Darjeeling shutdown enters 51st day, GJM Yuva Morcha writes to Narendra Modi, Ram Nath Kovind

Darjeeling: As the indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling hills entered the 51st day, the Yuva Morcha of the GJM on Friday shot off letters to the prime minister, president and Union home minister, urging their intervention to resolve the crisis. [caption id=“attachment_3879423” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of a Gorkhaland protest. PTI[/caption] Meanwhile, the ban on the Internet services in the hills, imposed on 18 June, was extended till 14 August by the district administration. “We have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, requesting them to immediately intervene to solve the ongoing crisis in the hills. We feel our demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland should be respected,” Yuva Morcha president Prakash Gurung said. He added that the Centre could not “sit idle” when the workers of his outfit were on an indefinite hunger strike for 15 days. Twelve activists of the Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), are observing a fast-unto-death over the separate state demand since 21 July. Meanwhile, Darjeeling District Magistrate Joyoshi Das Gupta told PTI, “We have decided to extend the ban on the Internet services for 10 more days. Although no fresh incident of violence has been reported, the GJM is resorting to threatening the people.” The GJM today took out rallies, demanding the restoration of internet services and an immediate withdrawal of police personnel from the hills. No incident of violence was reported from the area since last night, but the police and security personnel kept up their vigil. Barring the pharmacies, all other shops, business establishments, schools and colleges remained closed in the hills.