Militants eyeing Bhutan hills fear Intelligence agencies

Bau Bhatt

Jalpaiguri April 3:  Intelligence agencies are worried over reports that the Paresh Barua faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) is trying to restore their camps at Deothang, Nichula, Samdrup, Jongkhar and Kalikhola in the Bhutan hills. The unfenced and unguarded Bhutan border would help the militant outfit to carry out its subversive activities in an easier way once they succeed to set their camps at the said places. Prior to the Operation Flush Out in 2003, the outfit had camps here.

There are further reports that aided by the Ulfa (Paresh Barua faction), the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation is also trying to built a camp at Kalikhola, which is in the Bhutan hills adjacent to Kumargram in Jalpaiguri.  

Kalikhola is highly important for the outfits due to its geographical location. On one side falls the Assam’s Kokrajhar district and on another side Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, which has so far been the safest corridor for the ultras. It is much easier for ultras to come down from the hills, communicate and operate in the plains and retreat back to the hills than operating from their camps in other places like Myanmar etc.  

The recent effort put in by the Rajbongshi outfit to regain the public support and to propagate their ideology among the Rajbongshi population has also made the sleuths worried. According to reports the pro-Kamtapur activists have once again launched an extensive drive in the villages of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts. Headed by the Kamtapur People’s Party, some bailed out Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) cadres are also participating in the exercise.

Active KLO cadres are also said to be participating in meetings convened in different villages across the two North Bengal districts. They are said to be instigating the Rajbongshi youths to join the movement to achieve their goal of getting a separate statehood. Such meetings are said to be held at many villages in Maynaguri, Dhupguri, Falakata, and Mathabhanga.

 The KLO cadres out on bail have floated a new body called the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (pro-talks) under the leadership of Pulastha Burman to carry on with their movement demanding recognition of the Rajbonshi language. A close aide of KLO chief Jeeban Singha, Pulastha was a frontline leader of the outfit until he was arrested in 2004. The other members include former KLO top brass like Harshavarshan, Mrinal Roy and Milton Burman.

Initially, sleuths had taken this thing a bit lightly considering that it would take time for the movement to take a shape. But some recent reports have worried them no end. It is reported that the Rajbongshi outfit has again set a camp in Bhutan where it is preparing to float a training session for fresh cadres. Few bailed out KLO cadres including Tom Adhikary and Malkhan Singh are said to be present in that camp after having managed to come in contact with the outfit chief Jeeban Singha.