Artists stage street plays to demand for Gorkhaland in Darjeeling

On Thursday, artists in Darjeeling staged street plays to raise their demand for a separate Gorkhaland.

Darjeeling, July 28: Art has always been successfully used to promote social issues. In Darjeeling, protesters of the Gorkhaland movement took refuse in art to promote a political cause that has a larger social implication.

On Thursday, a group of artists staged a couple of street plays to reiterate their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland in Kurseong, Darjeeling.

The plays dealt with themes mostly surrounding the demand for a Gorkhaland by the Nepali-speaking people of Darjeeling and its adjoining places.

This year, the Gorkhaland agitation spearheaded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) was started in June. The supporters of the Gorkhaland movement have called for an indefinite bandh to press for their demand for a separate state in the hills.

On Friday, the indefinite bandh in the hills entered its 44th day. Due to the bandh, life has come to a standstill across Darjeeling and its suburbs. Schools, colleges, shops and several offices have been closed for more than a month now.

The district administration in Darjeeling has banned internet services, citing law and order problem. Recently, Darjeeling went dark due to power cut for more than two days. Phone services are also not functioning well in the hills.

The residents of Darjeeling and its neighbouring areas have been facing severe food crisis.

The protests have turned violent on many occasions. Till now, at least eight supporters of Gorkhaland have lost their lives allegedly in police firing.

However, police denied such reports and stated that only two persons had been killed so far and that too because of the violence resorted by protesters.

OneIndia News