Tremors Of J&K Rock Darjeeling Hills As Gorkhaland Agitators Now Want Their Pound Of Flesh

The Centre’s abolition of Article 370 of the Constitution and bif­ur­c­­ation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories have not only plunged India’s norther­nmost region into uncertai­nty, its rev­er­berations are felt elsewhere too. The tremors are being felt a thousand miles away in the Darjeeling hills of West Ben­­gal, where a new demand for turning the area into a Union territory is raised by Gorkhaland agitators, inc­lu­ding pro-Mamata groups among them.

Raju Bist, BJP MP for Darjeeling, has tweeted about a letter written to him by Union home minister Amit Shah, wherein Shah has mentioned the word ‘Gork­h­aland’, thus reigniting the issue. Bist wrote to Shah in July, voicing concern over the security of Gorkhas in Delhi, as they were left out of the purview of the Delhi Police’s special cell to counter racism, especially against people from the Nor­th­east. According to Bist, Shah repl­ied that concerns over the people of Ladakh and ‘Gorkhaland’ were...