SIKKIM OBSERVER Saturday July 19-25, 2014

Blog:jigmenkazisikkim.blogspot.com

STUDENT POWER BRINGS GOVT TO ITS KNEES

GANGTOK BANDH – SCHOOLS & COLLEGES SHUT DOWN - VEHICLES SET ON FIRE – STUDENTS INJURED, HOSPITALISED – HIGHWAY CLOSED – ARMY INTERVENES

Gangtok, July 18: For the first time since Sikkim’s controversial ‘merger’ with India in early 1970s the former kingdom witnessed a bloody confrontation between the State Government and the people, this time represented largely by college students.

The bloody confrontation brought the Chamling Government on its knees when on the third day it yielded to the demands made by the student community. The agitation was partially lifted on Thursday when the student body reached an understanding with the State Government late Wednesday.

The agreement between several Cabinet ministers led by HRDD Minister RB Subba and student representatives, though not accepted by a section of the student community, binds the State Government to take action against guilty police officers, roll back fee hike, provide medical assistance to injured students and legal assistance for the probe.

The decision arrived at the meeting sought for restoration of normalcy and end to the agitation.

The agitation, aimed at protesting against hike in college fees, turned violent when the protestors were teargassed and lathicharged while holding a rally at the premises of Sikkim Government College at Tadong.

Several students were injured and hospitalized, two vehicles were torched and at least 30 vehicles were damaged while mediapersons were assaulted and a high-ranking police officer was roughed up during the three-day-long confrontation.

Though political parties condemned police brutality against peaceful protestors the agitation was largely a students vs police affair.

Former minister and Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) President PS Golay rejected the formation of the State Government’s one-man committee to probe into what he described as “inhuman” acts of the Sikkim Police against agitating students. He demanded that  Home Minister  Pawan Chamling  and HRDD Minister RB Subba  apologize to the student community.

The BJP Sikkim unit President Palden Wangchuk condemned the lathicharge. He said “in a democracy people have a right to voice their grievances.” The BJP also condemned “the unnecessary and drastic hike in the fees structure” of colleges in the State.

Even as schools and colleges were closed down for a week due to the agitation, the Principal Secretary of Human Resource Development Department Thomas Chandy appealed to the student community to resume their classes as the fee hike decision has been rolled back.

The One-Man Committee, to be headed by C.T.Wangdi, Secretary, Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department, is expected to submit his report within 15 days.

As the days progressed muster roll and ad-hoc employees, taxi drivers and a section of the public also joined in the movement. The capital’s shops were shut for two days – Wednesday and Thursday – and the national highway was closed down for sometime.

To contain the situation the Army was brought in on Wednesday. It held a flag-march in Tadong in full battle gear.

Nine SKM legislators sat on hunger strike outside the main Secretariate on Wednesday protesting against police atrocities against the student community. This put more pressure on the authorities to meet the demands of the student community. (also see page 4)

South district students threaten to renew strike if demands not met

Namchi, July 18: The Students of Namchi Government College and student representatives of South District have condemned the police action against the students on 14th and 15th July at Gangtok and demanded strict and immediate action from the state government.

   They said that the issue had not been settled yet. Students will wait for 15 days for the investigation of the incident and if they are denied justice they will continue their agitation and this time students of all four districts will join in the agitation.

South district students have demanded strict action against SP East and PI Sadar Thana for the lathi-charge against the students when they were only fighting for their rights, Talk Sikkim website reported.

They also demanded there should be no bias in the investigation of the incident and that all the police and IRB personnel involved in the incident should be punished accordingly.

Speaking about the incident the students expressed dissatisfaction about the way the HRD Department handled the issue. They said that if the department had put the notice about the price hike earlier in the college fee, a solution would have been found and no such incident would have taken place which ended with so many injured students.

The short notice given by the department about hike in college fee had made students worried as maximum students were not in a position to afford to pay the extra amount.

Subsequently, the non-cooperation from the department had forced them to block the National Highway. “But instead of listening to our demands, we were lathi-charged by the police,” they said, the report said.

Chief Minister Pawan Chamling called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi this week and apprised him on various issues pertaining to Sikkim, including Assembly seat reservation for Limbus and Tamangs and income tax exemption for Sikkim’s left-out persons.

Tibetan Parliamentary delegation meets Indian MPs on Tibet

Dharamshala, July 18: A Tibetan parliamentary delegation has met newly-elected members of Indian Parliament from different political parties in New Delhi and the latter expressed their continued support for the Tibetan people.

The Tibetan parliament delegation comprise of Geshe Monlam Tharchin, Dolma Tsering, Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, Choekyong Wangchuk and Lobsang Yeshi.

The delegation is scheduled meet many members of India’s lower house of Parliament, Lok Sabha, to convey their greetings and make efforts to reinvigorate the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet.

The delegation met Dr. Prasanna Kumar Patasani, a member of Parliament from India’s Biju Janata Dal party.  Dr Patasani, who has participated in many Tibet-related conferences, said he understands the sufferings of Tibetans under China’s repressive rule and expressed his continued support for the Tibetan cause.

 He said he would rally his parliamentary colleagues to join the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet. He also expressed his support to lobby the parliamentary foreign affairs committee to seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support on the issue of Tibet. He said he would make efforts to participate in the upcoming World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet.

  Some of key Indian Parliamentarians that the Tibetan delegation met  include Ajit Singh, former minister and chief of Rashtriya Lok Dal, who is the founding member of International Tibet Support, Jayant Chaudhary, P D Rai of Sikkim Democratic Front, Shashi Tharoor of Indian National Congress and Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal United. They pledged to continue their support for the issue of Tibet, join themselves in the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet and encourage party colleagues to do so.

Editorial

KARMAPA CONTROVERSY

India Must Tread Carefully

If Nepal succumbs to Chinese pressure Shamar Rinpoche’s funeral will not take place in the former Hindu Kingdom. This will surely prove China’s influence in the sensitive border region in the Himalayan frontier. It is one thing to squabble over who really is the 17^th Karmapa and quite another thing to be influenced by big powers which are using religion to spread its wings. The Buddhist cultural landscape from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east along the porous Himalayan belt – a natural wall between Asia’s two giants– is vital for both China and India’s security. Even before Shamar Rinpoche’s funeral rites are over Sikkim has demanded the early return of the 17^th Karmapa Ugyen Thinley Dorje to Rumtek. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government at the Centre needs to be widely aware of the political ramifications of the Karmapa controversy in this sensitive region. He must, therefore, be carefully briefed and properly guided by competent authorities to avoid another Himalayan blunder.

Did Shamar Rinpoche’s funeral plans fall foul of Himalayan power politics?

Kathmandu, July 18: The government of Nepal has revoked its decision to allow the last rituals of a prominent Buddhist leader who passed away in Germany last month due to heart attack, reported The New York Times.

The Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi had earlier issued a “no objection letter” for the body of Shamar Rinpoche to be taken to Nepal for the last rituals but reversed the decision after Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued directives to revoke the permission.

As per the wishes of the late Shamar Rinpoche his body was scheduled to be brought to Nepal for cremation at his own monastery, the Shar Minub in Kathmandu, on Monday.

   The body of Shamar Rinpoche was kept at the Karmapa Buddhist Institute in New Delhi till July 1st, and then at Diwakar Institute in Kalimpong. "Due to some unanticipated circumstances, we have had to postpone the departure of Shamar Rinpoche’s kudung from Kalimpong on July 13, 2014. We regret the inconvenience that this may have caused on your travel plans. We will be providing the updates once the date has been confirmed," said a statement on the official website of Shamar Rinpoche.

   Shamar Rinpoche, 62, who held the title Sharmapa, had died of a heart attack in Germany in June. His supporters wanted to fulfil his wishes and transport his body first to Kalimpong, in India’s north-east, and then to Nepal for a funeral service at an institute he had established.

But his supporters around the world fear their teacher may have fallen foul of power politics playing out in the Himalayas. Having initially granted the go-ahead for his body to be taken to Nepal, the authorities in Kathmandu have now withdrawn permission. It has been reported they did so under pressure from neighbouring China, which does not want to encourage Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, The Independent reported.

A spokesman for Nepal’s home ministry, Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, confirmed permission had been given and then subsequently withdrawn.

Dhakal said officials at the Nepalese Embassy in Delhi had granted permission when it was believed the Sharmapa held a Nepalese passport. He said it was then discovered he held a Bhutanese passport and officials said permission could not be given as there was no legal provision for allowing foreigners to travel to Nepal for a funeral.

Asked whether Nepal had acted under pressure from China, he said: “No, no, no. That’s not true – 200 per cent not true.”

The Sharmapa held a senior position within the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, yet he was not without controversy. In 1992, he broke from the opinion of many other senior teachers and declined to recognise the person identified as the 17 Karmapa, who heads the Karma Kagyu school.

Indeed, he instead identified his own candidate. Today, the Karma Kagyu school remains split over who is its true head. The Chinese government recognises the Karmapa that the Sharmapa refused to recognise.

Shamar Rinpoche Mipham Chokyi Lodro was born in Derge, Tibet. At the age of four he was recognized by the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpei Dorje as the 14th Shamarpa.

The 14th Shamar Rimpoche wass one of the three main disciples of the previous Karmapa. After the death of the 16th Karmapa, Shamarpa recognized Thaye Dorje as the 17th Karmapa in 1994. However, Tai Situpa Rinpoche chose another boy, Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the 17th Karmapa who was approved by the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Deal with students in a humane manner: BJP

Gangtok, July 18: The Sikkim State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned the incidence of lathicharge and bursting of tear gas shells on innocent students  here this week.

Party chief Palden Wangchuk said it was the collective administrative failure of the State Government to handle the situation which led to law and order problem.

“The party condemns violence of any sort,” the BJP release said.

It said the administration should have dealt the issues raised by the students in a “humane and compassionate manner”.