IN a letter written on July 13 CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has requested home minister, Rajanth Singh to urgently convene a tripartite meeting to discuss the situation in Darjeeling. 

He said a very grave situation has arisen in the hill areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts in the state of West Bengal. Since July 8, eight people have died so far and many injured in police firing on protesters agitating against the state government’s announcement of making Bengali a mandatory language. There are reports of serious violation of human rights due to a virtual economic blockade and even those who are in need of urgent medical treatment are unable to access hospital facilities.

The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration was created through the gazette notification of the GTA Act on March 14, 2012 following the assent by the president of India. This was the outcome of a tripartite agreement that was arrived at between the central government, the state government and the Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

Given the worsening situation and gross denial of human rights and the hardships that the people are being subjected to, urgent intervention is required. It is clear that the restoration of peace and normalcy in the area can happen only through a dialogue for which the process of talks between the three parties that created the GTA must immediately begin.

Two letters from a former member of parliament who belongs to Darjeeling, Saman Pathak, that gives an idea of the hardships that the people in the region are facing, were enclosed.

Under these circumstances, Yechury urged the home minister to urgently convene a tripartite meeting of representatives of the central government, the state government and the leaders of the movement to restore peace and normalcy in the region.