3 KLO activists in police net, arms seized

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 29: Police arrested three persons, suspected to be hardcore KLO militants, from Muraripatti in Baxirhat of Cooch Behar at around 8-30 p.m. last night. The lonely ground is near Chhotoguma market of Assam and close to West Bengal-Assam border.

 

The arrested were identified as Mahesh Singh of Naxalbari in Darjeeling district, Ranjit Roy alias Gobinda Rava and Biplab Roy of Falakata in Jalpaiguri district.

 

Cooch Behar SP Mr Anil Kumar said that acting on a tip-off the officer-in-charge of Baxirhat police station raided the area with a large contingent of police force and arrested the three. There were about fifteen men but the remaining ones managed to escape. A 9-mm pistol, 8-round of ammunitions, a map and some documents were seized from the arrested.

 

During interrogation the three men disclosed that they were eight in number and they were conducting a meeting at the place. They also said that they came to meet some persons but there was no plan of militant operation, the SP said.

 

Among the arrested three, Mahesh Singh is connected with some earlier cases. Police had got his name several times during interrogation of KLO activists who were nabbed earlier. He had reportedly recruited many youths for training in KLO camps in Bhutan. Though he was wanted in many cases this is the first time the police arrested him.

 

Ranjit Roy was in the fourth batch of KLO militants who received arms training in Bhutan in 2001. He was arrested on earlier occasions too in Jalpaiguri district. Getting out on bail he had jumped out to Bangladesh. The seized pistol and ammunitions were in his possession.

 

            The SP said it is yet not clear whether the group was trying to cross over to Bangladesh or Assam. From where they came is also yet to be ascertained. When the police challenged them some members of the group fled away towards Assam and some sneaked into this side of the border. All the police stations in Assam and West Bengal adjacent to the Asam-Bengal border were alerted, the SP declared.

 

Mr Kumar also said that they are not winding up the possibility of the groups connection with the blazing of a passenger bus in Golokganj of Assam on 27-28 October night. They may have a connection with the Biswajit Roy faction of AAKRSU in Assam. There are reasons to believe that the KLO activists are trying to reorganise their outfit and are recruiting new ones with active co-operation of AAKRASU. Mentionworthy, AAKRASU is fighting for a separate Kamtapur state. 13 men including Biswajit Roy were arrested in Assam following the blazing of the bus.

 

The Cooch Behar SP Mr Kumar disclosed that the map seized from the arrested KLO men is a map containing parts of Assam and West Bengal. It may be the map of their proposed Kamtapur state, he opined. Further interrogation may reveal the actual motive of their assembling at the place near the state border, the SP hopes. []