India: Darjeeling unrest ends after 100 days (West Bengal) Sep. 27 /update 8

Event

On Wednesday, September 27, a statement from the Gorkha Janmukti Morch (GJM) announced the end of the general strike (bandh) that had brought much of daily life to a standstill in Darjeeling and other parts of the north Bengal hills since June. GJM announced that they were ending the strike in order to seek a resolution to the crisis via dialogue. Residents have rushed to recently reopened stores; life has largely returned to normal.

Context

The general strike (bandh) lasted for 100 days and was triggered after the state government announcement that Bengali, the official state language, would become a compulsory subject in schools across the state, causing controversy among the ethnic Gorkha people. Gorkha leaders argue that they are not ethnically Bengali but Nepali, and should not be forced to speak Bengali. GJM activists have also called for the creation of a new state, Gorkhaland.

The unrest flushed out thousands of tourists and crippled the economy. Nearly 90 tea gardens, which produce some of the world’s most expensive tea, shut down, leaving thousands of impoverished workers unemployed. The shutdown saw no reprieve and  Incidents of extreme violence were reported, including burning and vandalization of government and private properties, vehicles, office buildings, tourist lodges, five hydro power generations projects, and two railway stations (which are UNESCO World Heritage sites).

The dispute surrounding Gorkhaland is more than a century old. Two prolonged bandhs similar to this most recent shutdown took place in 1988 (40 days) and 2013 (44 days).

Advice

Individuals present in the region are advised to monitor the situation, stay away from all demonstrations, and adhere to instructions issued by the local authorities.