india

Amidst stir in the valleys of North Bengal, the GJM on Sunday allowed a 12-hour relief from bandh for the Muslims keeping in observing the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr on Monday. Muslims are allowed to use their vehicles with stickers mentioning the purpose to go to the plains and meet their relatives.

“The Muslim community in the hills will be given a 12- hour relaxation on June 26, from 6 am to 6 pm, to celebrate Eid,” a senior Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader said.

“Except this, everything remains the same. The indefinite shutdown will continue,” he said.

Although, earlier, GJM supremo Bimal Gurung had said that there would be no relaxation for Muslims to celebrate Eid, the biggest festival of the community. On the same day, a 12-hour of rest from the bandh was given to boarding schools to send home the stranded children.

As the hills witness the 11th day of bandh today, senior GJM leaders and supporters took out a rally from Chowkbazar to the GJM head office and opened it while shouting “We Want Gorkhaland”.

Meanwhile, in Siliguri, an outfit named ‘Amra Bangali’ (We are Bengalees) took out a rally to protest against the “separatist movement” of the GJM.  “The Darjeeling hills are very much a part of Bengal. Who are they (GJM) to demand a separate state?” asked an activist of the outfit.