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Sikkim Day: 10 Things You Need To Know How Himalayan Kingdom Became Part Of India

Initially, Sikkim remained an independent country, until it merged with India on May 16, 1975, after a decisive referendum, becoming the 22nd state of India.

Updated: May 16, 2022 12:39 PM IST

By India.com News Desk | Edited by Tahir Qureshi

Sikkim Day: 10 Things You Need To Know How Himalayan Kingdom Became Part Of India
16 May is celebrated as Sikkim Day.

New Delhi: Historically, Sikkim was a sovereign monarchical state in the eastern Himalayas that went on to become a protectorate of India by means of the merger with India and official recognition as a state of India.

Sikkim was under British dominion until its independence in 1947. Initially, Sikkim remained an independent country, until it merged with India on May 16, 1975, after a decisive referendum, becoming the 22nd state of India.

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Since then, 16 May is celebrated as Sikkim Day.

How Sikkim Became Part of India

  1. Sikkim had been a protectorate of India during the British colonial rule since the 19th century and the pact continued after India’s independence through a treaty in 1950, by which India assumed responsibility for the territorial integrity of Sikkim.
  2. Sikkim had autonomy in internal affairs and the Sikkim National Congress won the April 1974 general elections. The new government sought an increase in civil and political liberties but was suppressed by the Chogyal, Palden Thondup Namgyal, the 12th and absolute monarch of Sikkim.
  3. In May, it passed the Government of Sikkim Act, which provided for responsible government and further relations with India. On 4 July 1974, the Parliament adopted a new constitution that provided for the country to become a state of India, which the Chogyal signed under pressure from India.
  4. On 4 September 1974, the Lok Sabha voted in favour of making Sikkim an associate state with the Rajya Sabha voting for an amendment on 8 September, giving it a status equal to that of other Indian states and absorbing it into the Indian Union.
  5. On 8 September 1974, the Chogyal called for a free and fair referendum. On 5 March 1975, the National Congress repeated its calls for integration into India, whilst the Chogyal again called for a referendum.
  6. On 9 April Indian troops entered Sikkim, disarmed the palace guard, and surrounded the palace, putting the king under house arrest.
  7. On 10 April 1975, the Sikkim State Council, with the support of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, unanimously voted to abolish the monarchy and merge with India in order to obtain full Indian statehood. A referendum on this issue was set for 14 April.
  8. After the declaration of the results, Sikkim’s chief minister Kazi Lhendup Dorji cabled the results of the referendum to Indira Gandhi and asked her “to make an immediate response and accept the decision” to which she responded by saying that the Indian government would introduce a constitutional amendment in Parliament that would allow the kingdom to become part of India constitutionally.
  9. The Indian Parliament gave its final approval to the constitutional amendment making Sikkim a state on 26 April 1975.
  10. On 15 May 1975 Indian President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed ratified a constitutional amendment that made Sikkim the 22nd state of India and abolished the position of the Chogyal.

(With agency inputs)

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