On 30 July 2013, hours after the Congress and the UPA endorsed a separate Telangana state, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) called an indefinite shutdown of the Darjeeling hills for a Gorkhaland state, and its chief Bimal Gurung quit the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The Calcutta High Court held the shutdown illegal and over 1,000 GJM members were arrested. By late October the agitation had ended, and in December Gurung was back as GTA chief.
Key takeaways
- The 2013 Gorkhaland agitation began on 30 July 2013, when the GJM called an indefinite Darjeeling shutdown and Bimal Gurung quit the GTA, hours after the Congress and UPA endorsed Telangana.
- The Calcutta High Court held the bandh (7 August) and the GJM's "janata curfew" (14 August) illegal, and arrests rose from about 150 to over 1,000.
- The GJM suspended the agitation on 10 September after the Centre promised tripartite talks; by 25 October it said "there is no bandh now", and Gurung returned as GTA chief on 26 December 2013.
- Gorkhaland is still not a state; in August 2026 the Centre formed a panel to draft a "permanent political solution" for the hills.
Background: the GTA and the Telangana trigger
The GJM wants a Gorkhaland state carved out of parts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts of northern West Bengal IANS via The Peninsula. On 18 July 2011 the GJM, the West Bengal government and the Centre signed a tripartite agreement creating the GTA, an autonomous hill council, and the GJM swept its first elections in 2012 IANS via Business Standard. The GJM maintained that the GTA was "not autonomous" and would be "repealed at an appropriate time" New Indian Express.
In July 2013 the GJM said it would renew the statehood demand if the Centre moved on Telangana, and called a 72-hour shutdown of the hills from Monday, 29 July India TV PTI via Business Standard.
How it started: 30 July 2013
On 30 July the Congress Working Committee and the UPA endorsed statehood for Telangana. Within hours the GJM announced an indefinite strike in the hills from the following Saturday IANS via The Peninsula.
The same day Gurung faxed his resignation as GTA chief executive to Governor M.K. Narayanan. GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said Gurung resigned "because of interference in the GTA by the Bengal government as well as for the demand of Gorkhaland" IANS via Ummid.
We will go for indefinite shutdowns and our movement will not stop until our demand for Gorkhaland is met.
Roshan Giri, GJM general secretary, 30 July 2013 (IANS)
Giri told tourists and students to leave for the plains within two days. Darjeeling's 45 residential schools have around 20,000 students, and school authorities said two days was not enough Deccan Herald.
A GJM supporter, Mangal Singh Rajput, set himself on fire in Kalimpong at the end of July. He died on 3 August, the first day of the indefinite shutdown PTI via Business Standard. The Hindu. Reports differ on his age (24 per IANS, 45 per PTI).
Timeline
Telangana nod, Gurung resigns
The GJM calls an indefinite shutdown and Gurung quits the GTA IANS.
Indefinite bandh begins
Shops, offices, banks, schools and transport shut in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong PTI.
High Court order
The Calcutta High Court directs the state to stop forced shutdowns IANS.
"Janata curfew" also illegal
The High Court holds the GJM's people's curfew to be an illegal bandh Hindustan Times.
Agitation suspended
The GJM-led joint action committee puts the movement on hold until 20 October IANS.
"There is no bandh now"
The GJM meets Mamata Banerjee on running the GTA PTI via Rediff.
Gurung back at the GTA
Gurung takes oath again as GTA chief executive PTI via Business Standard.
The shutdown and the crackdown
From 3 August, shops, offices, banks, schools and transport stayed shut across the three hill subdivisions, and Gurung said the party would talk only to the Centre and that talking to the state was "useless" PTI via Business Standard.
Police arrested GJM leaders on what they described as older cases. By 10 August, GTA members Anit Thapa, Prakash Gurung and Mahendra Pradhan and Darjeeling town committee president Narayan Pradhan had been held, and the number booked had reached 150 PTI via Times of India.
On 22 August police arrested assistant general secretary Benoy Tamang and six workers at Rangpo, near the Sikkim border, in cases of road blockades and obstructing police. Tamang was the senior-most GJM leader arrested IANS via Ummid. The state told the High Court that 201 people had been arrested and 47 cases registered by 11 August PTI via Business Standard; 724 had been arrested by 24 August Deccan Herald; IANS put the figure at over 1,000 by early October IANS via The Peninsula, and The Indian Express reported over 2,000 by 19 October Indian Express.
After the court orders the GJM changed the form of protest: a "janata curfew", "ghar bhitre janata" (people inside homes) and then "ghar bahira janata" (people on the streets) PTI via Business Standard IANS via Ummid. On 12 August eight parties, including the BJP, agreed to campaign together for Gorkhaland IANS via Business Standard.
The Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court
On 7 August 2013, hearing a public interest litigation against forced shutdowns, a bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the state to ensure that railways, offices and educational institutions were not forcibly shut. The bench said "democratic aspirations of the people cannot be curtailed forcibly" but that "such shutdowns are undemocratic" IANS via Ummid.
On 14 August the same bench held that the janata curfew also amounted to an "illegal bandh" and a violation of human rights. It asked the GJM to explain why it should not pay compensation, and warned that anyone calling a further bandh could face contempt proceedings Hindustan Times.
The people are treated like animals. Students are deprived of education, patients are deprived of medical services, the poor are robbed of their livelihood and prisoners are deprived of access to justice.
Calcutta High Court, 14 August 2013 (Hindustan Times)
On 5 September the state asked the court to order the GJM to pay Rs 69.163 crore. It put tea industry losses at over Rs 11 crore and said the Takdah forest house and the Pokhriabong police outpost had been burnt, "allegedly by GJM supporters" PTI via Business Standard. No final compensation order was found in the reporting reviewed.
Mamata Banerjee cited "a high court order and also a Supreme Court order on bandhs" PTI via New Indian Express. The Supreme Court held in 1998 that there is no right to call or enforce a bandh that interferes with other citizens' fundamental freedoms Supreme Court, Bimal Gurung v. Union of India (2018), quoting CPI(M) v. Bharat Kumar. The GJM said it was "exploring the possibilities of approaching the Supreme Court" Hindustan Times. A 2017 report said the GJM did appeal and the Supreme Court dismissed the plea and upheld the 7 August 2013 order Millennium Post; its date was not found.
Both accounts
GJM's account
Claim · GJM The GJM said Telangana proved new states could be created over a state's objection, and that its demand was "far more older than Telangana" IANS. It said it respected the court and would use "no force or coercion or picketing" IANS. Roshan Giri said people stayed indoors because of "the heavy deployment of forces and the harassment they are causing" HT. Gurung accused the state of an "arrest spree" and of treating a political demand as a law and order problem IANS, and alleged "excessive force" in paramilitary raids Deccan Herald.
West Bengal government's account
Government's position Mamata Banerjee said there was "no question of division" and no question of dissolving the GTA IANS. She said "Darjeeling is part and parcel of West Bengal" and "there can be no division of the state based on race", and offered talks once the bandh was withdrawn PTI. In court the state said hill residents were "coerced and intimidated" into staying home "to give an impression to the outside world that it is a popular movement" PTI.
The Centre's position
Mamata Banerjee blamed the Congress-led Centre. She called the Telangana decision "divisive politics" timed for the general election IANS, and alleged that "some central ministers" had been calling GJM leaders to Delhi and "promising to turn Darjeeling into a Union Territory" Deccan Herald. Claim · Mamata Banerjee The reporting reviewed did not include evidence for this allegation or a response from the Centre.
Centre's position (2013) On 3 September Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde met a Gorkha delegation led by Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh. He said the Union Home Secretary would hold a meeting with West Bengal's Chief Secretary and the joint action committee, said "I will also talk to the Chief Minister", and asked the GJM to withdraw the strike India TV. On 6 September Trinamool MPs disrupted both Houses of Parliament, saying Shinde had met the GJM without informing the state government PTI via India TV.
How the agitation ended
On 10 September the Gorkhaland Joint Action Committee put the movement on hold until 20 October "in deference to the appeal" by Shinde, with the condition that talks be held by then IANS via The Peninsula. On 30 September Gurung said the Centre had convened tripartite talks for 23 October New Indian Express.
By 19 October the GJM had no official invitation, and it appealed to the state and Centre for dialogue, having earlier spoken of a "revolution" Indian Express. No report of the 23 October talks taking place was found. On 25 October GJM leader Harka Bahadur Chhetri said, before a meeting with the Chief Minister on the GTA: "There is no bandh now. We want to seriously run Gorkha Territorial Administration" PTI via Rediff.
Two days later Gurung said the GJM "will not drop the Gorkhaland demand" and would take it to Delhi in December IANS via Ummid. On 26 December 2013 he took oath again as GTA chief executive in Mamata Banerjee's presence. PTI described the return as "a political victory" for her, and said the police crackdown and dissent in the hills over repeated shutdowns had forced the GJM back PTI via Business Standard.
Outcome
- Deaths: One recorded, Mangal Singh Rajput, a supporter who set himself on fire.
- Arrests: Over 1,000 (IANS) or over 2,000 (Indian Express) by October.
- Court: Calcutta High Court held the bandh and the janata curfew illegal (7 and 14 August 2013).
- Compensation: State sought Rs 69.163 crore from the GJM; no final order found.
- GTA: Gurung resigned on 30 July and returned on 26 December 2013.
Where the statehood demand stands
Telangana was created, but Gorkhaland was not. The demand returned in 2017, when a 104-day shutdown followed a row over Bengali in schools (see the 2017 agitation). In January 2023 the GJM withdrew as a GTA signatory, saying it had "completely failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people in the hills" PTI via EastMojo.
In October 2025 the Centre appointed former deputy NSA Pankaj Kumar Singh as interlocutor; Mamata Banerjee called it "inconsistent with the spirit of cooperative federalism" ETV Bharat. In April 2026 Gurung backed the BJP after Amit Shah promised a constitutional solution The News Mill/ANI.
Centre's position (2026) On 22 August 2026, at a tripartite meeting in Sukna with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Gurung and GNLF chief Mann Ghisingh, Shah "promised a permanent political solution soon under the umbrella of the Constitution", and a committee under Singh was formed to finalise a draft agreement PTI via Business Standard. As of October 2026 the draft was not public, and it is not clear whether it includes statehood.
Questions people ask
Why did the Gorkhaland agitation restart in 2013?
The Congress and UPA endorsed a separate Telangana state on 30 July 2013. The GJM said it was "left with no choice" but to intensify its own statehood movement.
Did the court declare the 2013 Darjeeling bandh illegal?
Yes. On 7 August 2013 the Calcutta High Court ordered the state to stop forced shutdowns, and on 14 August it held the GJM's janata curfew to be an illegal bandh too.
How many people were arrested in 2013?
Counts rose from 150 on 10 August to 724 by 24 August and over 1,000 by October (IANS); The Indian Express reported over 2,000 by 19 October.
How did the 2013 agitation end?
The GJM suspended it on 10 September after the Centre promised tripartite talks, which were not reported as held. By 25 October the GJM said "there is no bandh now", and Gurung rejoined the GTA on 26 December.
Is Gorkhaland a state now?
No. In August 2026 the Centre formed a committee to draft a "permanent political solution" within the Constitution; its terms were not public as of October 2026.
Sources
- IANS via Ummid: Gorkhaland demand, Gurung resigns from GTA, 30 July 2013
- IANS via The Peninsula: Indefinite shutdown called for Gorkhaland, 31 July 2013
- IANS via The Peninsula: Mamata rules out division of West Bengal, 1 Aug 2013
- Deccan Herald: Clamour for Gorkhaland grows strong, 31 July 2013
- India TV: Gorkhaland topic archive (July 2013 items)
- PTI via Business Standard: Normal life paralysed in Darjeeling; GJM supporter dies, 3 Aug 2013
- The Hindu: GJM supporter succumbs to burn injuries, 4 Aug 2013
- IANS via Ummid: Calcutta High Court on forced shutdown in Darjeeling, 7 Aug 2013
- PTI via Times of India: Top GJM leaders arrested, Darjeeling bandh declared illegal, 10 Aug 2013
- PTI via New Indian Express: Darjeeling bandh declared illegal, 72-hour ultimatum, 11 Aug 2013
- IANS via The Peninsula: GJM to continue its stir, says ultimatum not Mamata's, 12 Aug 2013
- IANS via Business Standard: GJM announces four-day relaxation in stir, crackdown continues, 12 Aug 2013
- Hindustan Times: High court pulls up GJM over public curfew in the Hills, 16 Aug 2013
- IANS via Ummid: GJM calls indefinite agitation, hunger strike after Tamang's arrest, 22 Aug 2013
- Deccan Herald: GJM offers conditional talks, 24 Aug 2013
- India TV: Centre to convene tripartite talks on Gorkhaland, 3 Sept 2013
- PTI via Business Standard: Bengal prays for HC direction to GJM to pay Rs 69 crore, 5 Sept 2013
- PTI via India TV: Darjeeling: Trinamool MPs create uproar in Parliament, 6 Sept 2013
- IANS via The Peninsula: GJM suspends agitation for talks, 11 Sept 2013
- New Indian Express: Tripartite talks on Gorkhaland issue October 23, says GJM, 30 Sept 2013
- IANS via The Peninsula: GJM hopes talks will resolve problem, 6 Oct 2013
- Indian Express: Tripartite meeting uncertain, 19 Oct 2013
- PTI via Rediff: Gorkhaland: GJM holds out olive branch to Mamata, 25 Oct 2013
- IANS via Ummid: After Mamata camaraderie, GJM back with Gorkhaland demand, 27 Oct 2013
- IANS via Business Standard: 'Will turn Darjeeling into Switzerland in two years', 17 Nov 2013
- PTI via Business Standard: Bimal Gurung takes oath as GTA chief, 26 Dec 2013
- Millennium Post: Bandh in Hills illegal, says Calcutta High Court, 16 June 2017
- Supreme Court of India: Bimal Gurung v. Union of India (via Indian Kanoon), 16 Mar 2018
- PTI via EastMojo: GJM leaves Gorkhaland Territorial Admin, claims promises not kept, 28 Jan 2023
- ETV Bharat: Mamata writes to PM Modi seeking revocation of Gorkhaland interlocutor, 18 Oct 2025
- The News Mill/ANI: Bimal Gurung endorses BJP after Amit Shah promises constitutional solution, 21 Apr 2026
- PTI via Business Standard: Centre forms panel to finalise 'permanent political solution' for Gorkhas, 22 Aug 2026