Barun Roy, in a rather harsh manner vents his acrimony against the treatment of Gorkhas by the West Bengal Government and the nation,

 Most of the Gorkha solders recruited into Indian army today come from the hills of Darjeeling, which has a solder in every house. In Darjeeling, it is a matter of pride and honor to have at least one member of the family to be in the army. My family has 3 retired solders and one about to join the army, is it for economic reasons? Perhaps, but if it was just economics, most of us would have probably flown outside the country in search of greener pastures.

There is something called patriotism and sometimes I wonder, if it’s a curse rather than a blessing to be born a patriot. My friend Sunil Rai, was killed in action in Kashmir and left his young wife and child behind, I still recall his elder brother proudly accepting the Indian tri-color from the other solders and saying “wish I had more brothers for my country…” Do you think it’s just for money that we join the army? I think not.

April 9th, 2008: It was perhaps the darkest day in the history of India (for me it was), when the inept West Bengal police, fell upon the retired army brave hearts with vengeance. The West Bengal police, guided by an incompetent government at the state and a conniving minister at Siliguri, violently reined blows on ex-solders who were peacefully rallying for the legitimate demand of Gorkhaland.

It was a slap from West Bengal police, in the face of Indian army… it was a slap in the face of Field Marshal Sam Manekhsaw… a slap in the face of Sardar Patel… a slap in the face of the Defence Minister and numerous other people who love and respect the brave solders.

Nothing can be worse for a solder and the moral of the army than be slapped in the face by the most inept police force in the entire country. A force which, helplessly watched (and perhaps with relish) the killing of innocent people in Nandigram by CPI (M) goons… A force which was charged for murdering Rijwanur Rahaman… a force which is more of a political instrument for the CPI (M) than an administrative body.