Renuleena Subba, 87, who had once smuggled a toy gun into the Bengal Assembly and fired shots to draw the House’s attention to an issue concerning the Darjeeling hills, will be bestowed with the first Subash Ghisingh Memorial Civilian Award by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Renuleena was elected as the MLA from Kalimpong in 1977 on an Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) ticket and won the seat again in 1982 as an Independent.

“The first Subash Ghisingh Memorial Civilian Award will be conferred on
Renuleena Subba, who has made an immense socio-political contribution to the Darjeeling hills,” said Rajesh Chowhan, deputy chairman, GTA Sabha.

Ghisingh is considered one of the tallest political leaders of the Indian Gorkha community.

The award will be presented to Renuleena on June 22, the birthday of Ghisingh.

Speaking to The Telegraph over the phone from her residence in Kalimpong, Renuleena recalled the incident that marked her dramatic Assembly protest.

“In 1983, eight Congress workers were killed by CPM supporters in the Salembong tea garden in Kalimpong,” recollected Renuleena.

The MLA, who was in the Opposition, repeatedly tried to raise the issue in the Assembly but was denied permission to speak. “I then went to New Market and bought a toy gun that resembled an original one. I paid ₹2000, in those days, for the gun,” she added.

Renuleena then smuggled the gun into the Assembly, hiding it in her shawl.

“During the session, the then chief minister Jyoti Basu was trying to stress that law and order in Bengal was under control. It was then that I pulled out the gun and fired shots in the air and said the situation was not fine,” said Renuleena.

Police personnel rushed towards Renuleena. “I told them that Gorkhas cannot be intimidated as they are born on battlefields. I also told the male police personnel
not to touch a woman,” the leader recollected.

She was eventually escorted out of the Assembly by women marshals.

“However, Jyoti Basu realised that I had raised a serious issue. An administrative meeting was soon convened in Kalimpong to look into the incident,” said Renuleena.

According to the wishes of the deceased’s families, cardamom farms were handed over to them at their native places.

“A few years ago, I visited Samelbong and found that the grandchildren of the deceased were still tilling the cardamom farms,” said the former Kalimpong MLA.

The leader expressed her happiness at being conferred with the award.

“I shared a close relationship with Subash Ghisingh, who was one of the first leaders to raise consciousness among the Gorkha community. Subash Ghisingh is a tall leader who has made very significant contributions to the Gorkha community,” said Renuleena.

Ghisingh was the first to start the Gorkhaland statehood movement in 1980.

Anit Thapa, chief executive, GTA, had surprised many by announcing the award named after Ghisingh, whose party, Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), is opposed to the former’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha in the Darjeeling hills.