BSF trains Narayani Sena, TMC livid

The state government has written to the Centre asking if it knows anything about the training programme. Partha Partha Chatterjee, Trinamool Congress secretary general alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been kept in the dark by the BSF and said it was done to stall the development projects taken up by the state government.

The matter came to light after BSF inspector of Chenakata outpost in Cooch Behar, Om Prakash Yadav, joined a training camp of the Narayani Sena organised by Greater Cooch Behar Peoples Association (GCPA). He was accompanied by four of his colleagues including two women BSF personnel. The camp was held from August 16 to 20 and 309 men and 81 women took part in it.

GCPA had once launched a movement demanding separate states for people belonging to Koch and Rajbanshi communities after making full use of their sentiments. Though the movement has lost much of its steam over the years, some leaders are still fanning it clandestinely.

Chatterjee said that such a move would instigate the secessionist forces who wanted to divide the country. He alleged that some youth from Assam have also joined the training camp. It may be recalled that BJP minister and MP from Darjeeling S S Ahluwallia had earlier written to the Centre to set up a separate regiment comprising the Koch and Rajbanshis.

For quite some time, the locals had been circulating a message that similar to the lines of Gorkha and Sikh regiments, the Narayani Sena would be raised later. Because of this, many youth joined the training camp which was held at Baruni Fair ground. Interestingly, the administration did not inform the state government about the four-day training camp. Local Trinamool Congress leaders raised a question as to how BSF could provide training to the youth in a camp organised by a secessionist force. The BSF, however, denied the allegation and termed it as “baseless”.