Sikkim Nagrik Samaj writes to President in support of statehood for Darjeeling

A meeting of the Sikkim Nagrik Samaj convened at the Press Club of Sikkim on
Wednesday to condemn the killing of GJM supporters in a police firing on Tuesday. 

ORGANISATION OF JOURNALISTS ACCUSES WB ADMINISTRATION OF ‘BRUTAL SUPPRESSION’, DEMANDS INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO POLICE FIRING
GANGTOK, 10 Feb: The “Sikkim Nagrik Samaj”, which, in a meeting held yesterday, had condemned the killing of GJM supporters in a police firing on Tuesday, shot off a petition to the President of India today demanding that a permanent solution be found to the situation in the Darjeeling Hills with regard to the statehood demand there and alleging that the West Bengal state administration was “continuously trying to suppress the agitation brutally”.
The petition signed by the SNS president, Editor, Sikkim Mir-Mirey, Kishore Moktan, and four other office bearers, calls on the President to ensure that the State and Central governments take the situation in Darjeeling seriously, “keeping in mind the geographical location of the Darjeeling hill region and Dooars i.e. surrounded by international borders”.
The petition seeks that the central government come forward to secure the political rights of the people of Darjeeling and Dooars. It has also demanded that the Sibchu firing be thoroughly investigated by an independent agency.
The petition contends that joint forces of the West Bengal police and CRPF arrived at Sibchu where GJM members were on a relay hunger strike. Section 144 was imposed in this area which has barely 15 families living near a wildlife sanctuary, the petition highlights, to argue the “atrocity” carried out by the West Bengal government.
The firing was directed at a peaceful procession, the SNS contends. Two GJM supporters were killed in the firing.
The petition highlights that the people in Darjeeling have lost faith in the police after the incident and conveys the organisation’s belief that the national news channels have not reported a true picture and were neglecting several facts. “We felt very strongly that national media persons are working with malafide intentions concerning Gorkhaland demand,” the petition conveys.
Meanwhile, the Citizens Forum has also condemned the killing of GJM workers in the Sibchu incident. The Citizens Forum president, Thukchuk Lachungpa, addressing a press conference today, conveyed the organisation’s condemnation of the firing and argued that the GJM movement for statehood was a nonviolent agitation which has been targeted with violence.
“Agitations for statehood elsewhere in the country are violent movements, whereas the demand for Gorkhaland by the GJM is the only nonviolent movement,” he said, adding that the police firing was pushing even this agitation to turn violent.
Media reports have also carried strong condemnation of the firing by the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front which has denounced the killing of GJM members as an affront on democracy and democratic aspirations of the people of the neighbouring hills.