Lepcha body writes to Mamata over grievances

KOLKATA: Shezoom, the three-tier traditional body of the Lepchas wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday, stating that they have been "compelled to go on a dharna."

In their letter they stated that they are unable to find a platform to voice their

concerns regarding their culture, language, loss of inherited land and other everyday struggles.

Noting that the fight of their quiet community is against poverty, illiteracy and backwardness, they thanked the Chief Minister for the Mayel Lyang Lepcha Development Board, which has been of great aid to them.

However, they claimed that of late, people like the Kalimpong District Magistrate has been insulting their delegation, alleging political angles to their appeals.

In the three-point charter of demands mentioned in the letter, the elder of Shezoom Padmashree Sonam Tshering Lepcha asked for a statutory body with political rights to provide security to their community and urged the Chief Minister to provide them a "peaceful development process."

Apart from this, their other demands include introduction of Lepcha language in schools..