Sikkim Bandh called by SDF evokes mixed response

PTI, GANGTOK, FEBRUARY 4, 2023: The two-day 'Sikkim Bandh' called by the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)on Saturday evoked mixed response in the Himalayan state. 

The SDF called the bandh to protest against recent Supreme Court observations on the Sikkimese Nepali community while extending income tax exemption to all old settlers of the state. Shops and business establishments were partially open, officials said.

An effigy of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang was burnt by SDF workers who also raised slogans against the Tamang government, blaming him for the prevailing political situation in which the Sikkim Bandh called by SDF evokes mixed response Sikkimese Nepali community was battling to prove its identity.

In a video which went viral on social media, some miscreants were seen pelting stones and other sharp objects at the SDF office located near Indira bypass. The miscreants dispersed before the local police could arrive on the spot. 

An investigation was underway into the incident, a police officer said, adding additional police personnel have been deployed at the SDF Bhawan as a precautionary measure. The state government has already initiated steps for filing the review petition for addressing the concerns of the Sikkimese Nepali community.