Incidents and Statements involving KLO: 2013

Date

Nature of incident

February 4

Thoubal District of Manipur

Police arrested a Myanmar-trained KLO militant, Mohan Roy alias Coach (30), from Ghoshpukur near Siliguri in Darjeeling District. In addition, Police arrested another KLO militant identified as Sebok Burman from the same area. Later in the day, Aloti Singha, a resident of Gossainpur near Bagdogra, was picked up for allegedly sheltering Mohan and Sebok upon their arrival in the region.

Pradip Roy, a member of the KLO, and wanted in Godapani Pathak's murder, was arrested by Bengal police from Kamakhyaguri in Jalpaiguri District in north Bengal a few days ago and was handed over to Bongaigaon Police. He is now being interrogated at Abhayapuri Police Station of the District since the past couple of days.

Dispur in Kamrup (Metro) District of Assam

Six insurgent groups are currently active in Assam while 12 others in talks with the Central and State Government, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Rockybul Hussain said. Six groups - ULFA-ATF, NDFB-ATF/ NDFB-IKS, KPLT, KLO, MULTA and HuM-are active in the State; Hussain said replying to a question in the House.

Hussain said outfits in talks were NDFB's Progressive faction, ULFA-PTF, KLNLF, ACMA, BCF, KRA, UKDA, KLA, HPC-D, APA, AANLA and STF.

The NDFB-RD and the NSLA have declared unilateral ceasefire, Hussain said while replying on behalf of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who also holds the Home Affairs portfolio, said.

Two groups -BTF and ULFBV have already surrendered. Settlement has been reached by the central and state governments with the UPDS and the two factions of the DHD.

"However, details regarding the progress of talks with various outfits cannot be disclosed now," Hussain said. On cases faced by leaders and cadres of outfits in talks, he said, "We will not lift the cases faced by them. The cases will be dealt by the courts and judiciary. A monthly assistance of INR 3,000 is provided to each cadre belonging to groups engaged in peace talks.

Dimapur District in Nagaland

Acting on a tip off, Dimapur Police arrested a cadre of KLO from a hotel in Dimapur town (Dimapur District) along with another recruit of KLO. Cash amounting to INR 18,000, two mobile phones, driving license and train tickets were recovered and seized from their possession, Police said.

Dimapur Police said the arrestee, identified as Bikash Barman alias Panchanan (24) of Dawaguri in Kokrajhar District in Assam, was reportedly assistant 'finance secretary' of KLO operating in Kokrajhar and adjoining district of lower Assam. The arrested KLO recruit has been identified as Hironyo Roy alias Birkhang (23) of Nepalpara, Kokrajhar.

Dhubri District in Assam

SFs arrested a KLO militant, Deep Sarkar, at Bhaibazar under Golokganj Police Station.

Jalpaiguri District in West Bengal

SFs arrested a militant of KLO, Prabir Roy, from Kamakhyaguri. Roy was arrested in connection with alleged extortion in north Bengal and lower Assam Districts.

Dhubri District in Assam

The arrested KLO militant, Prabir Roy, was brought to Golokganj Police Station.

The militant groups, NDFB and KLO are calling business persons and demanding money from them in Dhubri District since last week. The KLO has been demanding huge amounts of money from businessmen in Chagolia and Golokganj areas of the District. A senior police officer of Dhubri district, while admitting about the calls from KLO to businessmen, leaders and contractors in Chagolia, expressed doubt over the calls from supposed NDFB cadres. "As we know there is no presence of NDFB in Dhubri district. Groups involved in this extortion network are intimidating and threatening businessmen to cough up money. We are keeping a close watch on this," a source said.

Suspected KLO militants fired at adjoining labour camps in Assam -West Bengal border Districts of Dhubri-Cooch Behar injuring two labourers. Later, one of the labourers, Monowar Hussain (22), succumbed to his injuries on May 10 the other one identified as Dadhimohan Roy is undergoing treatment in Dhubri.

Police sources and eyewitnesses said four militants, armed with sophisticated weapons, came on two motorbikes without number plates around 8.30pm and opened fire on a labour camp at Bouserkuti under Golokganj police station in Dhubri District of Assam and then on a camp at Mansai in Cooch Behar District of West Bengal. The labourers were hired by Guwahati-based construction, Hi-Tech Company, to construct a bridge over the Raidak River, which flows along the inter-state border.

State DGP, JN Choudhury, said that extortion has become a matter of serious concern, particularly in the BTAD areas. He said that the NDFB-IKS and other active militant groups are also trying to launch extortion drive to boost their coffers. DGP Choudhury revealed that the KLO and Bongaigaon, some Adivasi groups have started it in Biswanath Chariali area, while, the other militant groups are also trying the same. The ULFA-I is trying to extort money in upper Assam, while, some criminals are also trying to take advantage of the situation to collect money in the name of the ULFA.

Kokrajhar / Assam

SFs arrested a militant belonging to the KLO, Sanjit Ray at Chitila, under Fakiragram Police Station in Kokrajhar District. SFs recovered one HK assault rifle with three magazines and 60 live ammunition from his possession.

Dhubri / Assam

KLO militants opened fires at a NRL petrol pump in Halakura located in Dhubri District. According to the Intelligence Bureau report, KLO militants are trying to establish their base in as many as four lower Assam Districts that include Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara.KLO has started regrouping after formation of its new central committee, headed by "commander-in-chief" Nityananda Sarkar, who hails from Dhubri.

State Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain stated in the Assembly that altogether 78 persons were killed and 191 abducted by different insurgent outfits in 601 incidents, during the last two years, when 20 security personnel were also killed. The ULFA-I had killed 16 persons, including a 10-year-old girl, a four-year-old boy and girl each, while the anti-talks faction of NDFB-ATF had killed 12 civilians including a 10-year-old-boy, Hussain said.

The KPLT killed 12 persons, NSCN-IM/K killed four, Meghalaya based GNLA killed three, KLO, KRA, DNRF, HPC and Dima Halim Daogah- Jewel Garlosa (DHD-Jewel) killed one each, besides 25 by other militant formations.

A total of 135 militants were killed and 2,749 arrested during the period, he said. To another question, the minister said five underground outfits are active in Assam and they are ULFA-Liberation, NDFB, KPLT, KLO, MULTA and HUM Assam unit.

ULFA-I has urged Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to give "an honourable and decent repatriation" to its jailed 'general secretary' Anup Chetia.

Intelligence agencies are worried about a violent situation which might arise in the Koch-Rajbongshi-inhabited areas of lower Assam as the demand for a separate state of Kamatapur is now likely to be intensified by the militant formation,KLO.

11 militant outfits based in India's Northeast, six from Manipur, three from Assam and one each from Meghalaya and Tripura, have jointly called for a boycott of Independence Day (August 15). The outfits include KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK-PRO, RPF and UNLF of Manipur, which operate from one platform called CorCom, HNLC of Meghalaya, KLO, NDFB, ULFA-I of Assam and NLFT of Tripura. These groups now describe northeast as "Western South East Asia (WESEA) region".

Links between two militant outfits, NDFB-IKS and the KLO, have been growing. The outfits jointly abducted at least four persons in Chirang and Baska Districts. The NDFB-IKS has provided explosives, including TNT and IED to the KLO to strengthen the outfit. KLO, whose activities were limited to North Bengal areas, has become more active in Assam. It said, for the first time the KLO has started sending its members to Myanmar for training. At least 30 boys from the Districts of Dhubri and Bongaigaon have been recruited recently and most of them were sent to Myanmar for training. The outfits like the NSCN-K and KYKL of Manipur are reportedly assisting the KLO in organizing training of the cadres in Myanmar. Sources said that most of the operations of the KLO are now masterminded by one Shyam Roy, who is from Assam.

On the basis of the specific information, Police arrested a person suspected to have involved with militant outfit from SBI, Kokrajhar branch. The person was reportedly having transaction of INR 90,000 from an account and was suspected to have link with the militant outfit-KLO.

SFs arrested a KLO linkman, identified as Dayaram Rai (40), from NH-31 in Bongaigaon District. Police said that the arrestee is very close to Jiban Singha, chief of KLO.

Suspected KLO militants fired at a private transport office in Chagolia of Dhubri District.

Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain on December 16 said that six militant outfits, including ULFA-I and NDFB-IKS, are active in Assam with a cadre strength of 760. Hussain answering on behalf of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, also in charge of Home, said the other outfits are KPLT, KLO, MULTA and HuM -Assam unit.The NDFB-IKS has the highest number of cadre at 300, followed by ULFA-I with 240 militants, KLO has 100, and MULTA and HUJI have 40 each, he said. Altogether 15 underground groups were on ceasefire agreement with the government and their cadres were staying in designated camps across the state, the minister said. These are ULFA (Pro talk faction led by Arabinda Rajkhowa), NDFB-PTF, KLNLF, ACMA, BCF, KRA-Assam, UKDA, AANLA, STF, APA, KLO/KLO HPC-Democratic and NDFB-Ranjan Daimary. Six new extremist organisations were also formed and they are Karbi National Liberation Army, United Peoples Liberation Front, DHD-Action, Dima Jadi Naiso Army, National Liberation Front of Bengali and United Dimasa Kachari Liberation Front.

SFs arrested three KLO militants, Pabitra Roy, Anukul Singh and Aditya Roy, in Jalpaiguri District. The trio was involved in extortion from tea garden owners and other businessmen from north Bengal by issuing threats. Cash amounting to INR 37,000, a motorcycle, mobile phones, some papers related to KLO and flags were seized from their possession.

The NDFB-IKS led by Karbi militant leader I K Songbijit is on top of the list followed by the KPLT as leading militant outfits in the State. The Paresh Baruah-led ULFA-I, after its split from the ULFA-PTF led by Arabinda Rajkhowa, has been officially relegated to the third spot among the militant outfits of the state. The ranking is in terms of rebel outfits' striking power.

The NDFB-IKS has the highest number of cadres, about 300, followed by ULFA-I with about 240, while the KLO has around 100 and the KPLT 40. In the state, ULFA-I is present in Goalpara and Tinsukia districts only while the NDFB-IKS is active in the entire BTC belt as well as in Sonitpur District and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. The KPLT, on the other hand, is confined to Karbi Anglong district while the KLO is present in Golakganj in Dhubri District and in North Bengal areas.

Six persons were killed and several others were injured when a bomb kept on a bicycle went off on a road connecting Jalpaiguri town with National Highway (NH)-31. Police said they suspected the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), which observes its Martyrs' Day on December 28. S.K. Pujari, the Inspector-General of Police (North Bengal), told journalists: "Preliminary investigations suggest that four-five persons have died in the blast and dozens have been injured. Our officers are on the spot. We are suspecting the involvement of the KLO."

Train services in the Northeast were affected for several hours following a threat by the KLO militants in the lower Assam districts. Following a rumor that a suspicious-looking object was found on the railway tracks between Fakiragram and Kokrajhar railway stations in Kokrajhar District, train services were stopped.