3 Killed in Balurghat - SILIGURI - Dhupguri Mohanta Bus Crash Today Morning around 4 AM

At least three people were killed and several others injured after a public bus crashed into a truck at Ramganj in West Bengal's North Dinajpur district, on Wednesday early morning, reports said.

According to reports, a Balurghat to Dhupguri via Siliguri bound privately-run bus suddenly lost its control and hit a truck from behind on NH 31 at around 5:30 am.

At least 25 persons were injured in the mishap. They were rushed to Islampur Sub-Divisional Hospital where three of them were declared brought dead.

A local police official said that seven persons were shifted to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital as their conditions deteriorated.

"Two of the deceased have been identified as bus driver Biman Mahanta and a passenger Nitya Barman. Identity of the third person is yet to be established," a senior official of North Dinajpur district police said.

Police, however, have seized both the bus and truck. Driver of the truck is absconding.

Via IBNS

#GORKHALAND EVERYDAY: From ‘Jio Dara’ to ‘Bagh Dhara’ – Resolute people, missing leaders

Writes: Bicky Sharma

Its 11 in the morning. Dhiren is resting on the railings of the most prominent “hawa ghar” at the mall road, while he is looking around at the people sitting there or passing by. Dhiren is another semi mid-age, short height Darjeeling guy. His appearance on usual days can be described by his uneven stubbles, untidy clothes and an old pair of shoes torn and stitched at a few places. He is a driver by profession and his face reflects the typical tan and chubby feature that his regular dose of rum has left him with.

His eyes however remain innocent and are witness to his honest way of life.

Dhiren doesn’t sit on any of the green benches there, as he is more used to the railings since his younger days. That was the very spot where he would hang out with his group, rolling joints and listening to Bob Marley numbers, while the rest of the people took for the benches, or simply passed by.

That was before he got married at the age of 22, and he met his Guruji, who recruited him as a handyboy in his old spacio. It was the same vehicle where he learnt how to drive with his Guruji knocking his head time and again for any mistakes he made.

Now he is 30 and drives a sumo himself, he doesn’t own the vehicle though. He wouldn’t visit the place since then, but now it had been days of Darjeeling being shut down, and he had nowhere to go.

Dhiren dusts off his cigarette gently as he plunges deep into thoughts. The town remains shut for almost 3 months. His peak business days – the Dushera Season – may pass through the bandh, or even if it opens, it won’t warm his pocket enough anyway. This season was very important for him as he was planning to buy a second hand vehicle himself with his earnings, added to the money he had already been saving.  Now he knows that he will have to wait for a few more years for the same. But then, he is proud that at least he could contribute something towards the collective dreams of his people and hence prove his love for his motherland.

He is in fact willing to go weeks without food if needed to.

Suddenly, Dhiren’s thoughts of patriotism and rights, get interrupted by a loud husky voice that says “ammmammma, video hernu vayo Delhi ko? Yesto hunu parney neta haru vaneko.”

Dhiren’s ears alerted by the spawning political gossip there – something he was desperately craving for attracts him to the spot where the loud voice is standing, holding a mini-court. Dhiren has got a lot of wit and humour, but then he fails to understand politics, so he depends upon others’ opinions to shape his knowledge. He placed his eyes instantly at the spot of the voice. There a young man with long hairs and a red tika on his forehead addressing a neatly dressed old person about this newly formed group in Delhi, of which he was a firm believer. Perhaps, he watched a video of one of their members talking on facebook at the Jio-Daara nearby and that baajey seems to have been the first person who would buy his outrage over the current Darjeeling leaders presently.

The young man shouted that “the leaders were useless” and that “they should come out of the hiding and sit for a hunger strike.” The Nepali newspaper that he had held under his arm was getting creased as he pressed it hard flowing in emotions. The old man could see an emerging activist there, who was pouring out all his knowledge, gained from Facebook videos, 24 Ghanta, and newspaper headlines.

Dhiren too had once tried to find his ultimate faith in them, until he had overheard the conversation between Prakash Sir and his friend. Prakash Sir lived in the same village as Dhiren did and he had always been skeptic about that group. He was rather an advocate of the intellectual lot – the Doctors and Professors of our community. As Prakash Sir was a teacher and highly respected person in his neighbourhood, Dhiren didn’t dare to counter think and took all his words as the ultimate truth.

Prakash Sir again had major differences with the Tarzaan (as Dhiren liked to think of the one hiding in the jungles) and his party. In fact Prakash Sir preferred the term “Mudey” for him and never missed a chance to crack jokes on him or his party. Dhiren’s favourite of all the punches was the one Prakash Sir had once shared on facebook. It read “Daaju haru ta Jungle ma basera Khasi ra Sungur haru Saknu aati sakyo, Haami chai bazaar basera pani vokkai.”

He however knew that Tarzaan and his people were safe and sound, possibly resting at some good hotel or resort. Once an ardent supporter of Tarzaan, Prakash Sir was left hugely disappointed by the main leaders of Tarzaan’s party going underground instead of leading from the front. Dhiren would often hear him say “Yesari video ra audio clip le pani andolan huncha ra?”

It was already 2 PM now and the arguments of the young revolutionary activist wouldn’t stop. Dhiren started to get an urge to gulp down some mugs of kada raksi, and thus he parted off the intellectual talks without anyone’s notice. His next stop was the Badi ko Dokan in Shivagram, a few minutes away from his home – the very place where he had first tasted raksi. It wasn’t even a shop, but it was Badi’s home itself where she would serve raksi and a few varieties of snacks – the reason why the business couldn’t be affected by the strikes.

Dhiren slipped in the shop through the door that was only opened midway for him as he knocked. A group of people were already on drinks that welcomed him enthusiastically, and invited him to be a part of the discussion that was apparently running.

“Taaro ko dewta vanda ta chew koi bhoot thik cha, ki koso Dhiren bhai?” asked one of them while badi served him a mug of raksi and a plate of pakoras. Everyone in the room was in the support of the local leader and they were accounting how it was Tarzaan who made the agitation possible.

It was all going well and fine till one of the people introduced the topic of how Tarzaan’s party split up and his own confidant went against him. The place suddenly became a spot of hot debate about who to support. In fact, two of them got into a serious argument.

It was only Badi’s fear of throwing them out that they didn’t get into a fight.

Meanwhile, Dhiren couldn’t understand a thing. He was already tipsy as he finished his 3rd round of raksi, and remained a silent spectator to the debate. He then realized he was getting late for home. He got some pakoras packed for his wife and his small son, and also got some isskus that Badi could secretly smuggle in from the lower busty for sale. Down the road he let go of everything that he heard or tried to understand and started calculating the number of more days he could go with his remaining savings.

He also recalled how the raksi healed the burning sensation on his thigh that the blow of lathi had caused during the lathi charge that occurred while he was in a peace rally.

He was thankful that he had narrowly escaped an arrest yesterday.

TheDC

DARJEELING IS NOT A KILLING FIELD - DR. MAHENDRA P. LAMA • LET US DEBATE AND LET INDIA DECIDE

The people protractedly striving for a separate state of Gorkhaland want the Hon’ble Chief Minister to be very clear on the following FOUR ISSUES:

i)  Darjeeling is not a killing field of West Bengal Government

ii) The people want West Bengal to separate from Darjeeling Parliamentary Constituency and Dooars and not the opposite. Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency consist of Darjeeling and Kalimpong district, Phansidewa, Naxalbari and Chopra.

iii) This 110 year old historic demand is constitutional. After Telengana state was created in 2013, the Union Government does not require any resolution to be passed by West Bengal State Assembly in the creation of the 30th State of India i.e. the state of  Gorkhaland.

iv) This separate state demand is not against any community and geography. Its against a system represented by WEST BENGAL GOVERNMENT that systematically crushed our history, plundered our resources, demolished our institutions, uprooted our culture and societies, disfigured the natural beauty and endangered the nation’s security.

The people have seen and heard Hon’ble Chief Minister trivialising the historic demand for a separate state by making highly emotional statement like “Banga bhanga hovena” (Bengal will not be divided) and also unfounded populist statement linking the ongoing movement with “insurgents” and “foreign countries”. The Left Front Government exactly did this calling it “anti-national” in 1980s.  No one will buy this narrative now. People of India can distinguish between White and Black.

Its not an emotional demand. This demand is based on hard historical records, blatant practices of internal colonialism by West Bengal Government after 1947, systematic mis-representations before various national commissions and well documented state repressions and physical crushings of this demand.

This demand actually carries the voice of  Aadivasis, Rajbongshis, Koche-Meches, Bengalis, Biharis, Marwaris, Gorkhas, Bhutias, Lepchas and Hindus, Muslims,Chritians and Buddhists and all others that inhabit this most resourceful region.

This demand has in it serious and substantive contents of identity, history, culture, society, geopolitics, nature, bio-diversity, polity, economy and most critically safeguards of national security.

AS THE CITIZENS OF INDIA WE WANT THE ANSWERS FROM HON’BLE CHIEF MINSTER TO THE FOLLOWING 25  QUESTIONS :

1     Why Chief Minister only speaks about partition of  Bengal in 1905 and in 1947 and why do you ignore several representations made to the British India Government starting 1907 seeking separate politico-administrative status  for Darjeeling and also by Hillmen’s Association to Sir Samuel Hoare, the Secretary of State for India, on October 25, 1930 ?

2      Why the status of ‘partially excluded area’ given by British India Government to Darjeeling was withdrawn in Bengal and why they were continued in other regions including the North East region of India.

3 Why the recommendations of the famous Darjeeling Enquiry Committee of 1952 were not implemented  ?

4       What were the recommendations of the West Bengal Government on Darjeeling and its inhabitants to the State Reorganisation Committee in 1955 and in the Act of 1956

5       Why Mandal Commission Report in early 1980s presented a very poor understanding of various castes in Darjeeling District and Dooars ?

6 How and why the delimitation of Darjeeling and Dooars Parliamentary constituency and state assembly constituencies were done in 1970s and again on 2000s.

7 Why there was not a single inquiry on the reported killings of 1200 people during the Gorkhaland movement in mid 1980s and even on the brutal assault on the Gorkhas ex-servicemen in Siliguri in 2009.  And why  the report of the inquiry commission (Bhattacharya Commission) on the police firing in Darjeeling town killing young and vibrant artiste Krishna Subba in 1981 is not made public even after 36 years. How much of humanitarian compensation was paid to the families of these victims ?

8 Why the Minimum Wages Act 1948 of the Government of India has been implemented even for the workers in Dal and Bidi factories in West Bengal and not implemented till today in the world famous tea estates of Darjeeling and Dooars ?

9        Why world famous 150 years old Cinchona Plantation is sick and dying today which exported quinine to the tune of  Rs 71.72 lakh in 1966-67 alone and did so for several decades.

10 Why constitutional provision of Three tier Panchayati Raj which was disbanded in Darjeeling in 1992 has not been restored despite the fact that Articles 34-36  of the GTA Act 2012 very clearly allows for the same and even quashes the DGHC Act 1988 under Article 74.

11     Why despite so many people belonging to below poverty and antodaya the Development Boards have not been created in other parts of West Bengal for example in the caste and tribe based names like Nag, Yadav, Bhattacharya, Nandi, Toppo, Kapur etc.

12    Why many Acts of Government of India including Forest Rights Act 2006 have not been implemented in Darjeeling and Dooars region ?

13   Why ignoring the 1961 language resolution passed by the West Bengal Assembly to implement Nepali language in the Darjeeling district, Bengali was nearly foisted by the present Government.

14   Why the people of Darjeeling hills had to wait for full 30 years to see the failure and total collapse of both the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and Gorkha Territorial Administration. Who will compensate the loss of two generations of talented youth in this 30 year period ? Knowing that GTA will fail, why did the West Bengal Government sign the Tripartite Agreement ?

15 How do you explain the inclusion of  Sikkim and Assam in the North Eastern Council and MDoNER and the exclusion of the contiguous Darjeeling and Dooars ? It is through Darjeeling one can reach Sikkim and through Dooars one can reach Assam.

16    How do you explain unprecedented decadal growth of population in Siliguri and adjoining areas as recorded in the census of 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011 ? What are the national security ramifications of such unnatural growth of population ?

17     What action West Bengal Government has taken to reopen the Jelep la Trade route to Tibetan Autonomous region of China ?

18 Besides emotions and emotive issues, why West Bengal Government has been consistently against the demand for a separate state in the hills, plains and terais of Darjeeling, Dooars, and Chopra ?

19    What West Bengal government will gain and lose if  Darjeeling Parliamentary Constituency and Dooars become the 30th constituent state of India ?

20   How many and which “insurgent” groups are active in Darjeeling hills and which “foreign countries” are behind the conspiracy of present movement for the separate state. Could you please put forth your vision about the management of four international borders around the Darjeeling and Dooars and the crucial Chicken Neck Corridor that connects the North East region of India ?

21   What percentage of state’s total Annual Plan outlay has been spent in Darjeeling hills and Dooars separately in the last 30 years and what percentage of Central sector flagship projects have been implemented in Darjeeling hills, Siliguri and adjoining areas and Dooars separately in the last 20 years ?

22  What has been the revenue generations of West Bengal Forest Development Corporation since its inception in 1974 and what has been the contribution of Darjeeling district and Dooars separately yearly for last 43 years?

23         How many people from the Hills and Terai and Dooars have reached the rank of Secretary in Govt of West Bengal, become members of various state level commissions, legal bodies and professional agencies and headed various University level educational institutions since India became independent ? How many hill people have been recommended for national Padma awards by the West Bengal Government in the last 70 years ?

24         How much of total foreign and domestic investments have come to Darjeeling Parliamentary Constituency in the last 25 years ?

25          How many employments have been created and in which departments by the West Bengal Government in the Government and semi Governments institutions in Darjeeling Hills in the last 30 years (yearwise)

THE PEOPLE WANT TWO RESPONSES FROM THE HON’BLE CHIEF MINISTER:

i)  Answers in writing for the Indian public to read and assimilate

and

ii)  An open public debate with the Hon’ble Chief Minister on all these 25 questions and other issues in New Delhi in the course of next two months

LET INDIA GIVE THE VERDICT.

Issued by :
Mahendra P Lama
On behalf of the Civil Society Members from
Darjeeling Parliamentary Constituency and Dooars
And
Darjeeling Dooars United Development Foundation

 
“Leave us where we belong and
Give us what is rightfully ours
As we never ask for what is not ours
Let us not transcend each others frontier
That way we shall live  in
harmony forever”

---------------------------------------------

Note :  Due to my professional commitments abroad at present, I am not able to be physically part of the movement for a separate state in Darjeeling and Dooars. I am spiritually there with all the people all the time. My family joins me in expressing our deepest condolences to the Martyrs for the 30th State of  India and prayers for their souls to rest in peace. No state repressions could douse this fire of  seeking natural justice and constitutional right. Let the repressors realise that there is another fire inside the fire.    

Sabailai Mero Nyano Abhibadan ani Vijay ko Subhakamana :

Mahendra P Lama

Darjeeling shutdown: Parties gear up for Sept 12 meet, wonder if strike must continue

Writes: Esha Roy [for Indian Express]

With the September 12 meeting between the state government and the Hill parties on the Gorkhaland stalemate approaching, hectic activity is underway in the Hills of Darjeeling. While the Bimal Gurung faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) continues to impose the indefinite strike in the Hills, leaders of other parties have begun holding meetings to discuss the “merits and demerits” of continuing the bandh, which is now in its third month.

Anit Thapa, who has been expelled by the GJM, has been holding public meetings every day in Kurseong to discuss the “merits” of continuing the strike. Along with Thapa, the GJM had also expelled its spokesperson Binay Tamang, after he announced the suspension of the strike for 12 days — till September 12 — following a meeting between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Hill parties in Kolkata on August 29.

Thapa on Friday maintained that he and Tamang were still a part of the GJM. “In Kurseong, we have been taking out rallies everyday. There has been a point of departure for both of us from Bimal Gurung in the sense that we are against a violent agitation. We, like every other Gorkha, are fighting for Gorkhaland and that is our ultimate aim. Nevertheless, we believe that this can be achieved only through dialogue,” he said.

Thapa added that he has held several meetings over the last few days with his constituents. “Emotions are running high. People have become wary of the strike. The only reason they are continuing is because of the emotions attached to Gorkhaland, and because of the fear of certain sections of GJM. We have been explaining to them the merits and the demerits of the strike,” he said.

“Are we really and truly benefitting from this indefinite strike? Transportation has resumed but traders are reluctant to resume work. Everyone is waiting for the September 12 meeting… then maybe, they will be more amenable to lifting the strike. Moreover, with Dusshera approaching, nobody wants this strike to continue,” he added. Thapa said that while Darjeeling runs on tourism, Kurseong’s economy is dependent on tea gardens and schools, “and till these open, traders have told us that there is no point in resuming their business”.

In Kalimpong, Jan Andolan Party youth wing president Pankaj Chhetri said the shutdown continues to be complete in the district. “We have held several meetings with traders and schools. We have especially exhorted the school authorities to resume operations, but they are afraid. Unlike Kurseong and some other parts of Darjeeling district where vehicular movement has resumed, that is not the case in Kalimpong. But we have left the decision to the people — when they decide they are comfortable lifting the strike, we will support them,” he added.

Much hinges on the meeting at Uttarkanya in north Bengal on Tuesday. Not only will it be the second bipartite meeting between the state government and the Hill parties, it will also mark 90 days of the indefinite strike. “There is a rumour in Kurseong that after 90 days, President’s Rule will be imposed. Whether it happens or not, people think that after 90 days, there will be some kind of a resolution,” said Thapa.

While leaders of all Hill parties claimed that they will attend the meeting, including the Gurung faction, they are yet to receive formal invitations from the state government.  Thapa said that Tamang has received indication from the government that they will be invited to the meeting. “We will go. We are going to press the chief minister to initiate a tripartite dialogue, as that is the only solution. How can the Gurung faction be called? There are so many police cases against them. There is no such case against me and Binay Tamang. Officially, the state will have no problems meeting us,” he added.

JAP leaders, too, said they will attend the meeting. Gurung’s GJM, meanwhile, is more in disarray. Despite their announcement that they will attend the meeting, there is no certainty whether Mamata will invite them. However, some in the camp have decided to attend even without an invitation. “I have decided to attend the meeting in my personal capacity as the Kurseong MLA,” said Rohit Sharma, who had attended Gurung’s meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

[Via: Indian Express, File pic]