ACT members sent to 11 days of judicial custody ‘Harassment to the indigenous aborigines should stop’

ACT members sent to 11 days of judicial custody
‘Harassment to the indigenous aborigines should stop’


GANGTOK, February 10: Forty one members of Affected Citizens were sent to judicial custody at Rongyek Jail today by Chief Judicial Magistrate (East and North) for a period of 11 days. Those sent to judicial custody includes ACT general secretary Dawa Lepcha, member Tenzing Lepcha, Sangha of Dzongu president Ligdem Lepcha and Concerned Lepchas of Sikkim president Gyatso Lepcha.

The ACT members had been produced before the CJM today here in Gangtok after their three day police remand at Mangan police station ended today. They have been arrested on charges of unlawful assembly, rioting and theft of explosives at the dam site of the controversial 280 MW Panan power project at Lingzya, Upper Dzongu, North Sikkim on February 7.

The arrested ACT members did not file any bail applications, it is learnt and rather chose to go to jail. It is also informed that the ACT members may restore to hunger strike at the jail itself to highlight their demand for the scrapping of the mega power projects proposed in the Lepcha reserve of Dzongu.

Three other arrested ACT members, Sonam Lepcha, Ligden Lepcha and Tshering Lepcha have been sent to juvenile home in Gangtok as they were under 18 years of age.
Other ACT leaders like Tseten Lepcha and Sherap Lepcha were present at the District Court (East and North) today here to express their solidarity with their arrested members.

Meanwhile, ACT had condemned the continuous detention of innocent Primitive Lepchas of Dzongu by the State government.

“Even after four days of arrest the administration sought for judicial remand and had all the activists sent to jail. The tender aged student has not been spared due to which one girl and two boys have been sent to the Juvenile home”, said ACT in a press statement issued by its chief coordinator Tseten Lepcha.

“After examining the First Information Report (FIR) of the Himgiri pvt ltd, wherein it was alleged that large quantity of explosives were thrown in the river or stolen, ACT condemns the continuous patronage by the State administration to the illegal activities of the power developers and demands an immediate investigation to verify how such large quantity of explosives was kept unguarded in a remote area”, said ACT.
The body reiterated that ‘the harassment to the indigenous aborigines of the State fighting for their democratic rights should stopped and all those arrested be released immediately without any conditions’. It further demanded that all the mega hydro electric power projects in Dzongu be ‘scrapped as per the wishes of the people’.

source:Sikkim Express