Sikkim: How it Merged into India

Guwahati: If one needs to recall the story behind Sikkim being a part of India then we have to go back to May 1975 when the historic merger of Sikkim with India had taken place. If you are puzzled as to what is there in the merger being termed as historic, well then there are many. The first is that the state merged with the Union of India signing the Instrument of Accession. As per this agreement, Sikkim, along with 565 Indian princely States, were also members of the Chamber of Princes and the Constituent Assembly of India till the attainment of Independence on August 15, 1947.

The second factor that makes this merger historic is that India after this amalgamation did not have to depend upon the whims and fancies along the Sino-Indian border. Although Chogyal had long cherished the ambition to secure an independent status for Sikkim like that of neighbouring Bhutan, all its wishes remained unfulfilled with Sikkim joining India.

Thirdly, with Sikkim’s inclusion into India, the international border of the country got a definite shape. Although there were minor adjustments with some of the neighbouring countries of India, overall, the boundary gets a clear shape.

There was a news of R&AW’s operation related to the merger of Sikkim but that also remains mysterious since it was first conceived by legendary spy and R&AW’s founder head Rameshwarnath Kao towards the end of December 1972. A good knowledge on this matter only remained confined to three people: Kao in New Delhi; PN Banerjee, joint director and regional head of R&AW’s office in Calcutta; and the OSD (P) Gangtok. Notably, OSD (P) was head of the R&AW’s set-up in Sikkim.

The merger of Sikkim and India is a 43 years old story now and people should very well be aware of the truth behind the merger. There have many doubts, confusions and rumours regarding the merger. Some think that there was popular demand for the merge of Sikkim and India. Others believe that Sikkim was ‘annexed’ against the popular will of the majority of Sikkimese people and so on. However, the reality is not any of these and hence, knowing the true story behind Sikkim’s merge into India is a worth unveiling fact.

Also read: Sikkim News