A student of Sikkim University, originally from Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly insulting the Nepali language, which is widely spoken in the state, news agency PTI reported citing officials.
Police detained the student, Raj Shekar Yadav, from the university premises for questioning after some local students lodged a complaint at Rani Pool police station. Yadav, a resident of Varanasi, was later arrested.
The first-semester Master of Commerce student is accused of posting a message on WhatsApp on August 15, claiming that Nepali is a foreign language and those who speak it “should go to Nepal.”
University authorities have not yet issued a response to the matter, according to PTI.
The Sikkim University Students’ Association, through its president Anup Regmi, reported the incident to both the university administration and the police. The body also released a statement condemning Yadav’s words as “divisive and harmful to peace and harmony within the university.” It further stressed that Nepali is not only widely spoken in Sikkim but also recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Yadav later issued a video apology, asking for forgiveness for his remark.
Darjeeling magistrate faces backlash over Nepali language remark
In a separate incident, a remark attributed to a judicial magistrate in Darjeeling regarding the Nepali language drew sharp criticism from all Hill parties on Tuesday, with some even calling for her transfer, The Times of India reported.
Alakananda Sarkar, serving at Mungpoo court as judicial magistrate first class and civil judge (junior division), was quoted by the local Bar as saying in open court on Monday that “Nepali is a language of Nepal, not of India.”
Lawyers from the Darjeeling, Mungpoo and Kurseong Bar associations boycotted proceedings at Darjeeling District Court in protest.
Taranga Pandit, president of the Darjeeling Bar Association, told TOI the magistrate’s remarks showed a lack of awareness about Nepali’s constitutional status.
“Nepali is recognised in the Eighth Schedule and is an official language of the three Hills subdivisions under Official Language Act, 1961. Her remarks are disastrous not only for communal harmony but also deeply insulting to Nepali-speaking communities across India,” Pandit said.
Members of the Indian Gorkha Janashakti Front, led by Ajoy Edwards, put up posters across Darjeeling denouncing the episode. GTA chief Anit Thapa described the statement as “unconstitutional and deeply hurtful to community sentiments.”
Thapa also said he had informed state labour minister Moloy Ghatak of the matter. “‘The minister has written to the Chief Justice and registrar general of Calcutta HC, requesting immediate intervention,’ said Thapa.” In his letter, Ghatak emphasised that Nepali is recognised in the Eighth Schedule and is the official court language in the Darjeeling Hills, urging immediate resolution “to prevent the situation from deteriorating.” Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista criticised the comment as “ignorant and dangerous.”
Earlier this month, a similar controversy over language arose after Delhi Police sent a letter to Banga Bhawan in Chanakyapuri requesting help in translating documents from “Bangladeshi” into Hindi and English. The move sparked a political storm, with the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee accusing it of insulting and defaming the state.
“‘Scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional !! This insults all Bengali-speaking people of India. They cannot use this kind of language which degrades and debases us all. We urge immediate strongest possible protests from all against the anti-Bengali Government of India who are using such anti-Constitutional language to insult and humiliate the Bengali-speaking people of India,’ Mamata Banerjee wrote on X.”
