Gorkhaland activists burn down forest office after elephant attack

November 26th, 2008 - 12:13 am ICT by IANS ( 3 comments )

Siliguri, Nov 25 (IANS) Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) supporters burnt down a portion of the forest beat office at Kalabari in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district after one of their leaders was attacked and injured by a wild elephant here Monday night, the police said Tuesday. Three rooms of the beat office were gutted while the mob also beat up a forest guard, said district forest officer Kurseong Y.T. Aden.

Three fire tenders were sent to control the fire, he said.

Trouble erupted after GJM leader Hari Prasad Nirola was attacked by a wild elephant just outside his home at Nipania village.

Hearing his cries, about 100 to 150 GJM activists rushed to the scene, and turned their wrath on the nearby beat office.

Seeing the mob, the seven forest guards in the office tried to flee, but one of them was caught and thrashed by the attackers.

Police complaints have been lodged against eight people at the Naxalbari police station. But no one has been arrested so far, Aden said.

Meanwhile, state Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty told reporters here that there was a need for restoration of peace before the second round of the tripartite meeting on the Gorkhaland issue in New Delhi.

“So everybody has to be restrained, including the GJM,” Chakraborty said.

The date of the second tripartite talks was yet to be decided, the home secretary said, but hoped it would be successful.

The GJM has threatened to intensify its agitation if the tripartite meet did not yield any positive results.

“But I don’t think one or two meetings can solve the problem. We have to keep the dialogue process going. The problem has to be solved across the table,” the top bureaucrat said.

He termed as “unfortunate” the forcible closure of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) office in Darjeeling by the GJM, which is agitating for a separate Gorkhaland state to be curved out of the Darjeeling hill sub-division and parts of Dooars and adjoining areas.

“It is the DGHC which is the nodal body of all development work in the hills,” he said..

On the tribal movement that is gathering steam in the Dooars area, he said: “We are observing the situation. On Dec 1 the agitationists will submit a memorandum to the divisional commissioner of Jalpaiguri district.”

The tribal agitationists have opposed the GJM demand for inclusion of Dooars in the Gorkhaland state and demanded Sixth Schedule status for the Dooars.

The GJM has been spearheading a movement in the hills for a separate state.

The party organised indefinite shutdowns twice in the hills in June and July over its Gorkhaland demand, severely hitting tea and tourism industry - the bread and butter of the region.

A round of tripartite talks held in New Delhi to solve the problem has remained inconclusive.

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3 Responses

  1. beakononline Says:

    NOW YOUR WAR IS OVER. Statehood activists may be reminded that most statehood demands are more emotional than logical. Stay with your emotions bcause your demand is not logical and ground realities are not properly investigated.
    ONLY LOGICAL SOLUTION IS :
    Giving Darjeeiing back to Sikkim, it would restore the historical unity of this region. Old Sikkim was the land of the Bhutias and Lepchas; the future Sikim would be a Nepali-dominated state of the Indian Union, which would respond to the frustrations of the Nepalis of India and defuse today’s tensions.

    If Darjeeling and Sikkim were to be united, as they were in the past, it would create a Nepali-majority state that has economic clout, with culture to match. The historical partitioning was hardly strategic and had to do with the British need for a sanatorium in the hills. On the other hand, Darjeeling and Sikkim share the same history and geography, and today they also share the same language and ethnicities.Darjeeling, would provide the economic and cultural backbone of the new state to a degree that is out of the reach of present-day Sikkim. Once they are assured of an honourable home in the Indian Union, the Indian Nepalis, who are culturally sophisticated, will immediately undergo a cultural resurgence.

  2. beakononline Says:

    Gorkhaland or Gundaland????

    It is so important for the public to find out what is going in Darjeeling and where the movement is heading. From what I have found out so far, these are the following facts (which I request interested people to challenge anytime) that I would like to place before all of you and let you decide whether the so called quest for a separate state sounds as honest as some of the leaders are proclaiming.

    Darjeeling is being held hostage by three previous GNLF gang members, namely Nicole Tamang, Deven Sharma and Dinesh Thing. Nicole and Deven are from ropeway, Singamari. Dinesh is from Patlebas. These three individuals have amongst themselves managed to amass crores of rupees so far so fast already and it would not be unfair to say that Bimal Gurung is totally aware of that fact but keeps quiet for innumerable reasons. These three left over gangsters from the Ghising dynasty control all the contractors in DGHC, PWD as well as the National Highway among other departments. They have hired a bunch of local goons to do their jobs for them and are getting richer by the day. By the time a separate state is formed in Darjeeling, they would have enough wealth and power to continue their mafia type rule exactly like what Ghising did for twenty years.

    Under the shadow of these three knights of Bimal Gurung here are the following characters that are making lots of kills in the eco system very much like the hyenas of the Kalahari:

    Pravin Subba from Keerabari looks after the Railway and also PWD and several other departments. Nirmal Subba supervises the Darjeeling Municipality. A notable and much highlighted leader on the making Roshan Giri formerly with AGSU who grew to fame after the Dawa Palzor Drug case where he was awarded with 5 lakhs of rupees for aiding and rescuing the convict. A personality that has zero knowledge about Darjeeling and who obviously sounded like a rickshaw puller while in conversation with the Bengali leaders of Bengal.

    Dawa Lama is their cashier and handles the transactions. D.K. Pradhan a renowned don of GNLF is seen closely walking and standing alongside Bimal Gurung and their relationship seems to be strengthening every passing day. Please mind you these are all Central Committee members! As for Binoy Tamang, Amar Lama, Taranga Pandit, Isamani Pakhrin, Raju Pradhan and Dr. Harka Bdr. Chhetri, I have begun to doubt their intentions and will further investigate and get to the bottom of their involvement in this grand theft of the people of Darjeeling. Don’t be surprised if they come out as dirty as their comrades because they are as equally aware of what is actually going on inside that office of theirs. If one isn’t a part of the solution he is indeed a part of the problem as someone once said. And so is every single individual from Darjeeling if we let this scam go uninterrupted.

    It is also a known rumor that GNLF strongmen Tilak Dewan and Lokey Gurung are constantly in touch with them and all ready to come back once again to join in the highway robbery.

    The scenario in Darjeeling is getting more pathetic by the day. Lawlessness prevails and goons are getting prosperous. And all this even before there is any sign of a separate state. Imagine what it will be like after a state is formed? It will become ten times worse than Bihar, take my word for it. There is no check and balance and nothing and no one to contest or question the more and more authoritative nature of the present leaders in Darjeeling.

    Are we making way for a dictator like Ghising to come in and make us his slaves one more time? Why aren’t learned individuals from all walks of life participating in the Tripartite meetings and discussions and debates? Is it because the leaders fear that they might not sound as accurate and reasonable in front of them? Or is it because the leaders are as evil as Ghising and believe that they can get away with another 20 years of ravaging the spirit of the people of Darjeeling? Is it not a democratic world that we all live in? The irony is that we are citizens of the largest democracy in the world!! Where are the voices of the public? Are the public just fit to wear “daura suruwal and chowbandi cholo”? Are the public just fit for tagging behind gangsters and their threats? Are the public’s sole purpose to just host cultural programs and sing and dance their time away? If they are so against the State government why aren’t they dissolving the DGHC? Is it because it is a money making machine for the few selected crooks? Why in the world are they calling it a Gandhian type of movement when they are practicing violence towards any critic of theirs. Why was it necessary to thrash down Glenary’s? Why was it necessary to smear people with disgusting black chemicals if they did not want to wear ‘daura suruwal’? What are they doing making children sit for 48 hours of hunger strike? Don’t they know the implications of these disastrous methods? Don’t they want to look different from GNLF?

  3. beakononline Says:

    As you are well aware that Nepali infiltrators and bhupalis are creating nuisance under the banner of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. They are disturbing the peace and harmony in Siliguri, Terrai and Dooars area. A recent violence activity of the morcha clearly shows that activists of GJMM are most communal and they only know goondagiri. They dont have any respect people of other communities.They are only for communal conflicts. Nobody can support them. Infact not a single Lepcha, Bhutia, Bengali, Marwari, Adivasi is representing their central body. GJMMs most ardent supporters are illegal mighrants from Nepal, Bhupalis and push back nepalis from some north eastern states.
    They are creating all the illegal activities in the soft soil of W.B. But Bengals people will not tolerate all this nuisance activities. This illegal mighrant from Nepal and bhupalis creating all the communal tension in the region with the help odd anti national forces. What is the sources of money for GJMM? It is benevolance of W.B. Govt that GJMM is able to continues their anti indian activities. If this GJMM is borned in others state , today they will be in jail or departed to Nepal.
    No non nepalis are going to fooled by GJMM. Every body knows about Sikkim. Illegal mighrants from Nepal have captured the Sikim. Where C.M to Peon is Nepali. They have changed the demographic picture of Sikim. No place for others. Original inhabitant(sikimeese) are now minority there. Be aware all the non nepalis. Look at Sikkim.
    They are practicing path of violence against their critics. They are also practicing communal hatred against the other communities. We must condemn the violence activities of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. The administration must take stringent action in accordance with law for their nuisance and violence activities.
    That taking advantage of 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty and open border, incessant infiltration of Nepalese from Nepal into North Bengal Districts specially terrain, Dooars where demographic picture is changing rapidly and would out-number the sons of the soil like those of Sikkim. The Foreign Nepalese those who came after 1950 are not Indian by any means. Nepalese or gorkhas from Nepal cannot be claimed as Indian because Nepal is a separate country. The Clause VII of the 1950 India-Nepal treaty is very clear, it states: ‘The Government of India and Nepal agree to grant, on a reciprocal basis, to the nationals of one country in the territories of the other, the same privileges in the matter of residence, ownership of property, participation in trade and commerce, movement and other privileges of a similar nature.’ In short, Nepalis living in India have residency rights but not citizenship rights.

    · To prevent the forceful illegal occupation in Siliguri, Terrai and dooars areas from foreign Nepales/Bhopalis aggression, Administration must identify the foreign Nepalees/Bhopalis and push them back to Nepal immediately in accordance with the provision of Foreigners Act, as is being done in case of Bangladeshis.

    · Administration must delete the name of foreign Nepalis/Gorkhas from the voter list who have came India after the treaty immediately. As per Clause VII of the 1950 India-Nepal treaty they cannot claim Citizenship rights.

    · That the Morcha (with the help of foreign Nepalis and bhupalis) is reported to be preparing for making maximum disturbances for the people of the Siliguri, Terrai and Dooars forcing them to accept the demand for Gorkhaland, They are forcing the administration not to take any action for their illegal activities. They are trying to frighten the inhabitants of afore-said areas by way of their violence activities. Administration must take initiatives to protect the security of the people and must ensure not to allow the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha to create a total lawlessness situation in those areas.

    · That referendum taken by the majority communities/representing organizations including Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad, we on behalf of BangIa O BangIa Bhasha Bancho Committee out-rightly rejecting the demand of Gorkha Land. Because they (GJMM) are not representing the Indian Citizens of this area and has no any mandate from the Citizen of Siliguri,Terai and Dooars area. Please note that Citizens of Siliguri, Terai and Dooars are against the creation of Gorkha Land. We are also against any division of West Bengal.

    SAVE DARJEELING, SAVE SILIGURI,
    SAVE TERRAI, SAVE DOOARS,
    SAVE INDIA AND BENGAL
    FROM THE AGGRESSION
    OF FOREIGN NEPALIS/BHUPALIS.

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