The Gorkha National Liberation Front, or GNLF, is a political party centered in the Darjeeling region of Bengal, India. The Gorkhas (sometimes spelled "Gurkhas") are Nepali-Indian soldiers who historically served the British army but were denied British citizenship. Gorkhas, a culturally and ethnically distinct group, have demanded independence from West Bengal since 1907.
In 1980, Subhash Ghisingh founded the Gorkhaland Movement which advocated for the creation of a separate state for Nepali-speaking Indians that would span the hill regions of Darjeeling, the Kalimpong district, and parts of the Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Coochbehar districts. In 1986, the movement turned violent when the Gorkha National Liberation Front demanded a separate state and was consequently suppressed by the West Bengal government. Over the course of two years, Darjeeling closed economically, and at least 1,200 people lost their lives to political violence.
In 1988, the Indian government permitted a "semi-autonomous administrative body" to govern the Darjeeling hills, and the GNLF retracted its demand for an autonomous state. The movement evolved into the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.
