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Darjeeling, July 26,VIVEK CHHETRI: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to observe “martyrs’ day” tomorrow at Sibchu, where three party supporters were killed in a police firing on February 8. But unlike earlier times, police have given permission to the Morcha to go ahead with a rally at the firing site.
The subdivisional police officer of Malbazar, Arindam Sarkar, said he had received an appeal from the Morcha for tomorrow's programme in Sibchu.
“I have forwarded the appeal to the block development officer to allow the Morcha to observe the martyrs’ day at Sibchu,” the SDPO said.
Sibchu in the Malbazar subdivision of Jalpaiguri is one of the entry points to the Dooars. The firing took place when Morcha supporters forcibly tried to enter the region as part of party chief Bimal Gurung’s padayatra from Darjeeling to the Dooars.
Morcha assistant secretary Binay Tamang said: “The party has decided to observe martyrs’ day at Sibchu tomorrow. I, along with Kalchini MLA Wilson Chompromary, will be present at the spot to pay homage to three of our martyrs who were killed in a police firing on February 8, 2011.”
The Morcha has been observing martyrs’ day on July 27 since it’s inception, just like the GNLF used to do until Subash Ghisingh and the top rung leaders were forced to flee the hills. On July 27, 1986, 13 people were killed when a GNLF procession — on its way to the Kalimpong motor stand to burn the 1950 Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty — was fired upon.
The rally had been brought out as Ghisingh, the president of the GNLF, wanted the government to scrap Article VII of the treaty, which allowed free movement — along with other rights, except voting — between the citizens of Nepal and India. Ghisingh was of the opinion that the article was blurring the line that divided Nepali-speaking Indians from Nepali citizens.
Like in the past three years, the Morcha will be observing the day at Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik too.
“Martyrs’ family members from the Dooars, Terai and Darjeeling will come to Darjeeling,” said Tamang. Party president Gurung will be present at the programme in Darjeeling, sources said.
Gurung had earlier said that six “martyrs”, who died since the party launched the statehood agitation in 2007, would be given jobs once the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration was in place along with an LPG agency. The party has already given Rs 3 lakh to each of the families of the “six martyrs”.
Apart from this, the Morcha has also bought a flat for the family of Pramila Sharma, the first Morcha activist to be killed in the agitation on July 25, 2008. Pramila died from a bullet fired allegedly from the house of a GNLF leader in Darjeeling.
“We are not treating our martyrs as the GNLF had done. They only gave Rs 8,000 to the families and there was corruption even in distribution of this amount,” Gurung had said at Chungthung earlier this week.
Apart from Pramila, the others who have died in the agitation are Neeta Khawash, Bimala Rai, Vicky Lama, Akbar Lama and Rabin Rai.
Gurung had also said after the CID probe into the Sibchu firing was completed, the state government was likely to announce compensation for the families of Bimala, Neeta and Vicky.
While Bimala and Vicky died on the spot in Sibchu, Neeta had breathed her last a couple of days later at a nursing home in Siliguri.
Today, a three-member CID team visited Gorubathan where 12 Morcha supporters submitted a written statement on the firing.
“I, along with 11 others, gave a written statement about the incident before the team at Gorubathan in Kalimpong subdivision. The 11 people also included two Morcha activists, Roshini Rai and Karuna Tamang, who were injured that day,” said Tamang.
The Morcha has also submitted “video footages and photographs” of the Sibchu incident to the CID. “I had sent the material to CID almost a week ago,” said Tamang.
On July 6, the Morcha team had also met C.V. Muralidhar, the additional director general of police of the CID.
~The Telegraph
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