The Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Sunday urged the people of the state to stay indoors on Monday to protest against the attack on its general secretary in Singham.
JAC vice president Passang Sherpa told reporters that our colleague was attacked brutally by some goons in Singham town while he was mobilising the people for the JAC’s call for a peaceful rally against the expansion of definition of Sikkimese people in the Union Finance Act, 2023 passed by Parliament recently.
“We are urging the people of Sikkim to stay indoors tomorrow as a mark of protest against the brutal attack on the JAC general secretary Keshav Sapkota in Singham town yesterday,” Sherpa said.
He lashed out at the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha government for the “prevailing lawlessness” in Sikkim as the voices of opposition was being “stifled by force and violence”.
He said the denial of permission to take out a peaceful rally in the state capital on Monday in protest against expansion of definition of Sikkimese people and attack on Sapkota proved the charge of prevalence of “lawlessness” in Sikkim.
“We wanted to protest in a democratic way but the administration not only denied permission for the rally, but did not act in time to prevent attack on our office bearer by some goons,” he said.
Violence should have no place in a democracy. Sadly such incidents are becoming regular in #Sikkim. No attempts to stem it. Today Joint Action Council General Secretary Keshav Sapkota was viciously attacked ahead of the scheduled protest rally in Singtam pic.twitter.com/4WaLh85ere
— Karma Paljor (@Karma_Paljor) April 8, 2023
On the present condition of the injured JAC general secretary, Sherpa said that he was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Central Referral Hospital and undergoing treatment for multiple injuries.
Read: https://nagalandtribune.in/sikkimese-feel-betrayed-as-article-371f-violation-chamling
Earlier in the day, former Chief Minister and Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) President Pawan Kumar Chamling visited CRH and met the injured JAC office bearer and enquired about his health condition.
Singtam, Gangtok, Sikkim | There was commotion that happened here. As per the information we have received so far, we have taken the victim to the nearest hospital. We will investigate the incident as per the relevant section: Tenzing L Lepcha, SP Gangtok on Joint Council… pic.twitter.com/6czIxhVB3y
— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2023
Meanwhile, the Sikkim Police arrested 11 more people in connection with the attack on Sapkota, an officer said.
The officer said that an investigation was underway and the culprits will be brought to justice.
