Forest activists rue Hill situation

SNS, 16 October 2018, Siliguri: Senior leaders associated with the All -India Forum of Forest Movement (AIFFM) are set to file complaints with appropriate authorities" after the Durga Puja against what they called police atrocities on a section at forest villagers in the Such a decision has been taken alter police in Kurseong allegedly detained one Nima Sherpa, who is directly involved in the movement for Forest Rights Act, twice since yesterday. "Police called and detained Mr Sherpa for long hours at the Kurseong police station, following directions from the ruling party leaders belonging to the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, presently in league with the Trinamul Congress," a forest rights activist said today. According to sources, police had to release him late at midnight yesterday after top officials of the state came to know of the development from the "high level," sources said.

Significantly, Mr Sherpa, a resident of Baggora in Kurseong, was again called today by police officers, who "requested him" not to "air information about the ongoing forest movement demanding implementation of Forest Rights Act in the Hills through Whatsapp or Facebook."

According to sources, Mr Sherpa was also asked to dissociate himself with the movement led by an organisation under Lila Gurung, who recently met Union minister of state to Electronics and IT and Darjeeling MP, SS Ahluwalia, in Delhi, in association with the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) leaders belonging to the fugitive Bimal Gurung faction.

On the police role following instructions from influential local political leaders' phone callls," convener of the Himalayan Forest Village Organization (HFVO) Lila Gurung said: "We will discuss the matter with the AIFFM leadership and lodge complaints with appropriate authorities."

On the other hand, secretariat body member of the AIFFM, Soumitra Ghosh, said: "Due to the absence of democratic voices and strong opposition political parties in the Hills, only a few ruling party leaders with the help of the police continue anarchy there, where commoners have no right to say. We will definitely lodge complaints with appropriate authorities to stop police high handedness on forest villagers' movement."

We have realised that they have been trying to force things on the people, who have been refusing to accept administrative decisions and proposals. They apprehend that another political movement may come up from this forest issue, as forest villages have been continuing with the movement against the state machineries," Mr Ghosh added.

According to him, the villagers' demand is valid because the entire process to acquire forest land for implementation of the Sevoke Rangpo Railway project is illegal as there is no elected body. "Without elected bodies, the so-called GTA  (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) and the administration cannot do anything," he added.

Notably, forest villagers in the Hills have been refusing to accept the 'title deed' distributed by the administration during chief minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Kalimpong some time ago.

Secondly, they are also demanding conversion of forest land into revenue land in the Hills on the lines of Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri.