GJAC announces two-day respite to shutdown on Sept 9, 10

A two-day relaxation to the ongoing shutdown was today announced by the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee to facilitate students of residential schools to return to the hills. Commercial establishments will also remain open for the two days although all government offices will continue to observe the bandh.

Addressing the media after nearly two hours of deliberations, GJAC chairman Enos Das Pradhan said, “We took stock of the situation and after a long deliberation decided to provide a two-day relaxation on September 9 and 10 to enable outstation students to get back to their schools. Commercial establishments including banks and vehicular services will also remain open but only for the stipulated two days. However, government offices will not be allowed to open during the relaxation period.”

The GJAC had on Thursday said educational institutions would be kept outside the purview of the strike, but did not specify the date from when, saying an announcement would be made subsequently.

Although all schools have welcomed the decision, they are apprehensive about the two-day respite.

“It is good that educational institutions are being kept open from September 13 onwards. But it is doubtful whether parents will be able to make it to the hills on those two days given the issue of availability of flight and train tickets,” pointed out a school principal not wishing to be named.

The Darjeeling hills have been witnessing a shutdown for more than a month in demand of a separate state. The strike on occasions has been tweaked into the ‘ghar bhitra janta’ and ‘sadak ma janta’ agitations – described by the GJM as the people’s movement – in its bid to skirt a high court verdict declaring strikes illegal.

Meanwhile, the GJAC has hinted the strike may be lifted in the near future. The possibility of normalcy returning has gained ground after some members of a delegation comprising former and current MPs and MLAs who had gone to Delhi returned today after meeting some central leaders.

“We will definitely try to honour the request made by the Union home minister. The team members who arrived today have apprised us about some of the developments that took place in Delhi. A final meeting will take place on September 10 as the remaining members of the delegation will have returned by then,” said the joint action committee’s coordinator Raju Pradhan, who belongs to the GJM.

Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has reportedly requested the GJAC delegation to call off the agitation to facilitate a tripartite dialogue. “We are aware that our agitation is a long-drawn movement and has the support of the people. But we will provide periods of respite in between,” said the GJAC coordinator, adding the committee today also mulled over the prospects of expanding the statehood agitation to regions outside the Darjeeling hills.

Meanwhile, 58 more people were arrested last night in raids across the hills under specific and preventive measure provisions and warrantee cases taking the total persons detained since July 29 to 1,085.