Protest turns violent in Darjeeling

On 8^th June 2017, the West Bengal government deployed army in Darjeeling after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) protested against the forced imposition of the Bengali language in the state schools.

Violent protest

GJM indulged in protest and arson while marching to the venue where the cabinet meeting was held by Mamata Banerjee. 15 police officers were injured and around 4500 tourists were stranded in the hills due to the violence. The GJM has called out a 12 hour strike today, in the northern hills against the indiscriminate police action in the region.

Protests have been going on in Darjeeling ever since Banerjee announced last month that Bengali will be made a compulsory subject in all the schools across the state from classes I to X.  People of Northern hills are against it as it is dominated by the Gorkhas and include the Lepchas, Tamangs, Gurungs and others who have already been fighting for a separate state due to linguistic and ethnic differences. This decision angered the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and TMC ally who called the state’s decision ‘undemocratic’ and ‘draconian’. However, after Mamata Banerjee won the Mirik civic body polls, she made Bengali an optional language which led to GNLF stepping out of the protest while GJM backed by the BJP continued it.

Gorkha land issue

Darjeeling was not politically a part of Bengal. It was annexed by the British in 1850 from Sikkim. It has remained as a part of Bengal even after the 1955 States Reorganization Committee had arranged all the states according to language. The demand for Gorkha land has existed for a long time now. In the 1980s a violent agitation was led by the Gorkha National Liberation Front that led to the creation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, a local government body to which the state government transferred some administrative powers. A 2007 agitation led by GJM, led to the formation of the Gorkha land Territorial Administration (GTA).

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is the largest party in Darjeeling who has been protesting for a separate Gorkha state. The popularity for the Gorkha land demand was seen in the 2011 Assembly elections in which GJM won 79% of the votes. While the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bengali speaking, received only 3.5% of the votes.

In the 2011 elections Banerjee had promised that the Gorkha land issue will be resolved. However, there has not been any success in the plan. Bimal Gurung, GJM leader has accused the Chief Minister for not providing funds to GTA and applying the policy of divide and rule by forming various developmental boards for specific minority community while ignoring the Gorkhas. In 2013, the demand for a separate statehood for Gorkha land saw a new upsurge when a resolution for the creation of Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh was passed.

Assessment

West Bengal is economically benefitted from Darjeeling as it is one of the important tourist destination and is highly popular for its tea plantation. Thus West Bengal does not want to lose on Darjeeling. However the fact that both the regions share different languages, culture and ethnicity; the demands of the region is not being properly looked into, the Center should consider the decision of a separate statehood of the region.

Mamata Banerjee’s recent decision to impose Bengali as a compulsory language could back fire as it could further provoke the movement under GJM who is backed by the BJP.