WB Governor sends report to Centre

TH, KOLKATA, JUNE 16, 2017: West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has sent a report to the Centre on Friday on the ongoing violence in Darjeeling over the demand for a separate Gorkhaland State.

“In the report, the Governor said all the stakeholders involved in the Gorkhaland issue should try to resolve the matter through discussion and restore peace in the Darjeeling hills,” sources in the Raj Bhavan told The Hindu.

Earlier on Friday, a delegation of three Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) MLAs — Amar Singh Rai, Rohit Sharma and Sarita Rai — met the Governor and apprised him of the situation in Darjeeling.

“The GJM delegation also stated that the State government is yet to issue any formal order stating that Bengali will not be made compulsory in the schools in the hills,” sources in the Raj Bhavan said.

‘Outsiders’ work’

Addressing the media after the meeting, Mr. Sharma claimed that “those who are indulging in arson in Darjeeling are not GJM members but outsiders.”

He also said the delegation had urged the Governor to “inform the Centre about the situation in Darjeeling and the suffering of the locals due to the State government’s stand over the Gorkhaland issue.”

The GJM delegation also accused the State Government of “using force to disrupt the peaceful movement for the separate State.”

(With PTI inputs)