Gorkhaland Protests

Three days after the absconding Darjeeling leader Bimal Gurung, who led a violent agitation for a separate state Gorkhaland, resurfaced in Kolkata, his rivals currently in control of the hill station held protest demonstrations on Sunday and warned that if his return meant a return to violence, people would not let him enter the hills.

89 days after Darjeeling shut down to demand a separate state and protest a bid to allegedly impose Bengali language in the hills, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today met several hill leaders, led by Benoy Tamang of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, for talks that both sides said were positive.

For the first time in 78 days, there's a thaw in the ice between Darjeeling and Nabanna, office of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. But could the thaw be shortlived.

The top conservation body UNESCO has cautioned that the damage caused to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or DHR due to the protest to demand a separate Gorkhaland state may put in peril the World Heritage Site tag it earned in 1999

After a couple of weeks of relative calm in Darjeeling, trouble erupted today in West Bengal's hill district again; this time at the foothills at Sukna where kukri-wielding activists demanding a the separate state of Gorkhaland clashed with police.

The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) is preparing for a prolonged underground armed movement for a separate state and has hired Maoists from neighbouring countries as mercenaries to train its cadres, according to senior West Bengal government officials.

On the edge for nearly a month over the demand for a separate state by Gorkha ethnic groups, Darjeeling saw violent protests on Wednesday after the supporters of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) allegedly set on fire a tourist information office at a mall in the heart of the city. They also damaged a few government vehicles on the 28th day of the indef...

Supporters of a separate Gorkhaland state marched on the streets in Darjeeling today as their "indefinite" strike entered the 26th day. There have been no report of violence since last night

With a 110-metre long national flag, Gorkhaland supporters today marched in the national capital to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of President's Rule in West Bengal. Protestors belonging to the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (GSSS) here demanded the Centre's intervention in removing paramilitary forces wi...

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today assured the Sikkim government that the Centre will ensure the security of national highway 10, the lifeline of the landlocked state, which is facing crisis of essential commodities in the wake of protests and counter-protests over the demand for Gorkhaland in neighbouring West Bengal.

Supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha or GJM in Darjeeling said they plan to hold rallies against the alleged killing of a youth in police firing as the shutdown to demand a state entered the 25th day

Two columns of the Army have been deployed in Darjeeling and Sonada as protests escalated this morning after a young man's body was found with a bullet wound. Locals claim the man, Yashi Bhutia, was shot dead by police around midnight in Sonada, 15 kilometres from Darjeeling.

Barely two days after getting the Army withdrawn from the Darjeeling hills, the West Bengal government today rushed to the Centre seeking 10 companies of the CRPF to contain the situation in the hills.

In a high optic protest held in Darjeeling today, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha torched copies of an agreement that gave partial autonomy to the hills. Shirtless supporters marched through the hill town as fellow protesters smashed tube lights on their backs till they bled.

For most parts of the day, an eerie silence grips the town of Darjeeling. The whistling of steam engines, a familiar sound in the hilly town, is missing. On the street, a game of cricket or football is interrupted by the occasional police or press vehicle passing by.

Three days after the absconding Darjeeling leader Bimal Gurung, who led a violent agitation for a separate state Gorkhaland, resurfaced in Kolkata, his rivals currently in control of the hill station held protest demonstrations on Sunday and warned that if his return meant a return to violence, people would not let him enter the hills.

89 days after Darjeeling shut down to demand a separate state and protest a bid to allegedly impose Bengali language in the hills, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today met several hill leaders, led by Benoy Tamang of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, for talks that both sides said were positive.

For the first time in 78 days, there's a thaw in the ice between Darjeeling and Nabanna, office of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. But could the thaw be shortlived.

The top conservation body UNESCO has cautioned that the damage caused to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway or DHR due to the protest to demand a separate Gorkhaland state may put in peril the World Heritage Site tag it earned in 1999

After a couple of weeks of relative calm in Darjeeling, trouble erupted today in West Bengal's hill district again; this time at the foothills at Sukna where kukri-wielding activists demanding a the separate state of Gorkhaland clashed with police.

The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) is preparing for a prolonged underground armed movement for a separate state and has hired Maoists from neighbouring countries as mercenaries to train its cadres, according to senior West Bengal government officials.

On the edge for nearly a month over the demand for a separate state by Gorkha ethnic groups, Darjeeling saw violent protests on Wednesday after the supporters of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) allegedly set on fire a tourist information office at a mall in the heart of the city. They also damaged a few government vehicles on the 28th day of the indef...

Supporters of a separate Gorkhaland state marched on the streets in Darjeeling today as their "indefinite" strike entered the 26th day. There have been no report of violence since last night

With a 110-metre long national flag, Gorkhaland supporters today marched in the national capital to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of President's Rule in West Bengal. Protestors belonging to the Gorkha Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (GSSS) here demanded the Centre's intervention in removing paramilitary forces wi...

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today assured the Sikkim government that the Centre will ensure the security of national highway 10, the lifeline of the landlocked state, which is facing crisis of essential commodities in the wake of protests and counter-protests over the demand for Gorkhaland in neighbouring West Bengal.

Supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha or GJM in Darjeeling said they plan to hold rallies against the alleged killing of a youth in police firing as the shutdown to demand a state entered the 25th day

Two columns of the Army have been deployed in Darjeeling and Sonada as protests escalated this morning after a young man's body was found with a bullet wound. Locals claim the man, Yashi Bhutia, was shot dead by police around midnight in Sonada, 15 kilometres from Darjeeling.

Barely two days after getting the Army withdrawn from the Darjeeling hills, the West Bengal government today rushed to the Centre seeking 10 companies of the CRPF to contain the situation in the hills.

In a high optic protest held in Darjeeling today, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha torched copies of an agreement that gave partial autonomy to the hills. Shirtless supporters marched through the hill town as fellow protesters smashed tube lights on their backs till they bled.

For most parts of the day, an eerie silence grips the town of Darjeeling. The whistling of steam engines, a familiar sound in the hilly town, is missing. On the street, a game of cricket or football is interrupted by the occasional police or press vehicle passing by.