>
GJM Chief Bimal Gurung and his followers seemed determined to revive the
century-old demand for a separate Gorkhaland. The fight would continue
till death, Gurung declared.<br><br>
Violence erupted in the heart of Darjeeling on June 8, the day the state
cabinet held its first meeting there in 45 years, when hundreds of GJM
activists went on a rampage, breaking police barricades, pelting stones
and torching a police outpost. By evening, the army had to be called in
to stop the situation from spiralling out of control.<br><br>
The GJM called a 12-hour shutdown in the hills complaining of police
atrocities on their workers, even as nearly 4,500 tourists were stranded
in different parts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Within two days of the
strike, the GJM called an indefinite shutdown from June 12.<br><br>
As the shutdown started, pro-Gorkhaland rallies, picketing, vandalism in
government offices and clashes between the agitators and security
forces became regular happenings. The situation deteriorated after three
local activists were killed during clashes with police in Darjeeling
and Sonada on July 7. The incensed locals held the state administration
responsible for the deaths and resorted to widespread violence and arson
that compelled the government to deploy the army -- the second time in
exactly a month.<br><br>
The constant police raids at several GJM leaders' residences, including
party chief Gurung, further infuriated the hill parties. Setting aside
their differences with GJM, prominent hill outfits like the Gorkha
National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Jana Andolan Party (JAP)
supported the cause of Gorkhaland.<br><br>
By the first month of the indefinite shutdown, thousands participated in
pro-Gorkhaland rallies every day. The GJM announced a fast-unto-death
while several Gorkha intellectuals including singers, filmmakers and
poets registered their protest by returning awards received from state
government.<br><br>
On August 19, two separate bomb blasts within 24 hours in Darjeeling and
Kalimpong rocked the hills. One civic volunteer was killed while two
security personnel were injured in the Kalimpong explosion.<br><br>
The police raids were intensified and a lookout notice was issued
against Gurung and his associates under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, forcing him to abscond.<br><br>
The West Bengal government's attempt to call truce with the agitators
was futile as all the prominent hill outfits and opposition political
parties boycotted the first two state-convened all-party meetings and
formed the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee to supervise the
agitation.<br><br>
However, as the shutdown continued without any positive outcome for the
Gorkhaland demand, cracks emerged within the hill parties and even among
the GJM leadership. The JAP openly questioned the relevance of the
shutdown while the GNLF said it was ready to discuss the Gorkhaland
issue with the state govrnment, defying GJM's decision that only
tripartite talks between the Centre, the state and hill parties would be
allowed.<br><br>
But the GJM infighting came out in the open after its general secretary,
Binay Tamang, and leader Anit Thapa were ousted from the party for
announcing a partial withdrawal of the shutdown. The leaders, however,
called the expulsion "unconstitutional" and, with Gurung still in
hiding, strengthened their hold on the party.<br><br>
Seizing the opportunity, Banerjee announced sops for people of the hills
and appointed Tamang as the head of the Board of Administrators for
carrying out development activities in the hills. After a series of
seemingly "positive talks" between the two parties and an appeal from
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the shutdown was called off after 104
days.<br><br>
As the year draws to a close, an uneasy calm prevails in the hills, with
police on the hunt for Gurung, who continues to send chilling audio
messages from his hideout.<br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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