In June 2017 the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), led by Bimal Gurung, turned protests against compulsory Bengali in schools into a revived demand for a Gorkhaland state. After clashes on 8 June and a police raid on 15 June, an indefinite shutdown ran 104 days, until 27 September 2017, and the Union Home Minister said 11 lives were lost. Gurung, booked under the UAPA, stayed underground for three years.
Key takeaways
- The 2017 Gorkhaland agitation began after West Bengal announced on 15 May 2017 that Bengali would be a compulsory school subject.
- A police raid on GJM premises on 15 June 2017 set off an indefinite shutdown that lasted 104 days; internet was cut for about 100 days.
- Rajnath Singh said 11 lives were lost. The GJM blamed police firing; police denied it.
- Bimal Gurung, booked under the UAPA, hid for three years; in August 2026 the Centre formed a panel to draft a "permanent political solution".
Background: four decades of the Gorkhaland demand
The Nepali-speaking Gorkhas of the Darjeeling hills have long sought a state within India. The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) under Subash Ghisingh led a violent agitation from 1986 to 1988 that cost over 1,200 lives BOOM. It ended with a tripartite accord between the Centre, West Bengal and Ghisingh on 22 August 1988, which created the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) BOOM PTI via Business Standard.
Ghisingh ran the council until the GJM, led by Bimal Gurung, forced him out in 2008 BOOM. In July 2011 the Centre, the state and the GJM signed another tripartite agreement that set up the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a semi-autonomous body ETV Bharat. Gurung headed the GTA in 2017 Millennium Post.
How it started: the Bengali announcement
On 15 May 2017 state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee announced that Bengali would be a compulsory subject in schools. The GTA, through its education in-charge Roshan Giri, faxed the Chief Minister seeking an exemption for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, the Terai and the Dooars. Giri pointed out that Nepali was declared an official language of Bengal in 1961 and added to the Eighth Schedule in 1992 Millennium Post.
We feel this it is a forceful imposition of Bengali language in an area which is completely different.
Roshan Giri, GTA education in-charge, May 2017 (Millennium Post)
In early June Mamata Banerjee said: "Bengali is not compulsory in the Hills. It is optional." Gurung said he did not trust "word of mouth" and kept up the agitation, with black flags, school closures and rallies Millennium Post. The state had also ordered a special audit of the GTA, and Banerjee warned of action if it found irregularities IANS via The Quint.
8 June: the cabinet meeting and the first clashes
On 8 June 2017 the West Bengal cabinet held its first meeting in Darjeeling in 45 years, at Raj Bhavan. GJM supporters held a sit-in nearby. An eyewitness said that at about 3 pm, after an effigy of the Chief Minister was burnt, stones were thrown at police. Police used lathis and tear gas, and police vehicles and a state bus were torched Millennium Post.
IANS reported that at least 15 police officers, including a DIG, were severely injured, and that the GJM said 45 of its supporters were hurt. A Defence Ministry spokesman confirmed that two army columns were moving out on the state's request IANS via Business Standard.
Claim · GJM A GJM youth wing leader said the protest was peaceful "until TMC supporters started throwing stones at the sit-in demonstration" Millennium Post. Government's position Banerjee called the agitation a "non-issue" and said the Morcha was "trying to gain political relevance" IANS via Business Standard.
The 15 June raid and the indefinite shutdown
On 15 June police raided premises linked to Gurung in Singmari and Patlebas. Police said they recovered 300 to 400 weapons, including arrows, and explosives, and arrested some activists. They denied raiding Gurung's own residence PTI via Millennium Post.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri called it "politics of witch-hunting". He said khukris were part of Gorkha tradition and the bows and arrows "were meant for students for archery competition" PTI via Millennium Post. The GJM declared an indefinite shutdown the same day. The Centre sent 600 paramilitary personnel, and the GNLF broke its alliance with the TMC to back the statehood demand PTI via Millennium Post.
Some reports date the shutdown from 12 June, when a GJM strike in government offices began, rather than 15 June The Wire PTI via Business Standard.
Timeline
Bengali announcement
Bengali to be a compulsory school subject Millennium Post.
Cabinet-day clashes
Vehicles torched near Raj Bhavan; army called in IANS.
Raid and shutdown
Police say they seized weapons; the GJM calls an indefinite shutdown PTI.
Deaths, army again
The GJM says three activists were shot by police, who deny it IANS.
Blasts, Gurung hides
Two blasts; a civic volunteer is killed. A UAPA lookout notice is issued for Gurung IANS.
Shutdown ends
Suspended after Rajnath Singh's appeal The Wire.
The deaths and the dispute over firing
The worst violence came on 7 and 8 July. The GJM said three activists were killed by police, two in Darjeeling town and one in Sonada. Binay Tamang, then a GJM leader, said: "The arms are with police. So it is obvious that the shots were fired by them." Police denied blame IANS via Millennium Post.
The family of one man killed in Sonada, Tashi Bhutia, filed a police complaint alleging he was shot by police on his way to buy medicine. Protesters then burnt the Sonada railway station and attacked the police outpost, and a policeman was injured IANS via Millennium Post.
On 26 September Rajnath Singh put the toll at 11: "Eleven precious lives have been lost so far, seven have been injured" PTI via Business Standard. The Hindu has also put the agitation's toll at 11, as reported by Outlook Outlook. Gurung asked the Supreme Court for an independent probe into the killings, and it refused in March 2018 The Quint.
Internet cut and life under the shutdown
Internet restrictions in Darjeeling and Kalimpong started on 18 June and were lifted on the night of 25 September, about 100 days later PTI via Business Standard. Residents said students could not apply to colleges and traders could not pay online; officials refused to restore service, citing law and order Newslaundry and SFLC.in.
Schools and shops closed and thousands of tourists left. The region depends almost entirely on tea and tourism, and both were badly hit AFP via Arab News. Hill parties formed a Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee and boycotted the state's first two all-party meetings IANS via The Quint.
The GJM split and the end of the shutdown
As the shutdown dragged on, cracks appeared. GJM general secretary Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa announced a partial withdrawal of the shutdown and were expelled. They called the expulsion "unconstitutional" IANS via The Quint. On 20 September the state named them heads of a Board of Administrators with the same powers as the GTA, which Gurung had chaired The Wire.
On 26 September Rajnath Singh appealed to the GJM and Gurung to end the bandh "particularly in view of the festival season". He asked the Union Home Secretary to call an official-level meeting within a fortnight PTI via Business Standard. GJM vice-president Kalyan Dewan said Gurung had decided to suspend the shutdown from 6 am the next day The Wire.
State Tourism Minister Gautam Deb said the Centre had given Gurung a "face saver", and that more than 80% of shops had already reopened in defiance of the strike The Wire. By March 2018 the GJM central committee, now under the rebels, had suspended Gurung for six months and named Tamang president The Quint.
Both accounts
GJM and agitators' account
The GJM said the Bengali policy was a "forceful imposition" on Nepali speakers and that the state government had provoked the shutdown with raids and a "witch-hunt" PTI. It said police shot its activists dead in July IANS. Gurung told the Supreme Court he was being politically persecuted The Quint. In 2020 he said: "I'm neither a criminal nor an anti-national. I'm a political leader. I want a political settlement" Scroll.
Police and West Bengal government account
Government's position The state said Bengali was optional in the hills and called the agitation a "non-issue" Millennium Post IANS. Police denied firing in July and said they acted on "concrete information" when they raided GJM premises PTI. Minister Partha Chatterjee claimed "some foreign countries" were influencing the agitation IANS. After the October killing of a police officer, ADG Anuj Sharma said Gurung had "instructed his cadres to attack police parties" and alleged links with "North-East insurgent groups and Maoists" The Quint. No evidence No evidence for the foreign or insurgent links was made public in the sources reviewed.
Centre's position In 2017 the Centre sent paramilitary forces and, through Rajnath Singh, called for dialogue "within the legal ambit" and an official-level meeting The Wire. In October 2017 it ordered 10 of 15 central force companies out, citing elections elsewhere. Banerjee called it "a conspiracy by the BJP to divide Bengal"; the Calcutta High Court stayed the order, and the Supreme Court then allowed seven to leave The Wire The Quint.
The cases against Gurung and his years underground
Gurung went underground in August 2017 after cases were filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act over bomb blasts in the hills The Quint. On 13 October 2017 Sub-Inspector Amitava Malik was shot dead and four police personnel were injured during a raid on a forest camp near Patlebas. Police said they recovered six AK-47 rifles and that Gurung escaped to Sikkim. Police booked Gurung and 20 others IANS via Business Standard The Quint.
In the Supreme Court the state listed 53 FIRs against Gurung and 24 more cases in which he faced trial. On 16 March 2018 a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan refused to move the cases to an independent agency, noting charges including waging war, murder and UAPA offences. It said: "It cannot be said to be a case of individual persecution by the state" The Quint SCC Online. In December 2018 another bench ordered "no coercive action" in the blasts and arms cases, by then 14 UAPA cases, pending further hearing EastMojo.
Outcome
- Deaths: 11, per Rajnath Singh; cause of several disputed. A police officer was killed on 13 October.
- Shutdown: 104 days, ended 27 September 2017.
- Security: The army was called in twice, on 8 June and in July; central forces were deployed.
- Internet: Suspended from 18 June to 25 September 2017.
- Cases: Dozens of FIRs against Gurung, including UAPA cases; he was in hiding until October 2020.
- Policy: The state said Bengali would be optional in the hills. No statehood was granted.
What happened next, 2020 to 2026
On 21 October 2020 Gurung appeared in Kolkata after three years on the run. He quit the NDA, saying the Centre had not kept its promises, and backed the TMC for 2021 while keeping the Gorkhaland demand Scroll. In 2021 the state moved to withdraw cases against him, which a petition in the Calcutta High Court challenged, saying he faced more than 150 cases LiveLaw.
Binay Tamang joined the TMC in December 2021 PTI via Tribune. In the June 2022 GTA election, Anit Thapa's Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha won 27 of 45 seats. Gurung's GJM, the GNLF and the BJP boycotted it EastMojo.
In October 2025 the Centre appointed retired IPS officer Pankaj Kumar Singh as interlocutor for the hills. West Bengal government's position (2025) Mamata Banerjee asked the Prime Minister to revoke it, saying the state was not consulted and the move was "inconsistent with the spirit of cooperative federalism" ETV Bharat.
In April 2026 Gurung backed the BJP after Amit Shah promised a constitutional solution and withdrawal of "politically motivated" cases The News Mill/ANI. The BJP won 207 of 294 seats and Suvendu Adhikari became Chief Minister Scroll. It won all five seats in Darjeeling district and the Kalimpong seat AIR.
Centre's position (2026) On 22 August 2026, the anniversary of the 1988 accord, Amit Shah chaired a tripartite meeting at Sukna attended by Adhikari, Gurung and GNLF chief Mann Ghisingh. The Home Ministry said he "promised a permanent political solution soon under the umbrella of the Constitution" and formed a committee under Singh to finalise a draft agreement PTI via Business Standard Deccan Chronicle.
What is still pending
As of October 2026 the draft agreement was not public, and it is unclear whether the "solution" means statehood. The status of the remaining 2017 cases, including the sub-inspector's killing, is unclear in the reporting reviewed, and no independent finding on the disputed July 2017 deaths has been reported.
Questions people ask
What triggered the 2017 Gorkhaland agitation?
West Bengal's 15 May 2017 announcement that Bengali would be a compulsory school subject. The GJM called it an imposition on Nepali speakers and revived the statehood demand, even after Mamata Banerjee said Bengali was optional in the hills.
How long did the Darjeeling shutdown last?
104 days. It began in mid-June 2017 and was suspended from 27 September 2017 after an appeal by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Internet services were cut for about 100 days.
How many people died in the 2017 Darjeeling unrest?
Rajnath Singh said 11. The GJM blamed police firing for several deaths; police denied firing. A police sub-inspector was also killed on 13 October 2017.
Why did Bimal Gurung go into hiding?
He faced dozens of cases, including UAPA cases over blasts and arms seizures. He went underground in August 2017 and reappeared in Kolkata on 21 October 2020.
What is the "permanent political solution" for the Gorkhas?
A BJP promise of a settlement for the hills within the Constitution. In August 2026 the Centre set up a committee under interlocutor Pankaj Kumar Singh to draft it; its terms were not public as of October 2026.
Sources
- IANS via The Quint: The Darjeeling Hills simmered, centring on the Gorkhaland movement, 27 Dec 2017
- AFP via Arab News: Indian protesters end Darjeeling strike after 104 days, 27 Sept 2017
- BOOM: The man who dreamt of a state died homeless, 30 Jan 2015
- Millennium Post: Gurung writes to Mamata for exemption from 3 language policy, 27 May 2017
- Millennium Post: Defiant Gurung continues protest despite CM's assurance to Hills, 5 June 2017
- Millennium Post: Darjeeling on the boil, GJM resorts to violence, 9 June 2017
- IANS via Business Standard: Army called in after GJM movement turns violent in Darjeeling, 8 June 2017
- PTI via Millennium Post: Police recovers 300-400 weapons in raids on GJM premises, 15 June 2017
- IANS via Millennium Post: Violence on in Darjeeling hills, funeral rallies held amid tight security, 9 July 2017
- Newslaundry and SFLC.in: Darjeeling internet ban completes two months, 21 Aug 2017
- PTI via Business Standard: Withdraw Darjeeling shutdown, come for talks, Rajnath urges GJM, 26 Sept 2017
- The Wire: GJM suspends Darjeeling shutdown following appeal by Rajnath Singh, 26 Sept 2017
- IANS via Business Standard: Bengal pays homage to Sub-Inspector slain in Darjeeling, 14 Oct 2017
- The Quint: Suo motu FIR filed against GJM chief after Sub Inspector's death, 13 Oct 2017
- The Wire: Calcutta High Court stays withdrawal of central forces from Darjeeling, 17 Oct 2017
- The Quint: SC allows Centre to withdraw forces from Darjeeling and Kalimpong, 27 Oct 2017
- The Quint: SC rejects Bimal Gurung's plea seeking protection from arrest, 16 Mar 2018
- SCC Online: Supreme Court rejects Bimal Gurung's plea seeking transfer of cases, Mar 2018
- EastMojo: 2017 blasts, SC interim relief to GJM leaders on all UAPA cases, 12 Dec 2018
- Scroll: Gorkha leader Bimal Gurung breaks ties with NDA, says he will support TMC, 21 Oct 2020
- LiveLaw: Plea in Calcutta HC challenging WB govt's decision to withdraw cases against Bimal Gurung, 20 Mar 2021
- PTI via Tribune: Former GJM leader Binay Tamang joins TMC, Dec 2021
- EastMojo: Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha wins GTA elections, 29 June 2022
- 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
- Scroll: BJP names Suvendu Adhikari as next chief minister of West Bengal, May 2026
- AIR: BJP wins all 5 assembly seats of Darjeeling district and lone seat of Kalimpong, May 2026
- PTI via Business Standard: Centre forms panel to finalise 'permanent political solution' for Gorkhas, 22 Aug 2026
- Deccan Chronicle: Shah forms panel to draft Gorkha accord, Aug 2026
- Outlook: 'Permanent political solution', inside Centre's latest move on the Gorkhaland issue, Aug 2026