The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Wednesday added a peculiar flavour to the Gorkhaland agitation getting scores of toddlers some of who could barely walk to trudge up and down the mountain paths with flashing khukris in their hands hardly knowing what they were up to even as thousands of rallyists including the mothers of the tots cheered them from the wings.
The symbolic introduction of Khukri, a traditional knife associated with the Gorkhas, was promptly interpreted by the observers who had seen the violent movement of Subas Ghising-led GNlF in the mid-eighties as a device to keep the Hill people united in the face of mounting hardship on account of indefinite bandh that entered its 14th day on Wednesday.
The routine protest rallies apart reports of violence and arson also filtered in from various areas even as the GJM promptly denied its involvement with any kind of subversive activities terming it “the handiwork of Trinamool Congress agents who are trying to malign the movement.”
An office of the engineering division of the Gorkhaland Territorial Authority was torched and another panchayat office at Bijonbari was looted and put to fire by alleged GJM supporters, police said while TMC leadership in Siliguri said it was a ploy to “burn down documents to thwart the ongoing special audit of funds allocated by the State Government” to the GTA.
Sources in the DM’s office said about 25 Government properties had been burnt down in the past 20 days of the movement.
Morcha leader Benoy Tamang however said his party was “not remotely connected to any kind of violent activities. It is the ploy of the Trinamool Congress to malign our movement and arrest out men on false charges.”
He however said the movement had been forced on the people of the Hills and it had become a “mass movement” in the given point of time adding the State Government was trying to escalate the situation which could be proved by bringing Darjeeling under a DIG.
In a new administrative shuffle the State Government on Tuesday created Darjeeling as a new police division bringing it under a new DIG, Humayun Kabir. It also appointed a new commissioner for Siliguri in Dooars.
On the Khukri rally of the youngsters, Darjeeling intellectuals said, “the people have to be kept united against mounting adversities particularly food shortage and spiraling prices by introducing newer ideas every day otherwise the movement will gradually dry out and fall apart.”
They criticised the Centre and the State Governments for not taking adequate “steps to assuage the hurt feelings of the Gorkha people.” It was the question of honour and rights of the people of the Hills “the Centre should take it up immediately before things spill out of hand.”
Mamata Banerjee was “playing the waiting game to eliminate Bimal Gurung. But this time we will take to its logical end,” Tamang said.