Srinagar: Kashmiri youth have inspired the youth of West Bengal’s Darjeeling area who are on road seeking separate statehood.
Many security officials who were posted to thwart the protests by Gorkhas seeking Gorkhaland state after West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamta Banerjee, held her first cabinet meet in Darjeeling some days ago.
Her party, Trinamool Congress, swept the locals elections in the area breaking the foothold of local parties after a long time.
“We have reasons to draw inspiration from the youths of Kashmir. On YouTube, one can see even girls throwing stones at the police and security forces in Kashmir,” a protester Pritam Lama, who stays near Bijanbari, about 30 km from Darjeeling told the Hindustan Times.
“Stones are the easiest way to attack the police. These are free, available just about everywhere in the hills and most come in sizes that fit our fingers perfectly,” said Subir Rai, a youth from Birch Hill area.
“Why only in Kashmir, the stone has been used by youths of Palestine too. We watched all the videos on YouTube,” said another youth in Darjeeling on Sunday.
Kashmir has seen upsurge in stone pelting protest since the death of Hizb ul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 08, 2016.
This year, schools and colleges remained shut against the highhandedness of Indian army men when the thrashed students of government run Degree College Pulwama. Since then, school and college going girls and boys have been on road holding protests.
In Lal Chowk, girl students joined their male counterparts and attacked the armed personnel with stones.
