Indefinite Agitation For Separate State of Gorkhaland Since Wednesday Aug 21,2013

Normal life was paralysed in the Darjeeling Hills as the indefinite agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland entered the sixth day on Monday Aug 26,2013 even as 53 GJM members were taken into custody

The indefinite stir and shut down in the hills have forced closure of markets and shops

GJM President Bimal Gurung has urged school students to take out rallies in Darjeeling for five days from August 27,2013 demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland, though other constituents of the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee have decided in principle to keep schools and colleges out of the ambit of the current agitation

GJM supporters protest against the arrest of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha assistent secretery Binoy Tamang in Darjeeling on Thursday Aug 22,2013

 

GJM supporters take part in a rally in Darjeeling on Saturday Aug 24,2013 in support of of their demand for separate Gorkhaland

Note
On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution to recommend the formation of a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh to the INC-led central government.This resulted in flaring up of demands throughout India, prominent among them were the demands for statehood for Gorkhaland in West Bengal and Bodoland in Assam

GJM announced an indefinite bandh from Aug 3,2013.Largely peaceful, political development took place in the background

With the West Bengal government armed with Calcutta high court order declaring the bandh as illegal, the government toughened its stand by sending a total of 10 companies of paramilitary force to quell any violent protest and arresting prominent GJM leaders and workers

In response GJM announced a unique form of protest 'Janta Bandh', in which with no picketing or the use of force the people in the hills were asked to voluntarily stay inside on 13th and 14 August.This proved to be a major success and an embarrassment for the government

At the 'all party meeting' convened by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) on 16 August at Darjeeling , the pro Gorkhaland parties informally formed 'Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee'and jointly decided to continue the movement and exercise bandhs albeit through different names. For the first time in 106 years, all the major political parties of the hills agreed to come together and jointly take the agitation forward

GJAC announced that agitation was to continue even after August 18,2013 with programs like 'Ghar Bhitre Janta' (People confided to home), processions with torches and huge human chains with black bands on the national highways,"