Protection cell prop for GNLF comeback - Resistance groups for ‘social work’

The GNLF has started forming village protection cells but emphasised that contrary to popular belief they had not been set up to challenge the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s lathi-wielding Gorkhaland Personnel.

Youths in the age group of 18-30 will be members of the VPCs, the GNLF said.

“The VPCs have been formed of conscious and educated youths to undertake social work in a given area. They will neither be trained nor lodged in camps as done by the GLP,” said Shivraj Thapa, spokesperson for the Darjeeling GNLF sub-divisional committee.

Observers said that the VPCs would give the much needed muscle power to the GNLF which is trying a comeback in the Darjeeling hills. The announcement on the village resistance groups comes at a time when Bimal Gurung’s party has called a 27-day strike in the hills in phases for Gorkhaland from January 12. With the Srikrishna panel suggesting bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh as one of its options for the Telangana region, the Morcha now feels the proposed interim set-up for Darjeeling is too modest a goal. The GNLF, however, is for Sixth Schedule status for the hills.

According to GNLF leader Thapa, several village development committees had been set up across Darjeeling and Kalimpong sub-divisions. “A chief will be in charge of 10 VDCs. The chief will also appoint 11 VPC members from each village who will directly report to him. These members will provide the chief with information on the village.”

Thapa claimed that 600 “conscious” youths from Darjeeling and Kurseong had already enrolled in the VPCs. “The motive is totally social and should not be misconstrued. Issues of trafficking of girls from villages will be looked into by these youths. The youths have to be Madhyamik qualified to be able to join the VPC,” said Thapa.

The Morcha’s GLP had been formed purportedly for crowd and traffic management during the party’s public meetings. Later, they were trained by ex-servicemen from the hills and tried to function as a parallel police force.

Even though the Morcha has withdrawn the GLP from the public domain in recent times, it accompanies party president Gurung to public meetings.

The Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) had also unveiled its Swyam Sevak Bahini, which consisted of volunteers in red caps, during its May Day public meeting in Darjeeling last year. But during the next few months, the Bahini has not been spotted anywhere in the hills.

Unlike the Bahini and VPC members, the GLP volunteers are paid a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000-Rs 1,500 and have uniforms. In fact, have recently started cases against the GLP at Darjeeling, Mirik, Runglee-Rungliot and Kurseong police stations for wearing army fatigues, as one of its uniforms. Civilians are prohibited from wearing such fatigues under Section 140 of the IPC.

Rivals welcome fast

The ABGL and the CPRM have welcomed the Morcha decision to start an indefinite hunger strike from February 16 for Gorkhaland.

“We welcome the decision… but do not believe that general strikes will have any impact and will only inconvenience the general public,” said Naryan Chhetri, spokesperson for the ABGL.

The CPRM added that it would be “great” if Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh, too, participated in the fast.