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GJM imposes dress code in Darjeeling

KOLKATA: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has announced that a dress code be adopted for a month by those belonging to the Gorkha community to assert their “distinctive cultural identity.”

The GJM has been demanding a separate State comprising the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal and certain areas contiguous to it.

“The announcement was made by GJM president Bimal Gurung on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Morcha on October 7,” its general secretary Roshan Giri told The Hindu over telephone from Darjeeling on Thursday.

“All members of the Gorkha community have been asked to be attired in their traditional dress for a month to highlight that they are culturally different and do not resemble other ethnic communities in West Bengal.”

Though no diktat had been issued to abide by the dress code “those who do not adhere to it, risk to find themselves in an awkward position though this should not be construed as social ostracism,” Mr. Giri said.

The GJM also announced that from October 17 all signboards bearing the name of the State government be changed and “West Bengal” replaced by “Gorkhaland.” It applied to those outside the State government department offices as well, Mr. Giri said. “This is part of the GJM’s non-cooperation movement with the West Bengal government,” he said.

District Superintendent of Police Rahul Srivastava said defacing signboards as called by the GJM leadership was illegal.

The State administration had been informed of the developments and the local authorities were awaiting its instructions on how to address the situation, he said.

Mr. Giri said the second round of tripartite talks to discuss the demand for a separate State would be held in November.

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