Darjeeling unrest: GJM called off 25-day long hunger strike today

Chennabasaveshwar, OI, August 14, 2017:Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) announced that it will suspend 25-day long fast-unto-death protest at 4:30 pm on Monday. Party supporters were on the hunger strike in four different places in Darjeeling hills. 

Prakash Gurung, President, President, GJM Yuva Morcha, said the hunger strike has been called off following Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's appeal to end the strike. 

Twelve GJM Yuva Morcha supporters were sitting on hunger strike at four places Mirik, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Kurseong demanding separate Gorkhaland state out of West Bengal. 

The youth wing of the GJM had begun a hunger strike on July 21st, the 37th day of the indefinite agitation, in the Darjeeling hills to press for the demand of a separate state. The Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) on Sunday had urged the Centre to initiate a dialogue with all stakeholders so that normalcy was restored in Darjeeling hills. 

During a two-hour meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh, the leaders of the GMCC submitted a memorandum to the Centre detailing their demands. 

The BJP's Darjeeling MP S S Ahluwalia also attended the meeting. The home minister appealed to the leaders to call off the indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling and to end their hunger strike. 

However, two top leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which has been ruling the autonomous hill council, Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri, did not attend today's meeting.