Gorkhaland protest march in Nagaland

KOHIMA: The Nagaland Gorkha Association (NGA), in collaboration with other Gorkha organizations of the state, on Sunday held peaceful rallies as part of the 'Global Gorkhaland Unity March'. Four rallies were organized on the day across the state - in Kohima, the state capital, and the three district headquarters of Mokokchung , Wokha and Kiphire.
The day saw rallies being organized across the world in over 100 cities, pressing for the formation of a separate state of Gorkhaland from West Bengal.A violent 28-month agitation on the demand for Gorkhaland had left more than a thousand dead in the 1980s, and there has been a revival of the demand in recent times.
In his solidarity message, Naga People's Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) secretary general Neingulo Krome said the 'Global Gorkhaland Unity March' is significant in the Gorkhaland movement. Krome said the rally has brought every Gorkha together, cutting across countries and contingents and regardless of geographical boundaries, for the first time in 110 years of struggle.
A statement of the Global Gorkhaland Unity March in Kohima said, "Through the rally we want to convey our solidarity with the demand of the Indian Gorkhas for creation of Gorkhaland in India. We will send out a loud and clear message that we have the majority and we will not be intimidated. We will raise one single voice for our rights and to live and thrive in India, our country and motherland."
"We will march for the dreams and aspirations of our children. We will march to lend our voices to our suffering brothers and sisters in Darjeeling. We will march for our identity, our language, our culture and our birthright in India. We will march for peace," it added.
A memorandum was submitted to the Prime Minister through Nagaland governor PB Acharya, demanding fulfilment of the demand for separate statehood for the areas in and around Darjeeling.