Demand for President’s Rule in West Bengal

New Delhi: Gorkhaland supporters on Sunday marched in the national capital to reinforce their demand for a separate state and the immediate imposition of President’s Rule in West Bengal. The protesters marched from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar carrying 110-meter-long national flag, depicting 110 years of their struggle for a separate state.

Protestors belonging to the Gorkha Sanyukt Sang-harsh Samiti here demanded the Centre’s intervention in removing paramilitary forces with imm-ediate effect. “The West Bengal government is tre-ating common people like terrorists and killing them. The Central government should remove paramilitary forces and terminate the services of the director general of police,” GSSS president Kiran B.K. told reporters here.

The march culminated at Jantar Mantar, where they joined their co-supporters who had been protesting for three weeks now. “Just like Bengalis have their identity, we are fighting for ours. We are getting killed for seeking the rights we deserve. The Centre should look into the issue,” said Stuti Thami of Darjeeling, adding that she was “ready to die” but not to stay under the West Bengal government. Some of the placards that protesters carried criticised the BJP for its “attitude before and after the elections”. The Gorkha Janmukti Marcha (GJM) on Sunday planned to take out rallies against the alleged killing of its supporters in police firing in Darjeeling as the indefinite shutdown in support of their dem-and for a separate Gork-haland entered the 25th day, amid a strict vigil by the Army and the police.

The Army was re-deployed on Saturday after fresh violence erupted in the Darjeeling hills where Gorkhaland supporters torched a police outpost, the toy train railway station and clashed with the police at two places.