The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Tuesday stepped up its protests in Darjeeling , with some activists burning copies of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) agreement, and dozens of youth getting their bare backs smashed with tubelights.
Supporters of GJM lined up at Chowk Bazar and some of them started breaking tubelights on their backs, to show their anger against the West Bengal government.
End of board
The demonstration, announced by the GJM a few days ago, drew large crowds from different parts of Darjeeling. GJM supporters burnt copies of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) agreement, entered into between the Centre, West Bengal government and the GJM in 2011. The GJM leadership said the burning of the GTA agreement officially marked the end of the regional developmental board in the hills.
“Today (Tuesday) we are burning the GTA memorandum agreement and the GTA Act that was signed in August 2011. From today, GTA would be a non-entity in the hills. We do not want the GTA anymore. The only thing we want now is Gorkhaland,” Benoy Tamang, GJM's assistant general secretary, said.
‘Boycott polls’
Mr. Tamang who was present at the protest venue, said if the State government tries to impose the election here and if anyone tries to fight the election even as an independent candidate, they would have to do that at their own risk.
Protests were held in all the 45 wards of the GTA as announced by the GJM leadership. Only a day before Prakash Gurung, president of the youth wing of the GJM threatened to resort to hunger-strike and self-immolation and urged the Centre to start a dialogue on the issue of separate Gorkhaland.
The GJM and other parties have refused to hold any discussion with the State government. In Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held meetings with senior administrative and police officers on the situation in Darjeeling.
Senior Trinamool Congress Minister Gautam Deb, president of Darjeeling district Trinamool Congress, said that he is saddened to see such violent protest. Mr. Deb said any protests in a democratic country should follow democratic means.
