The Home Ministry of central government of India has issued a directive to pull paramilitary personnel from Darjeeling, the hill district of the Indian state, mostly dominated by Nepali-speaking people.

With the directive, security personnel from 10 companies among 15 have started to return to their respective battalions.

In the wake of Gorkhaland protest, a large number of paramilitary personnel and 1,000 police personnel were deployed in Darjeeling.

Gorkha Janamukti Morcha central member Lopsang Lama had wrote a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh to pull the paramilitary personnel following a violent incident at Takbhar area bordering Sikkim, 20 km from Darjeeling, on Friday.

Earlier, Indian army personnel were also deputed to control the agitation. The army personnel, however, were called back a few days ago.

The various groups including Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) have been spearheading the protest in Darjeeling demanding a separate Gorkhaland state.

The movement was provoked by a decision of the West Bengal government to introduce Bengali as a compulsory subject in schools across the state, including in Darjeeling.