Rivals set same venue for Martyrs’ Day

Darjeeling, July 1: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the GNLF have both decided to observe Martyrs’ Day at the same venue in Mirik on July 27. Neither of the parties has sought permission from the Darjeeling district administration yet to hold the memorial service at the martyr’s column in Mirik. There are obvious law-an-order issues that the administration would have in mind, given a recent skirmish between the Morcha and the GNLF. “Let us wait and watch as no party has sought permission,” said a district official. The women’s wing of the GNLF will organise the event in Mirik, said party sources. The Morcha has been conducting the memorial event at the same place since 2008 and the party has said there won’t be any change of plan this year. Since 1988, when the DGHC was formed, the GNLF has been marking July 27 as Martyrs’ Day to pay obeisance to hill people who had died in the violent movement for Gorkhaland led by Subash Ghisingh from 1986 to 1988. The GNLF claims that 1,200 people had died in the 28-month agitation. However, after the emergence of the Morcha in October 2007, the GNLF was unable to observe the Martyrs’ Day as its leaders were almost hounded out of the hills. The Morcha has been marking the day across the hills since 2008 and in Mirik, the martyr’s column is where the hill party did their memorial meeting. For the first time since 2007, the GNLF has decided to mark the day across the hills this year. The GNLF has been trying to rebuild its base in Mirik and Kurseong, a matter that has not gone unnoticed by the Morcha. Yesterday, a group of GNLF activists alleged that Morcha supporters chased their vehicle in Kurseong and assaulted them after they tried to organise a meeting in the subdivision. Three Morcha supporters and a GNLF activist were arrested today in connection with the violence. Laadup Ghisingh, a GNLF spokesman, said: “We have already carried out a campaign to clean the martyr’s column, situated at Krishna Nagar in Mirik. The Gorkha National Women Organisation has decided to organise the Martyrs’ Day at the venue on July 27 from 10am onwards and representatives of the party’s other frontal organisations will also be present.” Laadup said the party had not organised the event all these years as the Morcha was claiming to be the champion of Gorkhaland. “They (Morcha) said they would get Gorkhaland but now they have settled for the GTA Sabha and have forgotten the statehood issue. We are trying to get Gorkhaland through the Sixth Schedule status. We are committed to the statehood demand and that is why we have decided to mark Martyrs’ Day,” said Laadup. The Morcha also vowed to hold the memorial event in front of the same martyr’s column.“Since we have been holding a event near the martyr’s column since the formation of the party, we have no plan to make a change in our programme this year,” said Phoebe Rai, a Morcha leader from Mirik and GTA Sabha member from the area. Laadup said the GNLF would seek permission to hold the event soon. “We have already adopted a resolution to organise the event. We will also mobilise our supporters who have enlisted in the village protection cell,” said Laadup. Village protection cells are voluntary wings of the GNLF in which youths are enlisted to ensure the protection of their cadres during the party’s public meetings