West Sikkim publicl tension boils over again

STONE PELTING OF PANCHAYAT PRESIDENT’S VEHICLE LEADS TO CHAKKA JAM

Chakung,April18:The situation in Chakung turned tense today after a vehicle belonging Chakung panchayat president, Kiran Gurung, was vandalised this morning, evoking a strong response from his supporters who effected a chakka-jam at Chakung demanding the arrest of the culprits. This situation held for around six hours and the situation normalised after the SDF youth convenor for Soreong-Chakung, Jeewan Gurung, named in the FIR as the prime accused, was taken into custody. The panchayat president, it may be informed here, was expelled from the SDF some time back and seen as belonging to the party dissidents now aligned with the disaffected SDF MLA, PS Tamang.
The situation in Chakung turned tense when a Taxi Mahindra Savari [SK-04-9012] belonging to the Panchayat President was stoned at around 9:30 a.m. Monday morning.

An FIR was lodged at Soreng Police Station and soon the people of Chakung poured out to the streets in protest against the attack, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused and bringing all traffic passing through Chakung to a halt.
SP [West], Rajiv Ranjan, arrived at Chakung soon after accompanied by the Gyalshing SDPO Devendra Arya and met with the protesting group. Eventually, the chakka jam was lifted after six hours.
The SP later informed that one Jeewan Gurung of Chakung has been arrested following his being named in the FIR and the case registered under Section 427/ 448 of the Indian Penal Code at Soreng PS. The arrest was made in the evening.
The SP further informed that the situation was now under control and that life has returned to normal in Chakung. It may be mentioned here that this was the second time that the vehicle belonging to panchayat president has been vandalized in Chakung. The last time, his private vehicle was stoned, and now his taxi has been targeted. This is also the second time in recent months that Jiwan Gurung has been accused of resorting to violence in the area. He was also arrested in connection with a murderous assault on a Singling resident some time back.
Meanwhile, reliable sources inform that the history of violence in the area has convinced Sikkim Police to open an Out-Post at Chakung which is serviced at present by the police station at Soreong, a 10-minute drive away.
Meanwhile, former SDF Panchayat member from Chakung and presently supporting the PS Tamang faction, Jacob Khaling, through a press release, adds that apart from the arrest of Jiwan Gurung, the people are also demanding the arrest of the area MLA, Roads & Bridges Minister RB Subba, arguing that only such action would guarantee peace in Chakung Bazar and ensure protection for the people there.
He further informs that an FIR was filed at Soreong PS recently on 02 April accusing him of issuing threats on the life of Kiran Gurung.
He adds that the Chakung residents took out a protest rally from Chakung Bazar to Chakung School and have also resolved that if the police fails to secure justice, the people would take adequate steps for self defence on their own

Former Sikkim Minister PS Tamang continues to be sidelined

pix:SikkimExpress

GANGTOK, November 15: Having suffered a series of strategic blows including losing his home turf, denied a place in the council of ministers by rookies and annexation of his new political ground by an upstart, the patience of former Sports minister PS Tamang could be sorely tested from an unexpected quarter-football or rather a football tournament.
The second LD Kazi memorial gold cup football tournament set to begin from December 2 at Chakung, West Sikkim has one missing person among the surplus in the new tournament organizing committee-PS Tamang who had kick-started the successful tournament in 2008 donning three hats of Chakung legislature, Sports & Youth Affairs Minister and chief patron of Chakung Sports Association.
Presently, Mr. Tamang has only one hat that too a differently coloured one-Burtuk MLA, far far away from his once West Sikkim stronghold.
It may be recalled that Mr. Tamang had not only played a pivotal role in starting the tournament in the memory of the first Chief Minister of Sikkim who passed away in 2007 but had also ensured the sustainability of the tournament for a decade by roping in Jal Power Corporation to sponsor the cash prize of Rs. 3 lakhs for the tournament for a period of ten years.
Though he had ensured the sustainability of the LD Kazi memorial gold cup tournament, Mr. Tamang now one year later find himself out of his Chakung bastion and also serially sidelined in the SDF empire as a ‘persona non grata’.
According a Nepali daily newspaper report published today, the former organizing committee of the LD Kazi memorial gold cup football tournament has been disbanded and a new committee set up to conduct the second edition of the tournament scheduled to commence from December 2.
Area MLA of the newly amalgamated constituency of Chakung-Soreng, RB Subba who is also the State Roads & Bridges minister has been nominated as the chief patron of the organizing committee in a meeting conducted yesterday at Soreng. The State sports & youth affairs minister NK Pradhan, departmental secretary HK Karki and former legislature CB Rai are the patrons of the committee with RM Rai as the chief convener, the Nepali daily newspaper reported.
In fact, Mr. Tamang has making news despite ‘not being in news’ as the vernacular newspapers here continue to report about him going underground seen neither in his earlier stronghold areas of West Sikkim but also here in his electoral constituency of Burtuk who had given him a resounding mandate in the April-May 2009 Assembly elections.
With his voters left exasperated by his continuous MIA, it has been widely reported that the political charge of Burtuk has been handed over to a popular local person.
However, the ruling party quickly refuted the news as misleading.
Recently, Mr. Tamang has been included as one of the fourteen vice-presidents in the newly constituted central executive committee list of the SDF party, a move which is claimed to wider dimensions ranging from appeasement policy to a tactical step to give the reportedly disgruntled youth leader a long rope.
Meanwhile, premature reports have been speculating that Mr. Tamang or his supporters may show their cards at the end of this year.
Keeping aside such speculations, one cherished football tournament cup has already slipped out of the pioneer’s hand as people switch flanks to hail the rising sun.