An open letter from a Darjeeling leader addressed to Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has renewed demands for clemency of Nepali-speaking “political prisoners” who have spent years in jail.
The letter by Ajoy Edwards, an elected member of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha and the president of the Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF), put up on his social media handles on Wednesday comes amid reports of the death of Sha Bahadur Gurung in custody recently.
Gurung was arrested in 1990 and accused of attending a protest demanding rights for his minority Nepali-speaking community in Bhutan. Media reports state that an ailing Gurung died on December 15, 2025, aged 65.
“The death of Sha Bahadur Gurung in custody must not be repeated. No family should lose a loved one when mercy is still possible,” wrote Edwards.
The GTA Sabha member stated that he was writing the letter “with utmost respect, deep thought, and humility, in my capacity as an Indian Gorkha".
Edwards stated: “Bhutan is respected across the world for its compassion and moral leadership. It is in this spirit that I respectfully appeal for mercy towards Nepali-speaking political prisoners who have remained incarcerated for decades for acts of dissent, not violence."
Edwards also tagged a media report with his open letter that states Gurung spent the last 35 years of his life at the Rabuna military prison.
Reports suggested that there are atleast 36 political prisoners in Rabuna and Chemgang prison near Bhutan capital Thimphu.
“Your Majesty alone holds the constitutional power to pardon and commute sentences. Exercising this mercy would not weaken justice. It would strengthen Bhutan’s conscience and open the door to long overdue reconciliation and healing,” stated Edwards.
Over 90,000 Nepali-speaking community members, known as Lhotshampas, had to leave Bhutan in the 1990s after the country enforced strict citizenship law that required residents to prove their stay in the country before 1958.
Refugees were first settled in Nepal and then in western countries following international intervention.
The Bhutan government introduced the one nation, one people policy during that period.