Campaigners protest in front of Indian Embassy in Nepal for separate state in In

Nepalese campaigners on Sunday protested in front of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, demanding a separate Gorkhaland state in northeastern India.

"We want a separate state of Gorkhaland in India. We want a distinct identity for Gorkhas (ethnic Nepalese) in India," Nikendra Gurung, chairperson of Gorkhaland Struggle Committee Nepal, told Xinhua.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other senior party leaders agreed to grant long- standing demands for a new state of Telangana to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh state.

The move fueled similar demands by activists. Gorkhaland campaigners are demanding that the northern parts of the existing West Bengal state, which include Darjeeling, Do oars and upper parts of Jalpaigudi, be carved out to form a separate Gorkhaland state.

The Gorkhaland movement, which is going on since 1980s, gained momentum in 2008 under the leadership of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha ( Gorkha People's Liberation Front). Since then, the movement has been growing.

On Sunday, protestors demonstrated for half an hour and were planning for a 'candle rally' through the major parts of the Nepalese capital. Police personnel dispersed them before they could take out a rally.

"We had already obtained written permission from the District Administration Office, Kathmandu to stage peaceful protest and rally. The Indian Embassy here must have exerted pressure on the police," said Gurung.