Gloomy 2023 for Sikkim as flash flood wreaks havoc; Dalai Lama's visit brings some solace

Gangtok, Dec 17 (PTI) Sikkim will remember 2023 mostly as a gloomy year due to the deaths of scores of people in a massive flash flood in Teesta River triggered by a cloudburst in glacial South Lhonak Lake.

At least 42 people were killed, while 77 others remained missing and thousands were displaced as the raging Teesta, which was in spate after the cloudburst in north Sikkim on October 4, inundated towns and villages downstream.

At least 1,173 houses were damaged and 13 bridges washed away, while the Chungthang hydroelectric power dam in Mangan district was completely destroyed. Over 25,000 people were displaced and sheltered in 22 relief camps.

However, the visit of Dalai Lama to the Himalayan state in December after over a decade brought some solace to the people scarred by the devastation, as over 30,000 people listened to his sermons on Buddhist philosophy at Gangtok's Paljor Stadium.

Sikkim hosted a G20 meeting in August, during which the state showcased its rich culture and traditions to the world. Investors showed interest in pumping in Rs 1,000 crore in the Himalayan state.

The year started with nine-year-old Sikkimese girl Jetshen Dohna Lama bringing cheers to the people of the state by winning a prestigious reality singing contest on national television, as thousands lined up on both sides of the road to welcome her upon her return home after the victory.

The state got a new governor in Lakshman Prasad Acharya, who was sworn in on February 16, replacing Ganga Prasad.

February also saw protests over a Supreme Court verdict referring to Sikkimese Nepalis as "foreigners of Nepali origin". Civil society organisations, political parties and all sections of the society came together to demand the deletion of the word "foreigner" from the verdict, which was later done ceasing all the protests.

The state also witnessed violent protests after the body of Padam Gurung, a student leader of Namchi Government College, was found in a drain in June. Opposition political parties and various other organisations staged protest rallies demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were imposed in Namchi town in south Sikkim in August after protestors turned violent during a rally demanding justice for Gurung. Police baton-charged the agitators and fired tear gas shells at them to bring the situation under control.

The state government constituted a one-man inquiry committee comprising a retired high court chief justice, who in the first week of November submitted his report in which it was stated that Gurung's death was "accidental".

Meanwhile, heinous crimes against women shook the peaceful Himalayan state.

A nine-year-old girl was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a taxi driver in Pangthang area near Gangtok town when she was returning from school in April.

Another 22-year-old woman was gang-raped by a taxi driver and two of his accomplices in Ranipool area near the state capital when she was returning home after attending a graduation party.

The accused persons in both cases were nabbed, with demands being raised from various quarters for capital punishment for the rape-murder accused.

The state also witnessed incidents of political violence as the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) alleged its members were beaten up and pelted with stones when they went for political meetings.

The SDF submitted various memorandums to the governor and the Centre demanding the imposition of President's Rule in the state over the "situation of political violence and vendetta politics".

SDF members also staged symbolic protests in various parts of the state wearing helmets to highlight the stone-pelting incidents.

Footballer-turned-politician Bhaichung Bhutia merged his Hamro Sikkim Party with prime opposition SDF and officially joined the party on November 23.

A new political party, Citizens Action Party, was launched, projecting itself as the third front in the state's politics dominated by the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and opposition SDF. PTI