Women run during a recruitment drive for Gorkhaland Personnel. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling/Kalimpong, Aug. 14: Six girls of the Gorkhaland Personnel, a volunteer force of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, will be officially presented before the public during the Independence Day celebration in Kalimpong tomorrow.

Morcha leaders had so far kept the decision to unveil the girls under wraps. No one is still ready to say what uniform they will wear.

“Everybody wants to know about the Gorkhaland Personnel, but we are keeping it as a last-minute surprise. The personnel will don their full uniform tomorrow,” said a central committee leader of the Morcha.

“Six girls of the Gorkhaland Personnel have been chosen to perform duties like escorting the dignitaries,” said Col (retd) Ramesh Allay, the president of the Morcha’s ex-servicemen’s association which is overseeing the recruitment drive. “However, we cannot tell you about the dress at the moment and everyone will come to know about it tomorrow.”

The venue of the unveiling, Kalimpong, has a history of organising the most popular Independence Day celebration in the entire region. Even people from neighbouring Sikkim flock to the hill town on this day.

“We will also deploy ex-servicemen and volunteers from the Yuva Morcha to maintain law and order,” said the retired colonel.

An Independence Day celebration committee has been formed for the Kalimpong show, which is headed by Norden Lama, who is tipped to be the next chairman of the town’s municipality. Lama said people from all walks of life representing a number of organisations were in the committee. “Different organisations are deploying their own volunteers for the celebration,” he added.

A police officer said the department would deploy its force like previous years. “We have our arrangements in place for law and order and the organisers might deploy their own volunteers too. It is their independent decision.”

Kalimpong subdivisional officer P.T. Sherpa said the “administration had no role in organising the event”.

The Morcha, which has decided to take part in all Independence Day celebrations across the Darjeeling hills, will felicitate ex-servicemen who sustained injuries in the clash with the police during the April 9 rally in Siliguri.