LEPCHAS OF DARJEELING AND FALSE, FICTITIOUS GORKHAS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
DIPAK DE
- DIPAK DE [HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST; M.PHIL IN HUMAN RIGHTS]
Lepchas of Darjeeling are vehemently agitating
since September 2010 in Kolkata of West Bengal state in India, at
different places such as at Metro Channel on 3rd September, 2010; at
Rani Rashmoni Avenue on 4th September 2010 and Dharna (sit-in-
demonstration and fasting) at College Square from 5th September to
22nd September, 2010 under leadership of Lepchas Rights Movement (LRM)
and Lepcha Youth Association. Representatives of LRM met with the Home
Secretary to the Government of West Bengal Samar Ghosh at Writers’
Buildings, Kolkata on 20th September 2010. They placed their demands
to the Home Secretary Samar Ghosh.
Again from 8th August 2011 the Lepchas of
Darjeeling held a series of demonstrations in Kolkata under the banner
of Lepcha Rights Movement (LRM). This organization also submitted a
MEMORANDUM on 18th August, 2011 to the Darjeeling district Magistrate
on various demands including the protection of Lepcha language
including introduction of Lepcha Language in primary schools in
Darjeeling; protection of Lepcha’s distinct ethnic/tribal and cultural
identity; economic development of Lepcha community; opportunity of
employment, reservation of posts; declaration of Kalimpong Assembly
Constituency of Darjeeling district in West Bengal Assembly as
Schedule Tribe Constituency and it is reserved for Lepchas etc. They
also demonstrated in front of Gandhi Statue of Kolkata on 19th August
2011 and observed sit-in-demonstration the whole day, notably women,
children, youth, aged Lepchas i.e. all sections of Lepcha community of
Darjeeling participated.
According to newspaper dated 19th August 2011 Lepchas
of Darjeeling under the organization Lepcha Rights Movement (LRM)
complained that their identity and culture are being swamped by people
of Nepalese origin.
Nepalese origin means by berth he/she is a Nepali.
The matter of by birth is not changeable, is not transferrable. The
other name of Nepalese is not Gorkha, is not Gurkha and is not
Lahure.
‘Gorkha’ means Gorkha soldier of Gorkha Regiment of
Indian Army who is a Nepali. ‘Gurkha’ means Gurkha soldier of Gurkha
Regiment of British-Indian Army and presently United Kingdom’s Army
who is a Nepali. ‘Lahure’ means who was the soldier of Sikh Kingdom
recruited from Lahore who was a Nepali. In Gorkha Regiment and Gurkha
Regiment recruitment is/was mainly done from the Magar, Gurung,
Tamang, Limbu ethnic/tribal groups of Nepal.
Gorkha or Gurkha or Lahure is not the meaning of any
race, ethnic group and community. According to human rights philosophy
and jurisprudence, the Gorkha soldiers and Gurkha soldiers are Nepali
mercenaries and they would not get the status of prisoners-of-war and
they would be treated as criminals. So, GORKHALAND means land of
Nepali mercenaries or land of the Nepali criminals.
Gorkhaland name is uncivilized and ill-bred. Darjeeling
name is a sacrosanct name, which emerged from ‘Dorje-ling’ monastery
of Lamaist Buddhism. According to legend, this Dorje-ling monastery
was constructed in circa 1765 A.D. when Darjeeling was inside Kingdom
of Sikkim and Lamaist Buddhism was the state Religion. This monastery
was demolished by Nepali soldiers in circa 1815 A.D. when Darjeeling
was captured by Nepal. Darjeeling name is sacrosanct like the
sacrosanct name Kalighat, Puri, Mathura, Kedarnath etc. ‘Gorkhaland’
name violates the SECULARISM principle of India which mentioned in the
Preamble of the Constitution of India.
Lepchas of Darjeeling under the organization Lepcha
Rights Movement (LRM) through their statement as appeared in Newspaper
- denied/nullified the existence of Gorkhas – they used the words
“Nepalese origin” means Nepalese.
There is no existence or there was no existence of
Gorkha ethnic group, Gorkha race, Gorkha caste, Gorkha community in
India, in Nepal and in the world. There is existence of Nepali, Tamil,
Bengali, Assamiya, Gujrati, Lepchas etc community in the world.
It is the history and empirical evidence that Nepalese
emerged from Nepal, migrated from Nepal to India and settled all over
India, especially Darjeeling and Sikkim were submerged under the
incoming flood of Nepalese immigrants. After the Indo-Nepal Treaty
1950 in 31st July 1950 Nepalese of Nepal are entering India
incessantly particularly in Darjeeling district, Jalpaiguri district,
Sikkim, many states of North-East India. They are legal foreigner
Nepalese. Nepalese are also entered in North Bengal from Bhutan
particularly in the border areas of Bhutan and Darjeeling district and
Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. They might be illegal foreigner
Nepalese though Government of India has not made any statement on
these Bhutani-Nepalese so far.
It is the estimate that – about THREE out of FOUR
Nepalese in Darjeeling district are foreigner Nepalese in December
2010 AND about FOUR out of FIVE Nepalese in Jalpaiguri district are
foreigner Nepalese in December 2010. In the year 1951, the population
of Nepalese was 88,958 in Darjeeling district (Government may announce
true picture) and according to information this is the Census report
of India in 1951. These Nepalese and their descendants are mainly the
Indian Nepalese in Darjeeling district after compliance of Article 5
of Constitution of India. Taking into account 23% growth rate in 10
years, in the year 2001 the population of Indian Nepalese was about
250,000 and in the year 2010 December the population of Indian
Nepalese is about 308,000.
There are about 103 ethnic groups and castes,
communities in Nepal according to census 1991, 2001 of Nepal. There
are no Gorkha ethnic group, Gorkha race, Gorkha caste, Gorkha
community in Nepal. Naturally in India, the existence of Gorkha ethnic
group, Gorkha race, Gorkha caste, Gorkha community does not arise at
all.
In the year circa 1559 A.D., the legendary
King Drabya Shah (ancestor of the famous King Prithvi Narayan Shah)
captured a principality/kingdom named GORKHA KINGDOM when the present
day Nepal was divided into 50 principalities/kingdoms. At present,
GORKHA is a small mid-western district and one of the 75 districts of
Nepal and had population of 288,134 in census 2001 of Nepal and there
was no Gorkha community, Gorkha race, Gorkha ethnic/tribal group etc.
The people of Gorkha Kingdom were known as
GORKHALI; name of Language was Gorkhali; Army of Gorkha Kingdom was
known as Army of Gorkha or GORKHALI army, and the war cry “Aayo
Gorkhali” till date is in use.
Violating the basic democratic norms, violating the
human rights, violating the Secularism principle of India, violating
the Constitution of India, committing the Crime of Genocides (Crimes
against Peace and Security of Mankind 1996) - the Government of India,
the Government of West Bengal made a tripartite agreement with Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the organization of false and fictitious
(untrue, unnatural) so-called Gorkhas on 18th July 2011 in Darjeeling
to set-up Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in Darjeeling.
Both the Governments have not taken the opinion of ALL
STAKE holders of Darjeeling district, Jalpaiguri district of West
Bengal state. Stake holders are Lepchas, Indian Nepalese, Bengalese,
Adivasis, Bhutias etc. GJM i.e. the organization of false, fictitious
(untrue, unnatural) so-called Gorkhas is not at all a stake holder.
According to human rights philosophy and jurisprudence - the false,
fictitious (untrue, unnatural) so-called Gorkhas have no IDENTITY at
present and IDENTITY LESS PERSONS HAVE NO CITIZENSHIP NOT ONLY IN
INDIA BUT ALSO IN THE WORLD.
There is no provision in the CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
that Government can hold meeting, make agreement with the false and
fictitious ethnic group, race, community especially on the matter of
development, law and order including on the matter of allowing
administrative power such as handing over government departments and
allowing legislative power, bureaucratic power, allowing fund,
allotment of area to them, form any committee for transfer of power or
identification of people etc.
Government of India ratified on 7th March, 1979 the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966 and
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR) 1966.
Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) reads: ‘In those States in which ethnic,
religious or linguistic minorities exists, persons belonging to such
minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other
members of their groups, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and
practice their own religion, or to use their own language.’
Article 2(1) of the “Declaration on the Rights of
Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic
Minorities” reads: ‘Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious
and linguistic minorities (hereinafter referred to as persons
belonging to minorities) have the right to enjoy their own culture, to
profess and practice their own religion, and to use their own
language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or
any form of discrimination.’
Article 4(3) reads: ‘States should take appropriate
measures so that, wherever possible, persons belonging to minorities
may have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue or to
have instruction in their mother tongue.’
Grossly violating human rights, Home Department,
Government of West Bengal, Political had issued an order No. 3519 (18)-
P dated 12th July 2006 to destroy Lepcha community in West Bengal.
Lepchas of Darjeeling under the organization Lepcha Rights Movement
(LRM) on 20th September 2010 pointed out the matter to Home Secretary
to the Government of West Bengal Samar Ghosh at Writers’ Buildings,
Kolkata. In this order Government of West Bengal directed that Lepchas
should submit “Sikikimese” certificate instead of “Lepcha” certificate
for relaxation of height in recruitment of Army or paramilitary etc.
forces. The said Samar Ghosh has not taken any action so far.
The said Samar Ghosh is now the Chief Secretary
of Government of West Bengal and violating the human rights, violating
the Constitution of India held meetings at Writers’ Buildings, Kolkata
on 6th & 7th June 2011 with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the
organization of false, fictitious (untrue, unnatural) so-called
Gorkhas who are destroying the Nepali community and committing Crime
of Genocides (Crime against Peace and Security of Mankind 1996).
“The Lepchas are the aboriginal inhabitants of the
Darjeeling district who call themselves Rong……. Formerly they
possessed all the hill country of Darjeeling and Sikkim…..they are
timid people, peaceful and no brawlers, disliking fixed employment and
never so happy as when they are in their native woods. They are born
naturalists, and have separate names for nearly every bird, plant,
orchid and butterfly…….A kindly, placid, somewhat indolent people,
they are being largely supplanted by the pushing, self-assertive
Nepalese, and in consequence are losing the best land in the
district…” mentioned in the Bengal District Gazetteers, Darjeeling by
L.S.S.O’MALLEY, 1907. In this book there is no word “Gorkha” so far.
[Please read the original documents/papers at your end]
Date: 21/08/2011. Dipak De
[Human Rights Activist; M.Phil in Human Rights; Member of
Amnesty International; United Nations on line volunteer on Human
Rights]
sal...@gmail.com
gaeboo
Even among the Nepalese,Tribes exist who had been historically suppressed by the Gorkhas.For Example the Tamangs who had been accorded a social position worse than Shudras by the Gorkhas who twerked the Varna System of Nepal by bringing in the 5th Varna, the mantle of which was bestowed on the Tamangs.
Gorkha conquest saw ethnic cleansing, largescale distress migration and forced conversion of Ethnic Groups to Brahmanical Hinduism.
Yet we have people who take pride in identifying themselves with being Gorkha..