A close shave indeed!! I was in KPG at the time and remember hearing of the young fella that was killed. Crazy emotional fanaticism and hysteria - whatever the cause. I witnessed this kind of brutality in 1985 in New Delhi shortly after returning from Iraq when Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
I remember in 1970 or thereabouts a Nepali Chap with his newly wed wife were shopping in Siliguri town. A few hoods passed some remarks. The result was catastrophic. The poor chap was killed instantly. I don't know how but it sparked off a Nepali/Bengali communal porblem.
I had good friends from both communities and it was really disturbing to think how an isolated event could spark off reprisals and counter reprisals.
The Army came, the tanks rolled in and set up positions north of the Mahananda bridge. I happened to be crossing the bridge at the time and the tank guys were giving me tough looks as if I had started it all.
1970 was a good part or a bad part of my life depends on how I look at it. My Dad was really fed up of me. Naturally two years and no job. I was more into having fun with the Nepali guys. They were really musical minded and real good fun. I didn't have a care in the world.
Having tackled the tank Chappies, I was on my way to my cousins place in Gurung basti to play my favourite song "Theemee lai munparcha" or something to that effect. Suddenly from nowhere about 300 guys with steel rods who had crossed the river came towards the Nepali Houses. I felt trapped and tried to think of my hide and seek skills learnt from Scottish but to no avail.
It happened so fast and in no time I was surrounded. They asked me difficult questions and when I thought I was gone a Bengali Chap appeared form nowhere and said that he lives in the area and knows me and that I am not a Nepali. If I was looking for a job I would have asked this person to be my referee. I never saw this good samaritan again who saved me. He was like a ghost.
The present situation is different and I hope it is all sorted out soon in an amicable manner.
Army on stand-by in Siliguri after clashes (Second Lead)
June 12th, 2008 - 10:01 pm ICT
Kolkata, June 12 (IANS) The army was kept on stand-by and assmbly of more than four people was banned in West Bengals Siliguri town Thursday after a group demanding a separate Gorkhaland state clashed with Bengali-speaking groups. Some tourists were injured in the attack. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called the army to stage a flag march in Siliguri and its adjacent areas as the town turned into a battle field between the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) activists and an outfit of Bengali-speaking people, Amra Bangali (We are Bengalis), who oppose creation of a separate Gorkhaland in Darjeeling hills. Considering the gravity of situation, the district administration banned congregation of five or more people at Bhaktinagar and Pradhannagar areas in Darjeeling district. However, Home Secretary Ashok Mohon Chakraborty said the situation has been brought under control and the government has decided not to deploy the army in the violence-hit areas. The situation in Siliguri is better now. The review committee, comprising top officials from the army, Darjeeling district administration and the police, have decided to keep the army on stand-by, Chakraborty told reporters here. He said a large contingent of the police has been deployed in all trouble-prone zones in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts. We have asked the army to be prepared. If there is any trouble we will call the army immediately to tackle the situation, the home secretary added. A violent clash broke out between the GJM supporters and the Amra Bangali outfit. Police vehicles were torched by GJM supporters in Siliguri and nine police personnel were injured in violence at Champasari. We had to lob four teargas shells to disperse the crowd. We have deployed a huge contingent of police. The Rapid Action Force is currently patrolling Siliguri town, state Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K.L. Tamta said. A group of GJM activists attacked a tourist vehicle in Jalpaiguri Thursday morning while it was returning from the hills. Eight tourists were injured in the attack. The GJM leaders called an indefinite shutdown from Tuesday in the Darjeeling hills, demanding a separate Gorkhaland state in the region. Thousands of tourists had a harrowing time as transport kept off the roads and food became scarce during the shutdown. The government opened several guest houses to provide shelter to tourists in the hills, which was also lashed by heavy rains. Thousands of tourists were stranded in Sikkim as the National Highway No 31-A, linking the state with Siliguri railhead, remained cut off because of the blockade by GJM activists. Tea gardens too were hit because of the indefinite shutdown in three hill sub-divisions - Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong - and some portions of Dooars in Jalpaiguri district. All tea estates in northern Bengal are incurring an accumulated loss of worth Rs.20 million everyday because of the shutdown, Siliguri Tea Traders Association secretary Rajiv Lochan said. The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) personnel have been called to patrol the area. Six companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) would be deployed in Siliguri. The GJM, led by its president Bimal Gurung, has been spearheading a movement in the hills for a separate state, besides opposing the Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling district. The central government in 2005 conferred the Sixth Schedule status on the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF)-led Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) that ensures greater autonomy to the districts governing body. The DGHC was formed in 1988 through an agreement between the central and state governments and the GNLF after the hills witnessed violence for about two years.
Thanks John for the political update. A common scenario of politicians ruling the roost and filling their own private coffers while the common man gets sandwiched and suffers. A prevailing condition even in our corporate world.
FYI: Darjeeling dist. including kalimpong situations are bit tensed there now. Likely another agitation on process. Probably schools will be closing too...
Get updates at: http://www.kalimpong.info/ http://darjeelingtimes.com/
