Protests for separate Gorkhaland continue in Siliguri
Siliguri:The students' wing of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJMM), who are spearheading the movement for a separate Gorkhaland state, blocked the national highway-55 (NH-55) here on Thursday. The activists asserted that
their organisation should be given a blanket NOC (no objection certificate) to
hold public meetings and rallies at any place from Siliguri and Jalpaiguri or
Terai Dooars regions to Darjeeling. "West Bengal goverment should allow students
to conduct rally and mass meetings. This is our fundamental and constitutional
right and we cannot be deprived of it. Government cannot deny it. When Chief
Minister
of West Bengal and CPM leaders can hold rallies outside legislatures and the
parliament,
why object if we are asking for our rights that they talk about law and order.
This is no justice," said Keshab Raj Pokhrail, Assistant Secretary of GJMM Student
Wing. The GJMM activists have also warned that they would restrict the movement
of all government vehicles including the police in the hills area. Gorkhas have
been demanding a separate state, to be carved out of West Bengal, to protect their
culture and heritage. The Gorkha population in West Bengal is estimated to be
around a million.
