- Gorkhas in Arunachal Pradesh brought out a rally on Saturday evening in support of the movement
- 43 GJM members resigned from Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on Friday
- All-party meeting postponed to 29 June, said GJM chief Bimal Gurung
- West Bengal has turned GTA into a farce: GJM
- Sikkim Chief Minister has backed demand for the state of Gorkhaland
- The indefinite shutdown, called by GJM, has brought life to a standstill in Darjeeling
Gorkhas of Arunachal Rally for Gorkhaland
Gorkhas in Arunachal Pradesh brought out a rally on Saturday evening in support of the ongoing movement in Darjeeling hills for the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state.
Gorkha men, women and children took part in the rally amidst heavy rains carrying pro-Gorkhaland placards and shouting slogans against the West Bengal government.
The rally, which started off from IG Park, culminated at the Itanagar Monastery where the protesters lit candles in memory of three persons who were allegedly killed in clashes with police in Darjeeling on 17 June.
Car, Bus Services to Sikkim Hit
Bus and car services between Siliguri, considered the gateway to the north east, and Gangtok were affected on Saturday as drivers of West Bengal registered vehicles stopped plying to Sikkim, inconveniencing a large number of tourists.
Several Sikkim registered cars were damaged by anti-Gorkhaland protesters and the services of Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) from Siliguri was stopped.
SNT additional general manager (operations) H L Lamichaney said its buses were not plying today out of fear.
"Local drivers have threatened us that they will torch our vehicles if we carry on with our services. We will resume our service if West Bengal government provides security to our buses," Lamichaney said.
Sikkim-bound tourists were stranded at the SNT bus stand at Siliguri.
Gurung Threatens to Intensify Stir
The GJM, spearheading the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, adopted a confrontationist stand today with its chief Bimal Gurung threatening to intensify the stir and demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged police firing in the hills on 17 June.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader, who was not seen in public for the past several days, appeared before the media at Patlebas in Darjeeling, a party stronghold.
"I am not Kishenji (Maoist leader) who can be eliminated in a police encounter. I have not taken up arms against the country. I am fighting for the identity of the Gorkhas and in a democracy I have every right to do that," he said.
Asserting that the strike will not end anytime soon, Gurung said,
I can give up my life but won’t let the movement die.
"Centre Should Formulate New Policy for Creation of States"
National Federation of New States (NFNS), an umbrella body of various groups across the country fighting for separate states, said that the Centre should formulate a new policy for creation of new states.
"The demand for separate state is nothing new. But as the system of autonomy has failed, I think the time has come for the Central government to formulate a new policy for creation of new states," Munish Tamang, leader of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh and also the secretary of NFNS said.
The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh is a part of an all-India coordination committee in the hills that was formed this week to fight for Gorkhaland.