Desh Bhakt Rai, son of former Kalimpong MLA Renuleena Subba, on Wednesday recalled the alleged torture inflicted by Gorkha National Liberation Front cadres on his family in 1986 and questioned his mother’s decision to accept the first Subash Ghisingh Memorial Civilian Award.
The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has instituted the award named after the GNLF founder.
The son and the mother share a very cordial relationship. The Telegraph made several attempts to contact Renuleena over the phone to elicit a reaction to her son’s remarks, but all were unsuccessful.
Desh Bhakt told journalists that he had told his mother that he would let the world know what their family had faced during the 1986 Gorkhaland agitation before she accepted the award.
During the height of the agitation in 1986, he said, the GNLF had called for Gorkhas’ disassociation with the Bengal government and asked leaders from the community to quit their posts.
Renuleena, an Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) leader, was the Kalimpong MLA then.
Deskh Bhakt said that ABGL leaders had also decided to resign following the GNLA call. However, it was decided that Renuleena would resign, along with the then ABGL sabhadipati of the Darjeeling zilla parishad, two days later, as the latter had wished.
However, the sabhadipati resigned the same evening, leaving many to think that Renuleena was defying the GNLF’s directive, said Desh Bhakt.
“It was then that the social boycott of my and my in-laws’ families started,” said Desh Bhakt.
He said villagers were barred from helping them on their farmland.
“I used to sell around 40 litres of milk at Kalimpong town, but my customers were threatened,” said Desh Bhakt, who stays at his native village, Sindabong.
The ration dealer, as well as local traders, were barred from distributing groceries and other items to the Subba family, alleged Desh Bhakt.
“We had a Jeep at our house, but we could not buy petrol from Kalimpong town,” he added.
Desh Bhakt alleged that he had nearly been killed by GNLF supporters and said his mother and father had given up hope that he would return home safely.
The social boycott, according to Desh Bhakt, went on for six months. The Gorkhaland agitation ended in 1988 when Ghisingh accepted the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).
“Given the situation that we faced, is it right to accept the award?” asked Desh Bhakt.
The son said that he had met his mother on Tuesday. “She is old, nearly 90 years old and at times, she forgets things. She took this decision to accept the award without consulting any of the family members,” said Desh Bhakt.
The son added that the mother wanted to accept the award.
“It is her decision. But I told her that I would make public what we had gone through during those days,” said Desh Bhakt.