By Prakash Adhikari
The Joint Action Council (JAC)’s rally held this morning in Singtam, Sikkim, turned ugly when the rally came under attack and general secretary of the JAC, Keshav Sapkota was chased and brutally kicked, punched and beaten up by unidentified men.
Ex-MLA and SDF leader Mechung Bhutia, who was part of the rally, was also injured in the attack.
Sapkota sustained severe injuries to his head and face and was seen bleeding profusely. He was rushed to the District hospital in Singtam and the rally has been halted. Situation turned tense as fist-fights and full-fledged clashes erupted even as armed security personnel tried to intervene and stop the clashes.
Section 144 has been clamped to avoid any further flare up in the law and order situation.
The JAC which is supported by civil society organisations and NGOs opposing the altering of the Sikkimese term in the Finance Act, 2023 and opposition political parties including the Hamro Sikkim Party and Sikkim Democatic Front, organised the rally to voice concerns over expansion of the definition of the term ‘Sikkimese’ in the Finance Act, 2023.
The rally was to put pressure on the government to ensure that the historical and Constitutional definition of the term ‘Sikkimese’ is not altered and is upheld during the special Assembly session proposed on April 10.
Worth mentioning that the police and the administration had not given permission to the JAC to hold the rally in Singtam. Permission was granted to hold the rally in Gangtok which the JAC declined and decided to go ahead with the rally in Singtam because of its strategic geographical location.
Meanwhile, UPPL has fielded Nirmal Kumar Brahma for the Sidli Assembly seat.
Brahma is contesting the Assam Assembly by-polls for the first time.
Priyanka Chopra is seen sipping water from a glass held by Nick Jonas, while she…
The Manipur Government in the meantime has constituted sort of adhoc committees of 20 members…
Amid rising concerns about law and order in Tripura, the DGP states that crime is…
DGP Sharma, informed that the two accused have gone underground after the crime.