July 27: Paying homage to those who laid down their lives during the Gorkhaland struggle on shaheed diwas (martyrs’ day) today, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), which organised programmes in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, promised their sacrifice would not be in vain.
“We must stand by our chairman Subash Ghisingh. We just need to wait for some more time. Even Mizoram had to wait for 22 years before it was given statehood,” said Hangu Subba, vice-chairman, Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, addressing a gathering at Chowrastha.
Pasang Bhutia, Darjeeling civic chairman, also spoke on the same lines. “We will not let the martyrs’ sacrifice go to waste. We will not rest till the Gorkhaland dream is achieved.”
It was on this day in 1987 that GNLF rallyists — protesting the 1950 Indo-Nepal treaty — clashed with the police at Engine Dara, 9th Mile, Kalimpong. More than 10 people were killed. “The incident can be compared to the Jallianwallah Bagh tragedy,” Bhutia said.
The mood was the same at Saheed Park, in Kalimpong. Here, however, the leaders took potshots at the state government, accusing it of sowing seeds of disunity in the hills to dampen the movement.
GNLF Kalimpong branch committee president Dawa Pakhrin alleged that Chattray Subba had played into the hands of the state government, “which had tried to break the unity of the people of the hills by using Chattray Subba. Now a similar thing is being done through GNLF (C).”
Branding urban development and municipal affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya the main cause of the split in the party, Pakhrin said: “The main reason for the formation of GNLF (C) is due to the communist party. They want to break the unity of the hill people. They have tried to win the support of the people but have failed to stop them from supporting the GNLF.”
DGHC information and culture department director Bhakta Jairu said it was only because of the martyrs that “we have been recognised as Indians. Not only in the three hill subdivisions, Gorkhas everywhere should show their respect to them.”
