Opposition protest against Pawan Chamling led Goverment in Sikkim

Gangtok , Sikkim : Congress supporters and members of Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad today attempted to court arrest in front of the district administrative centre (DAC) at Sichey here.

They were expressing solidarity towards their colleagues arrested in connection with the burning of effigies since last Saturday.

While Congress supporters had burnt the effigy of Sikkim governor V. Rama Rao on Saturday, Parishad members burnt the effigy of chief minister Pawan Chamling yesterday.

This morning, 22 Congress members reached the DAC shouting slogans in support of their arrested colleagues. The Congress demonstration was followed by the arrival of a group of 20 Parishad workers wanting to court arrest.

Though Sikkim Armed Police personnel were deployed in the area as a precaution, nobody was arrested.

On the other hand, supporters of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front, led by senior cabinet ministers, today walked around the town in silent support of the chief minister, following the effigy-burning episode yesterday.

At Raley in East Sikkim, the Citizens’ Forum, a non-political body, organised a meeting in support of the protests launched by Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) against hydel power projects. Raley falls in the area where the Teesta Stage-V hydel project is being developed by the NHPC. According to residents, the projects have caused great cracks to appear in the buildings of the adjoining areas.

In a communiqué issued through the state information and public relations department today, the government strongly refuted allegations made by Sikkim Congress president Nar Bahadur Bhandari about its alleged lack of concern for the ongoing hunger strike by ACT members.

Source: The Telegraph