Himalayan Times (1962)

Two

Hima ayan I'imes

August 26, 19'62

LETTERS TO THE KMTOR

Tlx-: lL-.litwr is iiol rtjpuDsible for views expressed in tbis column.
HARASSMENT OF LEPCHA LEADERS IN SIKKIM

Sir. Tbis has reference to
. letter from the Private
Secretary to the Maharaja
if Sikkim, published in
'our edition dated 15th
!u!y, 1962, on the matter
if tha heavy fine levied
igainst Mondal Dupchen
jepoha. The Private Sec-
etary make6 the allege-
,ion that I "purposely
nia.construed and spiced"
,he matter ! I should like
;o mn.Ke it quite clear
lhat Mondal Dupchen
Lepoba's petition to the
Vlaharani of Sikkim pro-
testing against the enor-
mous fine levied against
him was drawn up in
oonsultation with an emi-
nent lawyer on the basis
of documents produced
by the Mondal himself.
I therefore, take orave
exception to the Private
Secretary's baseless alle-
gation.

It is not a fact that
Mondal Dupchen auked
his Kutiadar, tsri Pulan-
dhoj Limbu, to cut down
any trees in Kamzer.
Kamzer land is not a
forest land, but the. inhe-
rited land of the Mondal.
He possess documents in
the form of Khat'an-
Dtridiia (llent-Uoll) which
provides substantia] evi-
dence thai tbt !h!ic in

question is. in his posses-
sion for many years prior
to lfe'57. It is definitely
not a fact, as erroneously
stated by the private
Secretary to the Maharaja
of Sikkim, that tbis land
wae 'surreptiouely' inolud
ed as part of Mondal's
land when he was said
to be deputed to make
'Janch: of the Jongu area.

The "purji" for the
felling of kimboo trees is
signed by Forester B. B.
Gurung; so how the Private
S"cretary can state that
they were felled "without
permission" is rather extra-
ordinary, to say the least.
Mondal Dupchen Lepeha
never, on any ocoaaion,
demonstrated a defiant
attitude, and I am afraid
it would appear that our
Private Secretary's ima; i
nation ia running riot '
The Mondal categorically
stated in his petition that
he is not guilty of any
of the preposterous allega-
tions brought, against him.

It must be understood
that, in a oountry where
there is no wiitten Cons-
titution, no codified laws,
and where there in the
Private Estate the rules,
etc., are murie according
to til- sweat; wilt of the
authorities concerned, it

would appear that trhat
ever is done by the tat'
authorities is apparent!;
justifiable, whilst thos
in subjection canoot evei
raise their voices to obtsii
social justic.

I think that the peep!1
of Sikkim, my o w i
oountry men, know m
well enough, and loo,
enough, to decide fc
themselves if I ha.?e a?t
misled them, for the Sik
kim Lepoha Assoeiatic
has nothing whatsoever 4
conceal. The Private Sec
retary states that I wis
to mislead partiouiari
those "outside Sikkim'
and, to this, I woul
answer that volumes hav
been written about Sikkin
its laok of a Constitutioi
its lack of oodified law;
its vioious system of con
munal voting, its Hig
Court withnut a Charts
its anachronistic Priva;
Fstste and Monaste
Estates, in all the new
paper and magazin!
throughout the who
world, so that a frog h
the-well attitude at th
stage of world opinion
Btirely rather pathetic
Your etc. Kazi Lhendv
Dorji-Khangsarpa of Ch
khung. President. Sikki
Lepcha Association.

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