News

Anti-Gorkhaland body invokes Gandhigiri

The Statesman

SILIGURI, Oct.20: When every thing else fails try Gandhigiri! To pursue the West Bengal government to take action against those who are sporting “GL” number plates on their vehicles in the Darjeeing hills, Jana Chetana - a pressure group in Siliguri - is trying a new tack.

Many Jana Chetana members, who took part in the motorcycle rally, which was organized by the group in Siliguri today to protest against the Gorkhaland demand, did not wear helmets as mark of a peaceful protest against the failure of the administration to maintain law and order in the hills and bring to books those who were sporting “GL” number plates on their vehicles and replacing the official signboards of West Bengal Government with that of “Government of Gorkhaland” as dictated by the agitating Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM). Mr Mridul Chakravorty, secretary, Jana Chetana, said: “Our objective is to appeal to the law-keepers’ conscience, so that the law-keepers are persuaded about the viability of the point of view of all those who are opposing the Gorkhaland demand and the administrators take action against those who are openly defying the law of the land.”

Chakravorty declared they would not use violent means to drive home their point, but would court arrest by violating the law to focus the attention of the authorities on the dangerous implications of using “GL” number plates and replacing the official signboards in the hills. The leader made it clear that though many people in the rally, which was taken out from the Baghajatin Park to the Darjeeling More today, later put on their helmets at the request of Mr. Prashanta Chanda, DSP, Siliguri Traffic Police, they would protest in a similar manner in the future to pursue the government to come down heavily on those who were breaking the law in the hills.

© 2008 The Gorkhaland Chronicle.