61-519: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha ( GJM ) is a registered unrecognized political party, that campaigns for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India , out of districts in the north of West Bengal . The party was launched on 7 October 2007. The faction led by Binay Tamang , which was created out of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in 2017, merged into Gurung's GJM in 2021 after Tamang's resignation, following which he joined Trinamool Congress . Bimal Gurung ,
122-646: A former GNLF councillor of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council , fell out with Subhash Ghisingh for "opposing the Sixth Schedule status for the hills and for his speeches against Subhash Ghisingh, the party president". Gurung, who was considered one of the most powerful leaders of the hills, stated to oppose the Sixth Schedule bill even though it had received Cabinet approval in the Indian Parliament . He founded GJM on 7 October 2007. The aims and
183-689: A half years of agitation for a state of Gorkhaland, the GJM reached an agreement with the state government to form a semi-autonomous body that will replace the DGHC to administer the Darjeeling hills. A bill for the creation of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) will be introduced in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly soon. The GTA will have administrative, executive and financial powers but no legislative powers. The Memorandum of Agreement for GTA
244-554: A new phase of agitation. This was characterised by strikes, 'Janata Curfews' (in which townspeople stayed inside their houses), mass protests and the deployment of the CRPF into the hils. During the agitation, Banerjee favoured the Lepcha community with a new Development Board and encouraged other backward communities within the hills to seek further favours from the TMC. This had the effect of breaking down
305-493: A number of cases under laws relating to terrorism. Banerjee criticised Rajnath Singh , the then Union Home Minister , for holding a meeting with GJM leaders. Attempting to get Gurung behind the bars, the West Bengal police ran several operations in the hills which resulted in the killing of a few officers. One of the slain police officers was Sub-Inspector Amitabha Mullick. The Gurung faction helped BJP candidate Raju Bista win
366-638: A retired High Court judge examined the demand to bring the Gorkha-inhabited pockets of the Dooars and the Terai under the GTA. The Memorandum of Agreement for GTA was signed on 18 July 2011 at Pintail Village near Siliguri in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram , West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee , the then Darjeeling Lok Sabha MP Jaswant Singh and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders. The agreement
427-400: A separate administrative setup. The term Gorkhaland was coined by Subhash Ghisingh , leader of Gorkha National Liberation Front , who led a violent agitation for its formation in the 1980s. This movement culminated with the formation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988. The DGHC did not fulfill its goal of forming a new state, which led to the downfall of Subhash Ghisingh and
488-480: A three-member "Fact Verification Committee" to go into the recommendations of Justice Sen Committee after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha rejected its report. The Calcutta High Court admitted on 19 June 2012 the case moved by Gorkha National Liberation Front leader Subhash Ghisingh challenging the legality of the GTA. Justice Dipankar Dutta told the three signatories to the GTA agreement – the central government,
549-536: A variety of fields. Many students in Jaigaon opt to pursue higher education elsewhere in West Bengal , particularly Siliguri and Kolkata . The lifestyle of Jaigaon is influenced by the town's diverse population of people from throughout India and Bhutan. The demand of Indian and Bhutanese consumers from nearby Phuentsholing has led to the development of the service sector in various fields. A variety of festivals of various religions are celebrated in Jaigaon, reflecting
610-621: A vocal opponent of GJM, was attacked near the Planters Club, Darjeeling and GJM was suspected for this crime. Three people attacked Tamang directly and one of them hacked him with a sharp weapon. He was rushed to the Darjeeling District Hospital where he soon died. A few days later on 25 May, hundreds of mourners joined his funeral procession in Darjeeling. After the murder, the West Bengal government threatened action against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, whose senior leaders were named in
671-410: Is founded on the bedrock of a historical, economic and political rationale. Against the backdrop of socio-economic exploitation, political and cultural hegemony , misgovernance and exclusion, the demand has become an expression of the ingrained and deep rooted aspirations of the people to secure to themselves, and to their succeeding generations, the right to determine their own future." After three and
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#1732876231137732-511: Is located at 26°50′N 89°23′E / 26.83°N 89.38°E / 26.83; 89.38 . Jaigaon has a hilly and slopey terrain. The town is situated at the India-Bhutan border with Phuentsholing . There are several streams coming from the uphills and joining the river Toorsa at the downtown. Bagdogra Airport (Siliguri) is the nearest airport, and Kolkata its nearest port, where goods to Bhutan are brought from. Hasimara
793-541: Is one of the oldest and the most popular schools in town, St. Anthony's Convent, B.D Memorial English Higher Secondary School, and St. John's, follow the curriculum for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education § For classes XI, XII (ISC) , administered by Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). SHMD School
854-614: Is the name of the proposed state in India that the Nepali -speaking Indian Gorkha ethnic group in the district of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and the Dooars in northern region of West Bengal have expressed a desire to create. A demand for a separate administrative unit in Darjeeling has existed since 1909, when the Hillmen's Association of Darjeeling submitted a memorandum to Minto-Morley Reforms demanding
915-512: Is the nearest railway station. National Highway 317A in India connects Jaigaon to Hasimara. India offers a free flow of goods from Kolkata port to Bhutan. It lies on the banks of the Torsa River . Alipurduar district is covered by two maps. It is an extensive area in the eastern end of the Dooars in West Bengal. It is undulating country, largely forested, with numerous rivers flowing down from
976-409: Is the only Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) school in Jaigaon. Schools like Ved Vyas, St. Dominic's, Chinary Academy, Zenith School, and Green View English School follow the state education board, whereas New Adarsh is an open board school. Nani Bhattacharya Smarak Mahavidyalaya is an affiliated college of North Bengal University located in the vicinity of Jaigaon, and offers degrees in
1037-455: The 2019 Lok Sabha election . The Calcutta High Court directed both factions of the GJM not to use the party symbol to contest polls. In October 2020, Bimal Gurung resurfaced and announced unconditional support to Mamata Banerjee for the 2021 Assembly elections . He said that while Mamata Banerjee always kept her promises, the BJP never kept its word. The Banerjee government cleared their stance on
1098-504: The Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal state in India . The GTA was formed in 2012 to replace the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council , which was formed in 1988 and administered the Darjeeling hills for 23 years. GTA presently consists of three hill subdivisions Darjeeling , Kurseong , Mirik , some areas of Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district and the whole of Kalimpong district under its authority. Gorkhaland
1159-401: The 2021 assembly election, they remained divided and both declared to field their candidates in each of the three seats which were allotted to them. As a result, the GJM faction headed by Tamang won only one out of three seats. In July 2021, Binay Tamang announced his resignation from all positions of the party and handed over flags of the party to Gurung. Anit Thapa became the acting president of
1220-667: The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP), Dooars Unit signed an 18-point agreement at Mongpong , after which these organisations jointly proposed a new administrative body called the Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration (GATA) in place of the GTA. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha announced that it would contest the GTA polls, which it had earlier threatened to boycott over the Justice Sen-headed committee recommendations on territorial inclusion of
1281-918: The BJP, the Congress, the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM), and the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL). The BJP organised an all-party meet attended by the Congress, the Trinamool Congress , the GJM, the ABGL, the CPRM, the Gorkha Rashtriya Congress , and the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP), which adopted a resolution asking the state to drop the Sixth Schedule proposal and remove Ghisingh as caretaker administrator of
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#17328762311371342-601: The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC). The Hill parties did not want the Sixth Schedule as Clause 11 of the Sixth Schedule stated "this in principle Memorandum of Settlement is the full and final settlement of the Darjeeling Hill Areas issue and no further demands in this regard would be entertained". GJM burnt copies of the 1988 Memorandum of Settlement which had categorically stated, "the GNLF agreed to drop
1403-550: The Darjeeling hills and an indefinite strike was called by GJM that lasted 9 days. Jaswant Singh , the BJP candidate, supported by the GJM, won the Darjeeling constituency in the Indian general elections 2009 defeating his nearest rival Jibesh Sarkar of the CPI(M) by a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. The GJM had supported the BJP in lieu of the latter's positive outlook towards the formation of Gorkhaland as mentioned in their party manifesto for
1464-475: The Dooars and Terai that it had rejected. After a period of silence, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha announced the names of its GTA election nominees. Parties that formed the Gorkhaland Task Force ( CPRM , ABGL , GNLF(C) , Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha and others) decided not contest the GTA elections. Both CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress fielded candidates in the election. The GNLF decided to boycott
1525-399: The Dooars and Terai that it had rejected. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha announced the names of its GTA election nominees. Following Trinamool Congress' decision not to contest the GTA election, GJM won all 45 seats. From the beginning of 2013, tensions started to surface between the TMC and the GJM. Following the announcement of the creation of the new state of Telangana , the hills erupted into
1586-515: The Dooars. TMC hoped to gain the support of GJM for their candidate, Baichung Bhutia for Darjeeling (Lok Sabha constituency) in the Indian general elections in 2014. This was unsuccessful as the party supported the BJP candidate S.S. Ahluwalia . Ahluwalia has claimed that the state government, led by TMC has resorted to scare tactics and electoral fraud to win the election in Darjeeling. Ahluwalia defeated Bhutia by nearly 2 lakh votes. On 18 September 2015, one of GJM's MLAs resigned in protest over
1647-513: The GTA memorandum of agreement and the GTA Act in June 2017, saying that the GTA had failed to fulfill the aspirations of the people. On 20 September 2017, the West Bengal government reconstituted the GTA and appointed rebel GJM leader Binoy Tamang as its chairperson. Before the 2019 Darjeeling assembly bye-election, Binoy Tamang stepped down as GTA chairman to contest the assembly bye-election. Anit Thapa
1708-456: The GTA on 26 May 2012 to which elections are to be held in July 2012. The high-powered committee headed by retired judge Shyamal Kumar Sen that was set up by the West Bengal government recommended inclusion of just five mouzas under the proposed GTA although the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had demanded 398 mouzas from the Dooars and Terai regions. The West Bengal government announced that it would set up
1769-403: The GTA. In a meeting held on 24 March 2012 between GJM leaders and the West Bengal government, it was decided that the election to the GTA would be held in the end of June or in July 2012. The Justice Sen Committee would be requested to submit its report on the inclusion of additional areas of Terai and Dooars in the GTA by early June 2012. The WB government released a list of 45 constituencies of
1830-550: The Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration (GATA) in place of the GTA. The ABAVP decided to agree to incorporate 196 mouzas of the Dooars and 199 mouzas of the Terai region into the proposed GATA. The President of India Pratibha Patil gave her assent to the GTA Bill of West Bengal on 7 March 2012. The West Bengal government issued a gazette notification for the GTA Act on 14 March 2012, signalling preparations for elections for
1891-491: The Gorkhaland issue by not supporting the demand for a separate state. Trinamool Congress allotted three seats ( Kalimpong , Darjeeling , Kurseong ) in the hills to GJM. Leaders of the Gurung faction had earlier promised to back the TMC in the rest of the 14 seats in Darjeeling , Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts. Even though both factions of the GJM (one led by Gurung and another led by Tamang) extended their support to TMC for
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1952-676: The Hill Parties headed by GJM was held on 8 September 2008. The hill delegation also submitted a 51-page memorandum to the Union Home Secretary, Government of India. "The demand for a separate state within the Constitutional framework and within the Indian Union, consisting of Darjeeling District and the Dooars region of West Bengal is arguably the oldest and most outstanding demand in the country today. This demand for separate statehood
2013-468: The Hills' united front and GJM's popularity. The TMC also gained electoral support in the hills during this period, as many sought to seek the favours of the new government. The GNLF also started to return to the hills in this period. Many GJM leaders were arrested and detained for extended periods for charges from several years before. On 21 May 2010, Madan Tamang , the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League leader and
2074-451: The Lok Sabha elections. GJM candidates won three Darjeeling hill seats in the 2011 West Bengal state assembly election held on 18 April 2011. Trilok Dewan won from Darjeeling constituency , Harka Bahadur Chhetri from Kalimpong constituency , and Rohit Sharma from Kurseong constituency . Wilson Champramari, an independent candidate supported by GJM, also won from Kalchini constituency in
2135-562: The demand for Gorkhaland was again revived by GJM under the leadership of Bimal Gurung. The total area of the proposed state is 6246 km and comprises Banarhat , Bhaktinagar, Birpara , Chalsa , Darjeeling, Jaigaon , Kalchini , Kalimpong , Kumargram , Kurseong , Madarihat , Malbazar , Mirik and Nagarkatta . Unlike the 1980s, GJM has maintained that the struggle for Gorkhaland would be through non-violence and non-cooperation. GJM initially resorted to bandhs , hunger strikes and non-payment of utility bills to further their demand. It
2196-434: The demand for a separate State of Gorkhaland", thereby reviving the century-old demand of Gorkhaland . The GNLF tried stalling the GJM through various means, and an FIR was also lodged against the party president Bimal Gurung for the attack on a former DGHC councilor K.B. Gurung, but anticipatory bail was granted to Bimal Gurung. GJM observed hunger strikes, indefinite strikes and prevented locally produced goods from reaching
2257-491: The district. There is a high concentration of tribal people (scheduled tribes) in the three northern blocks of the district. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map. Jaigaon is in a small valley located near the low-lying hills of the Himalayan mountains. Jaigaon receives an abundant amount of rainfall throughout
2318-480: The elections and its chairman filed a case in the Kolkata High Court challenging the GTA. The CPI(M) withdrew the nominations of all its 13 candidates from the GTA elections, alleging threats and intimidation by the GJM and the GJM received 28 seats of the GTA uncontested. In the elections of the remaining 17 seats of the GTA held on 29 July 2012, GJM candidates won from all the constituencies. Sanchabir Subba,
2379-524: The oath of office to Anit Thapa as the Chief Executive of GTA. The five members of the GTA Sabha nominated by the West Bengal government took oath on 25 August 2022. Two Hamro Party councillors of the GTA joined Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha on 5 November 2022. Binoy Tamang, who had won the GTA election on a TMC ticket but had left that party afterwards, joined Congress on 26 November 2023. He
2440-482: The objectives of the new party was to "fight for the democratic right of the Indian Gorkhas living in India and (to) work unitedly for the creation of separate state for the people residing in the three Hill Sub-Division of Darjeeling, Siliguri Terai and Dooars areas. GJM’s opposition of the sixth schedule and demand for Gorkhaland was supported by Dr Mahendra P. Lama , Dr Vimal Khawas, and other parties as well, viz.
2501-502: The outer ranges of the Himalayas in Bhutan. It is a predominantly rural area with 79.38% of the population living in the rural areas. The district has 1 municipal town and 20 census towns and that means that 20.62% of the population lives in the urban areas. The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, taken together, form more than half the population in all the six community development blocks in
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2562-494: The police FIR, meanwhile hinting discontinuation of ongoing talks over interim arrangement with the Gorkha party, saying it had "lost popular support following the assassination". On 8 February 2011, three GJM activists were shot dead at Shibshu (one of whom succumbed to her injuries later) by the police as they tried to enter Jalpaiguri district on a padyatra led by Bimal Gurung from Gorubathan to Jaigaon . This led to violence in
2623-486: The rebel Gorkha Janmukti Morcha candidate from Gitdabling-Nimbong, narrowly lost to the party's official contestant Kalyan Dewan by 677 votes. The newly elected members of the GTA were sworn in on 4 August 2012 at Darjeeling in the presence of home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee . In 2017, there was another agitation for Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling hills. The GTA councillors belonging to GJM resigned and burnt copies of
2684-410: The rest of Bengal, as a protest against the imposition of the Sixth Schedule and for the removal of Subhash Ghisingh. A team was also deputed to New Delhi to apprise the national leaders about the general consensus of the people of the DGHC area because of which, L.K. Advani refused to support Buddhadeb Bhattacharya 's bid to push Darjeeling into Sixth Schedule. The Bharatiya Janata Party 's refusal of
2745-596: The rise of another party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) headed by Bimal Gurung in 2007, which launched a second agitation for a Gorkhaland state. After three years of agitation for a state of Gorkhaland led by GJM, the GJM reached an agreement with the state government to form a semi-autonomous body to administer the Darjeeling hills. A bill for the creation of GTA was passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on 2 September 2011. The GTA aimed to have administrative, executive and financial powers but no legislative powers. A 10-member joint verification committee headed by
2806-449: The run, the GJM broke up. Mamata Banerjee was successful in quelling the violent agitation after engineering a split between Bimal Gurung and Binay Tamang, a close aide to Gurung. Tamang alleged that Gurung wanted to get him killed and extended support to TMC along with his faction. Mamata Banerjee appointed Tamang as the chairperson of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on September 20, 2017. The state government slapped Gurung with
2867-508: The second GTA Sabha would be held on 26 June 2022. A total of 277 candidates, including 45 from Hamro Party , 36 from Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha , 12 from CPIM , 10 from Trinamool Congress , 5 from Congress and 169 independents , contested the GTA election. All elected members of the GTA Sabha took oath on 12 July 2022 in Darjeeling in a function that was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee . On 14 July 2022, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar administered
2928-427: The second faction of GJM. Anit Thapa launched a new party Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) on 9 September 2021. BGPM aligned with the TMC and formed an election committee to contest the GTA elections. Binay Tamang joined All India Trinamool Congress on 24 December 2021. Gorkhaland Opposition (9) Other (5) The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is a semi-autonomous council for
2989-592: The sixth schedule status for DGHC pushed it to the Parliamentary Committee. The Parliamentary Committee in its findings suggested that "the Ministry of Home Affairs is required to make a fresh assessment of the ground realities all over again before proceeding with the Bills in the two Houses of Parliament". The Sixth Schedule bill was thus put in the back burner. The only supporter of the Sixth Schedule, Subhash Ghisingh,
3050-419: The state government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha – to file affidavits stating their stand on Ghisingh's contention. The West Bengal government announced that the election for the GTA would be held on 29 July 2012. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha announced that it would contest the GTA polls, which it had earlier threatened to boycott over the Justice Sen-headed committee recommendations on territorial inclusion of
3111-480: The state government's cooperation with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. Three days later, the other two quitted the assembly. Gurung's GJM was demanding a separate Gorkha state and in 2017 a massive agitation began which also turned violent. Because of Gurung's mishandling, the situation turned disastrous in which 10 people lost their lives in alleged police firing. When Gurung was on
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#17328762311373172-436: The town to all cities/towns mentioned above. Hasimara Railway Station is the nearest railway station 15 Kilometres away from the town which falls under New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line of Northeast Frontier Railway . Bagdogra International Airport, Siliguri is the nearest airport from Jaigaon. Jaigaon has several schools under various education boards of India. Schools such as Sunrise English School, which
3233-536: The town's diverse demographics. Jaigaon's cultural diversity can be seen in its food and clothing. Various segments of Indian culture are represented, and the town's proximity to Bhutan has influenced locally available commodities. For instance, Tibetan -style cuisine, such as momos are popular, while gho and kira , items of Bhutanese national dress, are produced in Jaigaon for Bhutanese consumers. Every year various sports and other tournaments are organised in Jaigaon by various trusts and NGOs. A cricket tournament
3294-782: The town. As of census 2011 India census , Jaigaon had a population of 42,254. Males constitute 51.2% of the population and females 48.8%. Jaigaon has an average literacy rate of 60.52%. Languages spoken in Jaigaon Town (2011) Jaigaon is connected to the nearby cities and towns with roads of good condition. Taxi and jeep services access Siliguri , Alipurduar , Jalpaiguri , Mainaguri , Malbazar , Birpara , Dhupguri , Gangtok , Kalimpong , Pakyong , Hasimara , Cooch Behar , Panitanki , Jorethang , Darjeeling , Namchi , Pelling , Thimphu-Bhutan , Phuntsholing-Bhutan etc. Bus services connects Jaigaon with P.C. Mittal Memorial Bus Terminus, Siliguri . Frequent buses are also available from
3355-423: The year. The outskirts of the city are demarcated by tea gardens. The Torsa River flows at the lower end of the town. High levels of in-migration to Jaigaon from elsewhere in India has caused the environmental conditions of the city to deteriorate. To solve the problem of non-potable drinking water, various bore wells and pump stations operate around the town, adding to the problem of the decreasing water table below
3416-472: Was appointed the new GTA chairman. Before the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election , the West Bengal government dissolved the Anit Thapa-led GTA Board of Administrators and handed over the administration of GTA to the GTA principal secretary. After running the GTA with government-appointed administrators for 5 years (2017–2022), the West Bengal government announced that the election for
3477-424: Was banned from entering the hills. Ghisingh was finally forced to resign on 10 March 2008 as DGHC caretaker. "The name "Gorkhaland" is claimed to have been coined by Subhash Ghisingh on 5 April 1980, cf., his speech of 7 September 1989 at Darjeeling". After a violent agitation in the 1980s, which claimed more than 1200 lives in the hills, Subhash Ghisingh settled for the DGHC. After a lull of Ghisingh's 20 years rule,
3538-610: Was expelled from Congress on 23 April 2024. Jaigaon Jaigaon is a census town in Alipurduar subdivision under Kalchini Block of Alipurduar district in the state of West Bengal , India. It is located on the country's border with Bhutan , and Bhutan Gate separates the two countries. Phuentsholing is the Bhutan's nearest city to Jaigaon. Bhutan does not have domestic roads linking all its towns, so it uses roads passing through Jaigaon to reach destinations such as Samtse , Gomtu , Nganglam and Samdrup Jongkhar . Jaigaon
3599-517: Was quite enough to get the attention of the State Government, who invited them to Kolkata for bipartite talks. GJM refused to attends the talks as the state Government had set preconditions that they would discuss developmental issues but not Gorkhaland. The Chief Minister extended the invitation again and denied having set any preconditions for the talks. The first tripartite talks between Government of India, Government of West Bengal and leaders of
3660-403: Was signed by West Bengal Home Secretary G.D. Gautama, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary K.K. Pathak and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri. On 29 October 2011, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP), Dooars Unit signed an 18-point agreement at Mongpoo, after which these organizations jointly proposed a new administrative body called
3721-406: Was signed on 18 July 2011 at Pintail Village near Siliguri in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram , West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders. The agreement was signed by West Bengal Home Secretary G.D. Gautama, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary K.K. Pathak and GJM general secretary Roshan Giri. On 29 October 2011, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and
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