KLO threat of violence after polls

TT, Nov. 4: A Kamtapur Liberation Organisation leader today said the outfit would refrain from subversive activities till the Parliament polls next year to give time to the state to start talks, but threatened to launch an “armed struggle” after that.

“We had sent letters to the state and the Centre in December asking them to hold talks and meet the demands of the Rajbangshis in north Bengal. Further communication was made from our side to the state but both are silent,” Prananarayan Koch, the self-styled assistant general secretary of KLO, told The Telegraph over the phone today.

On August 28, KLO had called a day-long strike in north Bengal and Lower Assam demanding a separate state.

“Our central committee has decided that we will wait till the Parliament polls. If there is no response till then, we would be forced to launch an armed struggle to achieve our demands,” he said.

In the past one year, KLO activities have been reported from across the region and more than 10 militants have been arrested.

“A forum (Separate State Demand Front) has been formed by the Kamtapur Peoples’ Party, All Koch Rajbangshi Students’ Union and 15 other organisations. We want the state and the Centre to listen to the front and meet the demands of a separate state, recognition of the Kamtapuri language, preservation of our cultural heritage and creation of employment opportunities,” Koch said.

He said the talks would be conditional. “We want all Rajbangshis languishing in jails to be released and the cases withdrawn. The state should draft a comprehensive rehabilitation and employment plan for jobless Rajbangshi youths.”