Misplaced Priorities: Vidhyarthi Morcha and the Tribal Status Signature Campaign

7:52 AM

•

schedule tribe

Gorkha Janmukti Vidhyarthi Morcha (GJVM), the student body of GJM has embarked on a signature campaign apparently aimed at Thanking the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in advance and requesting the government to grant ST status for all the Gorkhali communities.

While it is good to see GJVM getting active, we however feel that they need to set their priorities right.

While other Morcha frontal organizations such as Yuva Morcha, Nari Morcha etc can easily collect the signatures or even independent organizations like Bharatiya Gorkha Janjati Sangarsha Mahasangh is already doing so, it might help if the students channelize their enthusiasm and energy towards issues that directly impact the students.

The demand for a Central University for the hill region is a long pending demand of the students and is also necessary to secure the future of our community, however we are unaware of any initiative led by the Vidhyarthi Morcha in this regard.

Misplaced Priorities: Vidhyarthi Morcha and the Tribal Status Signature Campaign

The Vidhyarthi Morcha will do well if they would rather focus on the issue of Central University and run a similar signature campaign for achieving it, instead of wasting their time and energy on an issue which is better suited for others.

GJM party bosses should also encourage the students to focus on Central University issue, instead of getting them to collect signatures for ST status, which at the best, is a waste of their good efforts.


Via TheDC

READ MORE

Hill students suffer as Madhyamik examinations rescheduled

9:36 AM

•

West Bengal

Vidhyarthi Morcha Demands Heaters and Stoves in Madhyamik Centers

The Gorkha Janmukti Vidhyarthi Morcha has reminded the District Administration and the Bengal government that it is still very cold in Darjeeling, and since Bengal government pushed forward the date of Madhyamik examinations without considering the discomfort that hill students have to face, they should provide for room heaters and stoves (angeti) in those schools that are in the higher altitude.

The WBSSC had assured hill students that proper warming equipments aill be provided to all the schools that require heating, however nothing has been done till date and the examinations begin from February 1st.

Vidhyarthi Morcha Demands Heaters and Stoves in Madhyamik Centers

We hope that our politicians will kindly highlight this act of discrimination against our hill students.



Via TheDC

READ MORE

GJVM condemns the atrocities against the Gorkhas in Manipur and Meghalaya

9:37 PM

•

Sikkim

Sikkim 20th April: Gorkha Janamuki Vidhyarthi Morcha (GJVM), Sikkim chapter strongly condemns the act of atrocities against the Gorkhas in Manipur and Meghalaya. 

GJVM made the following statement: 
First of all, we demand strong legal action against the person who was involved in the brutal rape of 13 years old Gorkha girl of Manipur and proper compensation be given to the victim and her family. We vehemently condemned the other cases of molestations and attempts of rape on Gorkha women in the state within a period of a month. These kinds of reports have been constantly raised by facebook and other social network users from the community in the region, those cases were casually taken by other news sources. We demand a speedy legal proceeding to take necessary action. We condemned the act of brutality by the Manipur police against innocent demonstrators demonstrating in democratic way protesting the rape of 13 years Gorkha girl. 

Gorkha Janamuki Vidhyarthi Morcha logo

There is nothing hidden that the police action was an inhuman and coercive action taken to suppress the democratic voice of minority Gorkha community in the state who were demanding nothing other than an immediate action against the culprits involved in brutal rape against a teen girl. As citizens of a country which claimed to be the largest democracy following the norms of right to equality and social justice, the protesters had a constitutionally given right to carry out the same. There should be an immediate action against those policemen who shot fire at protest rally on national highway 39 leaving death of two Gorkha youths and seven other injured. The government of Manipur must declared an ex-gratia of Rs. 20 lakh each to the families of deceased and Rs. 5 lakh each to the people who suffered injuries. We appeal to all humanitarian agencies and NGOs to take the issue seriously to provide proper justice and protection to the victims.

Apart from the above incidence, there are other reports regarding the inhuman and atrocious actions being carried by anti-social elements in Meghalaya. Recently, a ‘notice to quit’ was released by a Meghalaya based banned underground outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) against the indigenous Gorkhas/Nepali speakers living in Meghalaya. The report on “Sillong times” dated April 17, 2014 reads, “…The banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has asked people from the Nepali community to quit from the entire districts of Khasi and Jaintia Hills, and especially from Langpih, with immediate effect, on the ground that “the illegal Nepali foreign settlers in Langpih…” ( Read more at http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2014/04/17/hnlc-issues-quit-notice-to-nepali-residents ). This fatwah (notice) has been growing a source of extreme fear traumatizing the Gorkha/Nepali speakers in Meghalaya. According to various local media sources as well as social networks (especially facebook) dealing with the issues of community, Gorkha/Nepali speakers in the state are living in the jaw of insecurity as well as uncertainty of existence in the state. 

Gorkha Janamukti Vidhyarthi Morcha Sikkim Chapter demands immediate intervention of state agencies to tackle this issue without fail before it leads a massive human crisis in the state. Any outburst of conflict rooting out of this issue, only the state and central government shall be answerable to it. Hence, we seek urgent involvement of Meghalaya government as well as government of India to deal with the issue in time to avoid any kind of unwanted incident. Similarly, we want to appeal to all the regional and national organizations from the community to come forward united on these issues and bring it on the regional as well as national level. It is high time that all organizations dealing with the issues of Gorkha community in all northeastern states as well as entire country to join hands with other local and national Humanitarian agencies, socio-democratic institutions, NGOs and other voluntary organization to avoid any inhuman atrocities against genuinely bona fide Gorkha citizens of the region.

Gorkha Janamukti Vidhyarthi Morcha, Sikkim Chapter,
Kumar Nepal, President
Pallav Ram Bhujel, Gen. Secretary
Tenzin Khunphel, Chief patron.

READ MORE