Next of kin of 17 martyrs of Gorkhaland stir to get jobs, says GTA chief Anit Thapa
The Hills have been commemorating Martyrs’ Day on July 27 every year
DARJEELING: The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration will be providing jobs to the next of kin of the 17 martyrs, who lost their lives between 2007 and 2017 in agitations for Gorkhaland. The announcement was made by Anit Thapa, Chief Executive Member, GTA, on the occasion of “Martyrs’ Day” commemorations in Darjeeling on Wednesday.
“17 people were martyred between 2007 and 2017 in the Hills in different agitations for Gorkhaland. The GTA will be giving appointments to one member from each of the martyrs’ families. They will be given jobs in different capacities as per their abilities. The process has already begun and documents have been collected. We expect to hand over appointment letters to the 17 within a week’s time,” stated Thapa.
A four member committee was constituted, headed by Vijay Kumar Rai. “The committee will visit the families of the 1200 martyrs of the Gorkhaland agitation (from the 1980s till 2007) to find out their requirements and the condition they have been living under. Accordingly, the GTA will also help them individually based on their needs,” added Thapa.
Floral tributes were paid at the Martyrs’ Column in the lawns of the Gorkha Ranga Mancha in Darjeeling. Hill political outfits commemorated Martyrs’ day in different places in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. “Under the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, we will ensure that there are no more martyrs from the Hills. Emotions and politics are a dangerous mix and create martyrs. We don’t want a rerun of this. However I will lead the Hills so that the dream of our martyrs can be fulfilled,” added Thapa.
A 32 km “Run for our Martyrs’” marathon was also organised from Kurseong to Darjeeling, to mark the day. More than 500 persons, both male and female took part.
The Hills have been commemorating Martyrs’ Day on July 27 every year in memory of more than 1200 people, who laid down their lives during the violent Gorkhaland agitation in the 1980s.
The day in particular is in honour of the 18 who died during a police firing in the Subash Ghising led Gorkhaland agitation on July 27, 1986 in Kalimpong.