An activist was assaulted on Saturday while protesting against income tax exemption to old settlers in Sikkim. The incident sparked violence in Singtam, prompting the authorities to ban large gatherings.
The Joint Action Council (JAC) is spearheading the protests. Its general secretary Keshav Sapkota was attacked at Singtam ahead of the rally called by the JAC on Saturday.
Three people have been arrested.
The opposition political parties slammed the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) for allegedly "perpetrating violence" on its rivals and "vitiating" the political situation in the border state.
The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) and the BJP, an ally of the SKM government, flayed the attack on the JAC member.
The JAC has been protesting against the expansion of Sikkimese terms to make way for income tax exemption to the old settlers of Sikkim. The expansion happened in the recent Finance Bill passed in the Lok Sabha along with the Supreme Court verdict on January 13 in a case filed for tax exemption by old settlers.
Ahead of the scheduled protest rally, Mr Sapkota was attacked by a group of people. He was taken to a local hospital with nose and head injuries. He was later referred to the Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok.
The JAC has been opposing the tax exemption expansion for the past few months. They had called the protest rally uniting the people of Sikkim against the tax expansion and demanding the term "Sikkimese" to be defined as per the old laws under Article 371F.
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