Linguistic identity, the underlying basis on which the modern Indian state was carved out, has disrupted peace in idyllic Darjeeling, one of India’s most popular hill stations. The sceptre of latent majoritarianism has disturbed the gentle stasis which prevailed in the hill district of West Bengal, which comes under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
The chaos that is unfolding on the streets of Darjeeling has its roots in a decree passed by the Mamata Banerjee government on May 16 that mandated Bengali be taught as a compulsory subject in schools across the state from Class 1 to 10.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) which controls the GTA cried foul over the announcement, which it perceived as a unilateral imposition of Bengali culture, and an attempt to homogenize the demographic of the state. The GJM, which was formed in 2007, rose to prominence for championing the cause of Gorkha nationalism, and the creation of a separate state, Gorkhaland, out of the northern districts of West Bengal.
What began as a peaceful protest, with the GJM calling for a strike in all educational institutions in the hills on June 1 and 2, simmered into violence, as the state government dismissed the reservations of the GJM, and were recalcitrant to their demands to review the legislation.
Mamata Banerjee dismissed the dissenting voices, saying the morcha leaders were making “an issue out of a non-issue.”
Her announcement at a public meeting in Mirik on June 5, that a special audit of the GTA would be undertaken to uncover financial irregularities that the GJM had indulged in, served to harden the resolve of the GJM instead of making it cower into subservience.
The brewing discontent spilled over onto the streets as Bimal Gurung, the GJM president led rallies between June 5 and 8. The narrow, cobbled streets of Darjeeling were transformed into a cultural battlefield which witnessed violent protests reminiscent of the agitation for Gorkhaland spearheaded by Subhas Ghising’s Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), in the mid-1980s.
The state government relented and announced at a cabinet meeting in Darjeeling on June 8, that Bengali would be made an optional subject in the hill districts. However, instead of accepting a truce, the GJM escalated its protest, and raised the demand for a separate state within the framework of the Indian constitution.
The origin of the conflict stems from the decades-old demand for Gorkha statehood, with the eponymous state encompassing parts of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. The region has since been fraught with infighting among the ranks of the GNLF and its eventual political successor, the GJM, which have curtailed the aspirations of the people, and crippled the hill economy.
In 2011, after the Trinamool Congress came to power, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM, the state government and the centre, leading to the establishment of the GTA, a regional autonomous body aimed at giving significant administrative control over the region to the elected party in the hills.
However, the recent strife has brought together the GJM, its arch-rival, the GNF, and a host of other smaller parties, who have raised their long-standing concerns over the gradual rise of Bengali dominion in the hills, as the Trinamool Congress were making electoral inroads in the GTA, with promises of greater economic development.
The violence escalated with GJM members resorting to vandalism and arson, setting ablaze a PWD office in Darjeeling, and a block development office in Bijanbari, on June 12. The centre stepped up efforts at an intercession, and a resolution was passed for a separate state, by four political parties in the hills, and the BJP.
The state government, which found its authority being undermined, went on a war footing, with the police raiding the residence of GJM president Bimal Gurung, in his stronghold Patlaybas, recovering weapons and cash.
The GJM called for an indefinite total bandh in the hills, bringing life to a standstill, and a relapse into normalcy, a distant dream.
The centre had called for tripartite talks with the GJM and the West Bengal government on June 19, but efforts at brokering a truce broke down. Protesters blocked the national highway 31A at some places in Darjeeling district earlier today to protest the death of three GJM activists.
Several companies of the armed forces have been deployed to quell the unrest. The GJM has called for indefinite protests, but questions linger over the sustainability of the struggle for statehood since the tourism industry, which is the biggest money-spinner in the hills, has been hit hard.
A prolonged impasse would only serve to heighten tensions, and bring the fragile regional economy to a complete standstill. The summer of discontent is yet to cause a political thaw in the hills.
