Gorkhaland Movement: History, Key Events and Recent Agitations

Home minister's plea was finally able to restore order to the hills when in the last week of September,
the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) ended its almost 100 days indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling. This
article talks about the Gorkhaland Issue in detail, taking various historical, social and economic aspects
into account.

Historical Background
Darjeeling, known initially as Dorje-Ling (land of Thunderbolt), came under the Kingdom of Sikkim and
was home to the local tribes like Lepchas, Limbus, etc. In the 1780s, Gorkha armies attacked, and a
considerable portion of its territories was seized by Nepal. This gave rise to the Anglo-Nepalese war
(aka Anglo-Gurkha war) between Nepal and the British, fought from 1814 to 1816. The outcome of the
war wasn't favorable for Nepal as it lost and had to forcefully sign the Treaty of Sugauli with the British.
This treaty devoided Nepal of all of Sikkim (including Darjeeling), the territories of Kumaon and
Garhwal and regions of western Terai. Even the area between Mechi and Teesta Rivers was snatched
away from it. In February 1817, the British returned the land belonging to Sikkim earlier to Sikkimese
Chogyal under the Treaty of Titalia. In 1829, Nepal and Sikkim butt heads as they entered into a border
dispute. To restore normalcy, the then Governor General of India William Bentinck deployed his two
officers Captain Lloyd and JW Grant to that area. These officers stayed at Dorje Ling for almost a week
and grew so fond of the place that they even started making plans for it to become a place for respite
from India's tropical. As if things were already smoothed out for them, the area was already left

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unattended by its locals at that time because of war and suppression by the Raja of Sikkim. The two
Captains then recommended the Governor General to seize Darjeeling from Sikkim, who then
negotiated with the Chogyals who left the area to the British in the form of a worthless uninhabited
mountain, and in return, the British compensated to the Chogyals. British had a lot of work cut out for
them to make the land resourceful and they set to set its infrastructure straight immediately. By 1839,
they had developed a road linking Darjeeling with the plains, and in 1841, Dr. Campbell purchased
Chinese tea seeds from Kumaon and started cultivating it there as an experiment. The experiments
proved to be successful and reward bearing for the British empire, and they went on to develop several
tea estates in the region. The wasteland that the Chogyals thought they'd benefitted from was much
more profitable to the British government when compared with the compensation they paid for it. The
hill's prosperity attracted several people from Sikkim and Nepal to migrate to Darjeeling and settle
there. This made Chogyals red with jealousy and forced them to resort to violent means of getting back
the Darjeeling migrants. They forsake their relation with the British entirely when they captured East
India Company officers and put them behind bars in 1849. In reaction to the above, the East India
Company deployed troops to Sikkim, but by the time they reached there, the hostilities had ended.
Darjeeling had become a part of British Empire. 1865's Anglo-Bhutan war also made Kalimpong and
Doors a part of the British property. In 1860-70s, the British government had assigned Darjeeling the
status of the Non-regulated, which meant that the Darjeeling's inhabitants didn't have to adhere to the
laws directed by the British unless they were explicitly extended towards them. In 1874, this term was
changed to Scheduled District, and in 1919, it was called Backward Tracts, which remained so till
1947. After 1947, Darjeeling became one with West Bengal, and a separate district was encompassing
Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Terai areas of Siliguri was created. In 1950, when China invaded
Tibet, many Tibetan refugees also settled in the region. In 1960, the 1970s and 1980s, Darjeeling
experienced a bit of ethnic tension due to rapid and erratic growth in its multiethnic population. In the
1980s, there was a demand for creation of two separate states of Gorkhaland and Kamtapur.

The demand of Gorkhaland

The demand for the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland led to a protest initiated by Subhash
Ghisingh who led the Gorkhaland National Liberation Front (GNLF). Initially, the protest was peaceful,
but it soon took an aggressive turn by carrying out violent agitation, killings, setting government
properties on fire, etc. West Bengal government then had a significant problem at hand as it was no less
than a national issue. In 1988, GNLF, West Bengal, and the Union Government signed a tripartite
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council accord, and this led to the establishment of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill
Council which pretty much pigeonholed GNLF's demand for a separate state. However, the 2005's
tripartite agreement later proposed the inclusion of Darjeeling in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian
Constitution, which was perceived and termed as a betrayal to Gorkhaland and again led to a protest
carried out by the local leader Bimal Gurung who launched Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in 2007
which rekindled the demand for a separate state. In 2011, the West Bengal assembly passed a resolution
to establish Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to restore peace but it was to no avail as in
2013, agitation rose again leading to the creation of Telangana.

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The Recent 2017 Agitations
West Bengal's government created what seemed like chaos when they imposed every child, from first to
the tenth standard, to have the Bengali language as a part of their curriculum. Also, for the first time in
the history of Darjeeling, this time, the GJM and GNLF, and other political rivals collaborated to attain a
common interest, Gorkhaland. A significant amount of Darjeeling residents too believe that they
urgently require a separate state away from West Bengal. These people with Nepali dialect believe that
their language and culture are way different and cannot coexist with the Bengali culture, hence to
preserve it, they want to be identified as Indian Gorkhas and live in a separate state that they wish to
name as Gorkhaland. The agitation didn't take long to turn into utter chaos with 60 schools being shut
down, 54 vehicles and 73 government offices getting reduced to ashes, 93 tea gardens getting closed in
Darjeeling and Kalimpong and also sacrificing lives of seven people. Internet services have also been
snapped for 28 days to calm the frenzied situation. Gorkhaland Movement Coordination committee,
GMCC, has tried creating momentum in the formation of Gorkhaland by holding several meeting but the
results weren't in their favor. This massive agitation has led to colossal vandalization of public property
including heritage railway stations, hydel power stations, Panchayat offices, etc.

Response
Eleven companies of paramilitary personnel, Army of Darjeeling, Sonada, and Kalimpong have taken
the duty to subside this unimpeded madness resulting in havoc like situation. The strikes create a hurdle
in delivering essential supplies to the needy, and the disruption is a menace for the landlocked
bordering state, Sikkim. This has delayed Centres reach considerably. Sikkim and Nepal share borders
with China and with north Bengal. If foreign elements or rebels get involved in the already deteriorating
situation, things will only go south from there.

Way forward
To put simply, hill people Gorkhas and Nepali-speaking can't seem to get along well with plain residents,
Bengalis. Despite several repeated efforts done by the West Bengal government, these hilly area lovers
seem to not care about mingling with the Bengalis as they believe that they are too socially and
culturally distinct from them. To further add to it, GTA has done nothing but disappoint people in last
two decades. Also, due to Gorkhaland Movement, not only West Bengal but Sikkim too would be
severely affected as it shares borders with three countries, and if it is affected, it might lead to a
National security threat. Recently Sikkim CM quoted that Sikkim did not choose India to become a
sandwich between China and West Bengal. What needs to be done immediately is taking rapid
initiatives to make the parties gather and indulge in peace talks to arrive at a consensus.

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