Times of India
DARJEELING: The latest round of agitation in the hills of West Bengal for a separate state of Gorkhaland is getting support from elements in a neighbouring country, according to military intelligence reports. A defence ministry team met senior army officers who are supervising the India-China border in the northeast and asked the army intelligence to review the situation, particularly after some satellite phones, which went missing a few years back, were tracked recently during surveillance. Sources said the Sikkim government had bought 20 Israel-made satellite phones in 2003 for better connectivity in the remote areas. Four of these phones went missing later. A few months ago, one of these phones suddenly pinged on the military intelligence surveillance.
It was tracked near the Lebong cantonment area on the outskirts of Darjeeling, but the signals stopped before MI could zero in on the source. Days later, the Gorkhaland agitation swept the hills. Reports prepared by intelligence agencies corroborate that some senior Gorkhaland activists visited Nepal's Illam district (just across Darjeeling subdivision) just months before the fresh movement. "We have identified four persons who went to Illam," said a senior administrative officer, who has also submitted a report to the home department on the movement of an armed revolutionary faction of the Nepal Maoists in the area. "Darjeeling subdivision shares a porous border with Illam. Recently, the district administration was reviewing a drinking water project in Sukia block when the cross-border movement of Nepal-based Left rebels was reported," said a home department official. Protests in front of the Indian mission in Kathmandu have given credence to the intelligence reports of cross-border support to the movement.
There are fears of a rerun of the bloodshed of the late '80s and '90s, when Subash Ghisingh had used ex-servicemen in his armed struggle. The Army is already thinking of reaching out to military veterans in Darjeeling to persuade them not to join a violent movement. Sources said at Monday's meeting, army officers spoke of a neighbouring country's interest in the Gorkhaland movement as in the mid-'80s. "During the GNLF movement, an influential family in Nepal had extended support to GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh. The GNLF had used thousands of ex-army personnel to start an armed movement. At that time the Indian Army mapped out 'chor batos' (hidden hilly passes) used by the rebels to attack policemen.
They also started a social bonding operation to reconnect with ex-army personnel and neutralise them," said an army officer, pointing out that such social bonding is needed now to isolate army veterans from any anti-state movement. Military intelligence also pointed out that on Sunday, a huge crowd led by Nikendra Gurung demonstrated in front of the Indian embassy in Kathmandu demanding Gorkhaland. A section of the Nepal media is campaigning in favour of Gorkhaland and accusing the Bengal government of using "repressive power against Gorkhaland activists". Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, however, denied any link with Nepal Maoists. He said that his statehood movement is non-violent and accused the government of trying to malign it. Meanwhile, the hills observed the 'stay-home' agitation with streets wearing a deserted look in Darjeeling.
