DARJEELING HILLS: Educational institutes faces uncertainty over indefinite bandh

It’s impossible to send back students by Monday: Schools

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

DARJEELING: The boarding educational institutes in Darjeeling hills have been put into a corridor of uncertainty with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung ordering them to leave the Hills in view of the proposed indefinite bandh call given by his party from July 13.

However, the boarding schools have appealed the GJM chief to reconsider his decision.

It may be recalled that GJM had announced an indefinite strike in the hills from this Monday in protest of the police hardcore actions on the GJM supporters at Panighata near Mirik under Kurseong subdivision yesterday.

Mr. Gurung has demanded an independent probe in the incident and has given the West Bengal government a deadline till noon of July 13 failing which the indefinite bandh will begin. During this, he had asked all the boarding schools in the hills to send all the students back to their respective homes from their hostels.

“We request the GJM president to reconsider this decision as there are a huge number of national and international students studying in the schools of Darjeeling. It will be impossible to send back all the students in such a short time”, said Father Kinley Tshering, the principal of the famed St. Joseph’s School, North Point.

There are more than 500 students in the hostel of St. Joseph school. Similarly there are 600 boarders in St. Pauls School and a similar number at Mt Hermon school.

Father Kinley informed that the outstation students from Darjeeling hills are already facing problems for transportation for the Dasia break in September. Many of them are in the waiting list despite doing the railway books in this month, he said. In such situation, it will be impossible to send back to the students to their homes, he added.

He reminded that during the 1980’s agitation launched by Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) had greatly damaged the education system in Darjeeling hills which was famed for its educational institutions.

“The agitation caused many students from Bangalore, Delhi and Pune to stop coming to Darjeeling. However, the situation has improved in the past 5 years as many students from Thailand, Bhutan, Nepal and other parts of the country are coming to study here”, said Father Kinley.

Based on the above scenario, Father Kinley expressed his hopes that the GJM will reconsider its decision.

On the other hand, a Bangladesh citizen who had arrived in Darjeeling to drop off his sons after the summer break is unsure what to do next in view of the uncertain political situation in the hills.

K Ahmed had come to Darjeeling to drop his two sons who are studying at West Point and St. Pauls. “If the bandh is to happen then I have no other choice but to take back my sons. I will decide after talking to the school heads”, he said.

Till today there is no information of any school sending back its boarders to their homes.

The GJM has exempted the ongoing exams of colleges here from the purview of the bandh.

Meanwhile, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) today conducted a gherao of the Darjeeling Sadar police station and the residence of the additional SP here in protest of the Panighata incident. The party had also picketed the police station yesterday.

Apart from this, Darjeeling town remained normal.

At the same time, the people here thronged the groceries today to purchase food items in good quantities in order to stock food in view of the proposed indefinite bandh.