‘KLO chief in India to attend peace talks’

Kolkata: Jiban Singha Koch, Chairman of the banned terrorist outfit Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) has entered India territory from his hideout in Myanmar. He claimed that he will be taking part in bilateral peace talks with the Government of India with the active mediation of Hemanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam.

Unconfirmed sources claim that he has already departed for Delhi from Assam. Unconfirmed reports state that a few days ago he had entered India along with 9 of his armed KLO associates had entered through a village in the Mon district of Nagaland. Accompanied by Dilip Narayan Deb, mediator, they had surrendered before the Assam Rifles. They were in custody of Assam Rifles. On January 11, Jiban Singha had floated a release stating that the process of bilateral discussions between the Government of India and KLO on the issue of people of Koch-Kamtapur has reached its final stage and is being mediated by the Chief Minister of Assam.

“It has been decided to arrive at a solution for the long-standing demand of reformation of a separate state of Kamtapur as raised by Koch-Kamtapur people and its various representative organisations based on the historic treaty signed on August 28, 1949, between the then Government of India and Independent Kamtapur,” stated the release.

The release had then stated that the leadership of KLO would reach India within a very short time to participate in direct bilateral peace talks with Government of India with a view to restore status quo of the historic separate state of Kamtapur. A video was circulated by the KLO showing Surya Koch, Deputy Chief, who urged all Kamtapuris for cooperation and support for the peace talks. It also showed Jiban Singha and others trekking up a Hill accompanied by Dilip Narayan Deb, the mediator.

The Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) was formed on December 28, 1995, by students from the indigenous Rajbongshi community.

They had launched an armed struggle to form a Kamtapur State comprising districts of North Bengal and Assam. The outfit was banned by the Indian Government in 1997. Since then they have been constantly changing base from the jungles of Bhutan to Bangladesh and recently were hiding in the jungles of Myanmar.

The past year has seen several front-rung KLO militants either surrender or face arrest. The list includes Kailash Koch, the second in command; Kailash’s wife Jugli.