Tension erupted at Sikkim University a day before Nepali Bhasha Samman Diwas after a first-semester M.Com student was arrested for making derogatory remarks against the Nepali language and belittling Independence Day celebrations. The accused, identified as Raj Shekhar from Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly described Nepali as a “foreign language” in the official WhatsApp group of the Department of Commerce and suggested that users of the language should “go to Nepal.” His comments sparked outrage among students and faculty, particularly members of the Sikkim University Students’ Association (SUSA).
Police have booked Shekhar under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including Section 196(1) for promoting enmity, Section 353(1)(c) for public mischief, and Section 353(2) for creating hatred on linguistic grounds.
Nepali Bhasha Samman Diwas, celebrated on August 20, commemorates the recognition of Nepali under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 1992—a milestone achieved after decades of struggle by Sikkimese and Gorkha leaders. The incident has reignited discussions on the challenges faced by Indian Nepali speakers, highlighting that discrimination and linguistic insensitivity persist despite constitutional safeguards.