Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO)

Origin

The origin of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) can be traced to the attempts of certain members of the Rajbongshi community belonging to the all Kamtapur Students’ Union (AKSU) to organise an armed struggle for a separate Kamtapur State. For this purpose, they approached the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). ULFA reportedly agreed to train them in order to gain foothold outside Assam, in the other geographically contiguous Indian States, to use them as transit routes. ULFA’s line of thinking was that, it would not only facilitate the movement of its cadres to their base camps in Bhutan but also provide a safe haven for the injured or sick cadres.

The KLO came into existence on December 28, 1995. At the time of its formation, its cadre strength was an estimated 60. However, subsequently, it is said to be operating with approximately 300 'active cadres'.

Objectives

The objective of the KLO is to carve out a separate Kamtapur State comprising six districts–– Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur and Malda––of West Bengal and four contiguous districts of Assam––Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara. At its inception, the KLO was an over-ground organisation and was formed to address problems such as large-scale unemployment, land alienation, perceived neglect of Kamtapuri language and identity, and grievances of economic deprivation. Soon, its strategy transformed into waging armed struggle.

Leadership and organisation

Tamir Das alias Jibon Singha is the chairman of the KLO. He was arrested in October 1999. However, he regained control over the outfit after he was released by the Assam Police in a bid to make the other KLO cadres surrender.

Milton Burman alias Mihir Das is the second in command of the outfit. Tom Adhikary alias Joydeb Roy is the outfit's 'crack squad' chief. Both of them were arrested by the RBA during the December 2003 operations.

Bharati Das, Chairperson of the Women's Wing, was arrested from Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal on August 7, 2002.

The outfit's operations chief, Suresh Roy, surrendered on January 24, 2002.

Some of the other prominent KLO insurgents who could be in positions of decision-making are Hiten Roy, Ravi Rajbongshi, Rahul Roy and Kajal Roy.

Area of Operation

The KLO is active in following areas of West Bengal and Assam

West Bengal—six districts of North Bengal

• South Dinajpur
• North Dinajpur
• Coochbehar
• Jalpaiguri
• Malda
• Darjeeling

Assam—four districts of lower Assam

• Kokrajhar
• Bongaigaon
• Dhubri
• Goalpara

However, the outfit is most active in Alipurduar in Jalpaiguri and the Shiliguri sub-division of Darjeeling.

The KLO maintains a string of camps in Bhutan. Several of its camps are located across the Wangchu river, close to Chuka district in Bhutan. According to Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho, the Bhutanese Home Minister, two of its camps are in the Bhangtar and Lhamoizingkha areas of Bhutan.

Linkages

The KLO is alleged to be the armed underground wing of Kamtapur People’s Party (KPP). Available evidence suggests that it maintains close linkages with the ULFA. Soon after its formation, its members were imparted arms training during 1996-97 in Samdrup Jhankar in Bhutan, and also subsequently at Gelengphu and Kalaikhola. The KLO's headquarters is situated near that of ULFA's at Samdrup Jhankar. Reports even suggest that the KLO is the brainchild of Raju Baruah, ULFA's 'deputy commander'.

As mentioned already, the ULFA wants to use West Bengal as a transit point to cross over to Bhutan, and then into Bangladesh. Also, this area provides a safe haven for injured and battle-weary ULFA cadres.

The outfit is also reportedly linked to the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). Media reports suggest that the KLO, ULFA and the NDFB have formed an umbrella organisation to coordinate their activities. Moreover, the KLO is also said to have linkages with the Maoist insurgents of Nepal. An August 2001-report indicated that, a meeting of NDFB, KLO, ULFA and the Maoists was held at Birganj, near the Indo-Nepal border, to discuss a joint strategy to carry out subversive activities against India.

Besides these linkages, the Tiwa National Revolutionary Front (TNRF), an insurgent outfit based in the Nagaon district of Assam, also has a working relationship with the KLO. In addition, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), too, reportedly maintains links with the KLO.

Reports also suggest that Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) is assisting terrorist groups, including the KLO, to commit subversion along the Siliguri Corridor of West Bengal.

Major incidents

2012

• January 9:Intelligence agencies have reportedly received inputs that the CPI-Maoist has sought the help of Assam based insurgent group, KLO, indicating a retaliation of an "unprecedented scale" to avenge the killing of its politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji in West Bengal on November 24, 2011. A senior Police official said they have received inputs that "something big" would happen anytime, anywhere. He said Centre has also informed all Maoist infested states to be on high alert.

Reports said that ground-level intelligence gathered by Central agencies revealed that top Maoist leadership has been constantly interacting with KLO in the last one month. According to highly placed sources, Maoists have sought "on an urgent basis" large consignment of sophisticated weapons, including AK rifles, rocket launchers, claymore mines and even RDX to specifically target security agencies. "This is specific human intelligence received from the ground level so the inputs are very specific and precise. Thus, we have already cautioned concerned security agencies and states. The news of Naxals using RDX in future attacks is indeed very disturbing. This reveals they are desperate and determined to cause large scale damage," a senior Government official said. It has been learnt that the KLO has communicated to their counterparts and even ULFA leadership in Bangladesh the fresh demand by Maoists. Vigil along the India-Bangladesh border has been stepped up anticipating delivery of large quantity of arms and ammunitions.

• January 4: SFs arrested a top KLO militant, identified as Pushma Das alias Tupan Patwari alias Pulas Barman alias Mithun Das, from Chandaboi BOP of West Garo Hills District.

2011

• June 20: SFs arrested a militant, identified as Pranab Roy, of the KLO, from Salakati Kamarpara in Kokrajhar District.

2010

• August 21: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has alerted the Assam State Police about CPI-Maoist establishing links with militants in Assam. The missive issued this week also States that the Maoists, who had a base in North Bengal earlier, are trying to revive it. Besides, they are trying to establish fresh contact with several Naxalite groups that had so far been dormant. The MHA has pointed out that the Maoists are trying to rope in former members of KLO and use them as conduits. Already, two Maoist "linkmen" have been arrested from Kokrajhar with AK-47.

• August 11: The KLO, Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), NDFB, NLFT, Tripura Peoples' Democratic Front (TPDF) and the ULFA called for a general shut down, and asked people in the Northeast region to boycott the Independence Day celebrations on August 15.

• July 25: One more KLO cadre, identified as Mritunjoy Barman (25), was arrested from the Sapatgram area of Dhubri District. He was one of the 18 KLO cadres running the extortion network in Dhubri and West Bengal's Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling Districts over cell phones.

The All Kamtapur Students' Organisation has claimed that the youths recently arrested from Guwahati and Dhubri and labelled activists of the KLO, were innocent, according to Telegraph. In a media release issued in Bongaigaon, the students' union alleged that it was a conspiracy hatched by the State Government to crush the movement for a Kamtapur State.

• July 23: Security Forces claimed of nutralising an extortion racket with the arrest of five Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) militants from Guwahati. The arrested militants were identified as Mrinmoy Mitra (23), Sapan Burman (25), Niranjan Burman (20), Santosh Burman (22), and Ranjan Burman (23). Five cellular phones and eight subscriber identity module cards were recovered from their possession. SFs arrested Mitra from a rented house in Lachit Nagar area on July 23. "Based on his confession, Santosh and Niranjan were arrested from Christian Basti and Sapan from Ganeshguri last night (July 23). Ranjan was arrested from Ulubari today (July 24)," a Police source said. Dhubri Police claimed the arrested cadres were part of a most effective extortion network of the KLO.

• July 12: A KLO cadre, Sanjit Roy, was arrested by Security Forces from Tamarhat in Dhubri District.

• July 8: A suspected KLO militant, Putul Roy (26), was arrested by the SFs from Kherbari village in Dhubri District.

• June 21: A petrol pump employee, Pujan Sha, was robbed of INR 140000 at gunpoint by a three-member gang near along National Highway 31C at Khayerbari in Jalpaiguri District. Police suspect that the attackers are cadres of the KLO, which is trying to regroup and revive its activities in north Bengal. A Police officer said, "When the KLO is trying to regroup, they need a good amount. The outfit used to extort money from pump owners when it was very active in the region."

• June 18: A KLO militant, Tirtha Burman, was arrested by the Police from one Indrajeet Roy's house at Patiramjote in Matigara, outskirts of Siliguri. The Police also arrested Pratap Burman from the house on the suspicion that he was a KLO linkman. Indrajeet was charged with harboring criminals. An improvised 9-mm pistol, two magazines and 13 rounds of live cartridges were recovered from his possession. Tirtha Burman has given information on the outfit's renewed efforts to raise money from businessmen in north Bengal to regroup and revive its activities.

D.P. Singh, the Superintendent of Police of Darjeeling, said, "However, over the past few months, we have been receiving specific inputs that the KLO is trying to regroup and has recruited a number of people for training in Bangladesh." Tirtha was remanded in Police custody for seven days along with Indrajeet and Pratap. Singh said Tirtha - who had undergone training in handling arms and explosives in Bangladesh - had been involved in the April 22 abduction attempt also. The Police and intelligence branch said that the KLO might even attempt an attack on vital installations in north Bengal to make its presence felt again.

• June 9: Two KLO linkmen, Satish Rajbangshi and Jhapu Rajbangshi, were arrested by the Police from Pandua for their involvement in the abduction of two Malda businessmen. Malda Superintendent of Police Bhuban Mondol said that the duo was involved in the abduction of Nepal Halder and Nabin Agarwal. They also provided houses and vehicles to KLO militants. While Jhapu, a resident of Pandua, is a supporter of the Kamtapur People's Party (KPP), Satish, who hails from Bamongola, is the 'District secretary' of the outfit. The Police said KPP members were making money by working for the KLO.

• June 6: Kokrajhar District Superintendent of Police P.K.Dutta referred to specific inputs that KLO 'chief' Jiban Sing was presently roaming in the border areas of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Dhubri Districts of lower Assam keeping nexus with ULFA cadres to strengthen militant activities. He also did not rule out the movement of some Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in the bordering area, but said that strong vigil was being maintained.

• May 1: A trader, Rabin Agarwal, who was rescued from the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) militants during their bid to abduct him on April 22, received three text messages from two Assam numbers. The messages said Agarwals would have to pay INR 10 million or face dire consequences. The messages also mentioned that the time and venue where the money should be sent would be communicated later. A KLO militant, Gopal Barman alias Marang Singh, was arrested while trying to abduct the trader on April 22. Gopal, who hailed from Kanturka in Habbibpur, had been trained in Bangladesh and had been in the Korkajhor forest of Assam for 12 years. He had been remanded in Police custody for 14 days and was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on April 30 for further interrogation.

• April 22: A KLO militant, Gopal Burman alias Marang Singh, was arrested on April 22 when a gang of five KLO cadres was trying to abduct a trader at Malda, West Bengal. Four of his accomplice managed to escape from the incident site. Gopal used to visit Malda frequently. Police said, "He had even made a list of traders who could be abducted for extortion. He had succeeded in one of his plans but was arrested while uting the second." He was earlier involved in the abduction of Nepal Halder of Old Malda on February 21. Gopal Burman later revealed that Jeevan Singha, the self-styled 'chief' of the KLO, is renewing abductions and extortion bids to mobilise funds for the militant outfit. Police added, "We have specific information that Singha is trying to spread his network across north Bengal after staying in hibernation for six-seven years." According to sources, a plan has been chalked out to abduct businessmen, doctors and engineers from North Bengal to raise funds for buying arms and ammunition for the outfit.

• April 20: West Bengal Government has launched a special scheme at Jalpaiguri to rehabilitate the surrendered cadres of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO). The report adds that they are being trained in productive vocations under the Rashtriya Sam Vikash Yojana (RSVY) scheme. Out of the 150 and odd surrendered KLO cadres, 52 have been attending the rehabilitation programme mooted under RSVY. Biswajyoti Das, coordinator of the programme said, "Although we have expected around 100 surrendered persons to undergo this special rehabilitation programme, presently we have 52. Actually when the Chief Minister visited Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and other regions in north Bengal he wished to know whether we have maintained any contact with the surrendered and former KLO cadres. He prompted the Commissioner to lend a fillip to this rehabilitation programme and it has been going on well."

• March 5: A 45-year-old businessman, Nepal Halder, who was abducted on February 21 and held hostage in forests — possibly in Assam — returned to Malda District of West Bengal. A day after his abduction from Old Malda on February 21, his wife Gangarani had received a call demanding INR ten million for his release. But the family members refused to say if they had paid the ransom to secure the release. Police suspect that he had been abducted by KLO or ULFA militants and a financial deal had been struck for his release.

• February 14: The West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that the Adivasis (tribals) should not form units in the Dooars gardens and assured the audience that it was the Government’s responsibility to look after the families of KLO militants willing to return to the mainstream in the Falakata area of Jalpaiguri District in West Bengal.

• January 27: Two KLO militants, identified as Amar Singha alias Abhijit Singh of Darjeeling District and Indra Roy of Dhubri District, were arrested by the West Bengal Police at Bhalka village of Cooch Behar District in West Bengal bordering Assam. Five Subscriber Identity Module card cards of India and Nepal, a cellular phone and a letter written by Amar were recovered from their possession.

2009

• December 22: A Jalpaiguri court in West Bengal acquits 13 KLO militants as the prosecution fails to prove the charges brought against them.

• October 29: A suspected KLO militant, arrested in the Hazaribagh area of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on October 27, confessed before the Police that the KLO chief Jibon Singh was in Dhaka for "some days" but left several months back. Police started questioning Palash Das Pushna, a close relative of Singh, under a court order two days after his arrest. Palash Das Pushna alias Tapan Petowari was remanded in custody for five days," detective branch deputy commissioner Monirul Islam said in Dhaka.

• October 27: A leader of the KLO, a militant outfit active in the Indian States of Assam and West Bengal, was arrested from capital Dhaka. The Assistant Commissioner of Detective Branch, Sanwar Hossain, said that they had arrested Tapan Petowari alias Palash Dey, a close aide to the KLO chairman Jibon Singh and also his nephew, from the Hazaribagh area of city on the charge of entering Bangladesh without a passport. A case was filed with the Hazaribagh Police Station in this connection. Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Monirul Islam said during primary interrogation, Tapan said that he infiltrate into Bangladesh six years ago to escape arrest in India and had been residing with his family in the Rangpur town.

• October 20: The Bangladesh Government on October 19 launched a massive operation for arresting some cadres of two Indian militant outfits — United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), including its ‘chief’ D.K. Roy, according to Sentinel. In the light of information extracted from ‘military commander’ of the ULFA Bimol Roy during his interrogation at the Task Force Interrogation (TFI) cell Security Force personnel are trying to arrest the militants, sources close to the TFI cell said. Bimol confessed that he was an active member of ULFA, the sources said. D.K. Roy, chief of the KLO, provided Bimol with shelter at his Dhaka’s Pallabi residence. D.K. Roy, who is suspected to have stolen the Nobel Prize citation of Rabindranath Tagore from Shanti Niketan in India, has been residing in Bangladesh for many years, the sources added. A team of the Detective Branch arrested Bimol from the Pallabi residence of D. K. Roy on October 6. After the expiry of remand, the Police also took Bimol on a fresh three-day remand on October 8.

• August 30: The KLO chief Jiban Singh's sister and brother-in-law were arrested from a house of the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Kokrajhar in an early morning operation by the Security Force personnel. The couple, Sumitra Das and her husband, Dhananjoy Barman, who is a 'second lieutenant' in the outfit, had been taking shelter in a house belonging to a senior member of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students Union (Biswajit faction), Dalim Choudhury, with their two-year-old son. An Italian made 7.65mm pistol, four bullets, two mobile handsets, five SIM cards, including two Bangladeshi cards and BNR 100 were recovered from the possession of the couple. The couple hails from Bolka Barobaisa of Jalpaiguri District in West Bengal. "After operation All Clear (Operation Flushout) in Bhutan, they went to Bangladesh and had been staying there. But they came back recently and were taking shelter in Dalim Choudhury's house," Kokrajhar Police station officer in-charge Haren Das said.

• August 16: A KLO militant, identified as Rabindra Nath Roy, was arrested from Kherbari village under Golokganj Police station of Dhubri District.

• August 10: The NDFB, ULFA, KLO of Assam, Manipur Peoples Liberation Front (MPLF) of Manipur and Tripura Peoples Democratic Front (TPDF) of Tripura jointly called a General Strike from 1am (IST) to 6.30pm (IST) on August 15 in the Northeast and called for to boycott of Independence Day.

• June 4: A KLO militant, identified as Bikash Roy (21), was arrested by the troops from Kherbari village under Golokganj Police Station in Dhubri District. One fake identity card of a railway officer was recovered from Bikash Roy with his photo pasted on it.

• March 10: Militant outfits like the ULFA and KLO were reportedly on an extortion drive in different villages of Dhubri District. These outfits were demanding INR 50, 000 to INR 500, 000 from middle class business men and service men residing in various villages under Golokganj Police Station in Dhubri District bordering Bangladesh and West Bengal. According to sources, using the KLO letterhead and signing with its self styled ‘commander’ as S. Barman, a huge number of demand notes was served to many businessmen and servicemen residing in the village of Kanur Bish Khowa, Ratiadaha, Lakhimari and Rakhapat under Golokganj Police Station. In addition, one Raju Borua, mentioning himself as ‘deputy chief’ of the ULFA and using a cell phone bearing Bangladeshi No.– 008801190856310, demanded money from some businessmen residing at villages in the Dhubri District along the Assam-West Bengal border. The report adds that one Ankur Bora, identifying himself as a ULFA leader, has also demanded money from some businessmen communicating through a cell phone.

• March 9: Statesman quoting intelligence sources reports that militants of different outfits operating from the Indian soil, who are holed up in Bangladesh, are reportedly shifting base towards Nepal and Bhutan. The report adds that such movement could take place through North Bengal, increasing security threats in the region prior to the Parliament elections. Outfits like the KLO and the CPI-Maoist have been trying to build organisational bases in Cooch Behar District and the adjoining areas. The recent arrest of a suspected Maoist revealed their presence in these parts.

• February 22: A jute trader of Bogribari area, identified as Kartick Sen, was abducted by a combined group of suspected ULFA and KLO militants from his residence at Bogribari Bazaar area in the Dhubri District. According to Police sources, five motorcycle-borne militants called Kartik Sen out of his house and took him away after opening fire in the air. Four years back, Sen's eldest brother Ganesh Sen had been shot dead by the ULFA.

• January 25: A KLO cadre, Pankaj Deka, was arrested at an unspecified place under Golokganj Police Station in the Dhubri District.

• January 4: Two KLO cadres were arrested in a joint operation by Police and personnel of the Jat Regiment from Bogribari in the Dhubri District. Police recovered 10 rounds of live ammunition, some documents of the outfit and extortion notes from them.

2008

• December 18: Army personnel arrested two KLO militants, identified as Manas Das alias Manu and Biswajit Sarkar, from Gossaigaon in the Kokrajhar District. A 9-mm pistol, two magazines, five rounds of live ammunition, 310 grams of brown sugar, two cell phones, a PAN card and diaries were recovered from their possession.

• December 4: The KLO, which was made weak during the military operations in Bhutan in December 2003, has started regrouping with active support from the ULFA. Ramanath Roy, one of the two militants arrested at Baxirhat in the Cooch Bihar district in September 2008, confessed during interrogation that the outfit, in a desperate attempt to renew its activity, have resumed training at the Chittagong hill tracts in Bangladesh with active help from ULFA.

• September 19: An unidentified KLO militant was arrested from an unspecified place in the Kokrajhar district on September 19-night.

• September 8: A suspected militant of the KLO, identified as Ramanath Roy was arrested from Laukuthighat village in Baxirhat of Cooch Behar district, along the West Bengal-Assam border. A revolver, three rounds of ammunition and documents were seized from him. Police sources said that the militant, s resident of Chhotoguma in Assam's Kokrajhar district had entered Cooch Behar district to recruit cadres. District Superintendent of Police Devendra Prakash Singh said, "The arrested militant had returned to India in March after receiving arms training in Bangladesh. We arrested him after receiving a tip-off." Police sources said Ramanath had revealed a few names of KLO militants presently based in Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh.

• August 10: Four militant groups - the KLO, Manipur People's Liberation Front, Tripura People's Democratic Front and the ULFA - ask people in the Northeast region to boycott the celebrations of Independence Day on August 15.

• July 2: The West Bengal inspector-General of Police (Law and Order), Raj Kanojia, said that the intelligence wing has found enough proof to suggest that the KLO is trying to regroup in three districts of north Bengal. "From inputs received from the intelligence wing, we have come to know that a fresh batch of KLO militants is trying to reorganise in Jalpaiguri, Malda and parts of Dinajpur districts," Kanojia said in Siliguri.

• April 30: A joint team of the Army and Assam Police neutralised a ULFA transit camp at Bangshijhora hill in the Dhubri district. An unnamed senior police officer said the camp was frequently used by the ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants, since they have some common areas of operation and used this vital transit camp not only for shelter but also for ammunition supply. Ten rounds of live ammunition of 12 bore pistols, seven rounds of 12 bore fired cases, eight live and five spent rounds of ammunition of AK-47 rifles, 18 live and seven spent rounds of .22 pistols, two blank detonators, 500 grams of explosive, one improvised explosive device (IED), wires, one 7.62-mm magazine of LMG and one rotating block of AK-56 were seized from the camp. A Global Positioning System device, a digital diary, two blank extortion notes signed by the 'commandant of 709 battalion' of the ULFA, Hira Saraniya, a Chinese camera, 20 kilograms of rice and one kilogram of Bengal gram were also recovered.

• April 26: An arms smuggler and a linkman of the KLO, identified as Pradip Das alias Phagua, is arrested from his house at Botun in Kumarganj of West Dinajpur district in West Bengal. According to police sources, Das was regularly smuggling arms to Bangladesh for the KLO and also helped the militants enter and leave Bangladesh.

• April 26: An arms smuggler and a linkman of the KLO, identified as Pradip Das alias Phagua, is arrested from his house at Botun in Kumarganj of West Dinajpur district in West Bengal. Das was regularly smuggling arms to Bangladesh for the KLO and also helped the militants enter and leave Bangladesh.

2007

• July 27: Ramchandra Roy alias Rakesh, a Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) militant, and Ajoy Singha, a linkman of the outfit, are arrested from Samuktala in the Jalpaiguri district.

2006

• December 25: A KLO militant, Swapan Rai alias Rahul Rai, arrested from Tarchuk village by the Gouripur police, is remanded to seven days police custody by the judicial magistrate in Dhubri district.

• November 21: Forensic experts and Police suspect the involvement of the KLO along with ULFA in the November 20-bomb blasts.
  
  Central intelligence agencies say that the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) used the KLO to trigger the November 20-bomb blast.

• November 20: At least 10 persons are killed and 50 injured in a bomb blast inside a compartment of the Haldibari-Siliguri Passenger train at Belacoba station in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The KLO's involvement is suspected in the blast.

• September 27: A KLO cadre, Ajit Adhikary, is arrested by police from the Bhandijelas village in the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal. The arrested militant was trained under outfit’s chief, Jeevan Singha, in Bangladesh.

• September 21: A new outfit, Darjeeling Gorkha Maobadi Sangthan, has an operational alliance with the KLO, which is fighting for a homeland for the Koch and Rajbongshi communities in North Bengal.

• August 10: The KLO along with MPLF, NLFT, TPDF and ULFA in a joint statement call upon the people of the North East region to boycott the Independence Day celebration and also jointly call a 12-hour general strike.

• May 29: Three KLO cadres, Nataraj, Dilip and Manoj, are arrested from their hideout at Kharibari near Siliguri in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. According to police sources, the three were arrested following the confession of a ULFA cadre who was detained from the same locality on May 18.

• May 24: Six KLO cadres are arrested from different places in the Malda district of West Bengal. According to police sources, one of the three, arrested from Kanturka village under Habibpur police station, was involved in the murder of a CPI-M leader about four months ago.

• January 31: The six-month cease-fire agreement earlier concluded between the Army authorities and eight militant outfits, including the KLO, expires.

• January 25: A hardcore KLO cadre, Bhabesh Roy, is arrested along with seven linkmen of the outfit from Shamukhtala in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. Inspector General of Police (North Bengal), Kishanlal Meena, said that Bhabesh was trained in a militant training camp in Bangladesh’s Chattagram area and was attached to the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF). The seven arrested linkmen were allegedly working for the outfit in different areas of North Bengal.

• January 20: KLO calls for a general strike on Republic Day (January 26) in the Northeastern States.

2005

• December 21: Home Minister says that there is a nexus between the Nepalese Maoists and the ULFA and KLO. He however says that there has been no exchange of weapons between them, though there are reports of training of each other's cadres. There are also reports of some people being taken for training to Nepal and vice versa.

• April 29: A front-ranking KLO leader, Pulasta Burman, is arrested from Changrabandha near the Bangladesh border in the Coochbehar district of West Bengal. The Inspector-General of Police (North Bengal), K. L. Meena, says that Burman was arrested when he crossed over to Changrabandha village in the Mekhliganj sub-division area. Burman, one of the founder-members of the outlawed KLO, is also a close associate of the group’s chief, Jiban Singha. Burman had been evading arrest for the last few years after having managed to flee the Bhutan army's operation against KLO camps in the country's jungles during December 2003 to Bangladesh.

• March 9: Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, speaking in the Upper House of Indian Parliament (Rajya Sabha) says that ULFA and KLO have forged links with the Maoist insurgents of Nepal.

• January 20: ULFA, TPDF, KLO and MPLF jointly appeal to the people of the North-east to boycott the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 and call for a general strike on that day.

2004

• November 19: Three KLO linkmen are arrested in connection with the killing of a driver from Siliguri in the Jalpaiguri district.

• October 28: Two KLO militants, Parimal Basunia alias Pramod Das and Pahar Singh alias Batrish Das, are arrested from Jalpaiguri district of North Bengal and in Guwahati in Assam.

• September 5: West Bengal Police arrests seven KLO militants from Mathabhanga in the Coochbehar district. They also recover two kilograms of RDX, four AK-56 rifles, 12 magazines, 496 rounds of ammunition of AK-56, two M-20 pistols, 21 rounds of M-20 ammunition from their possession.

• August 9: At least eight persons suspected to have links with the KLO are arrested from different parts of the Coochbehar district in West Bengal.

• August 8: Security forces kill a KLO cadre in an encounter at Boxirhat in the Dhubri district of Assam.

• August 8: Border Security Force (BSF) sources say that KLO has recruited 20 youths, mostly from the Rajbanshi- dominated parts of Jalpaiguri district in North Bengal. BSF Inspector General Sukhjinder Singh Sandhu was says that these youths were being trained at an unknown location in Bangladesh.

• August 6: Two suspected KLO cadres, Goutam Shil alias Bibek Barman and Nimai Dutta alias Bimal Barman, are beaten to death by villagers at Bazitchatra in the Cooch Behar district.

• March 13: KLO militants open indiscriminate firing and kill two traders at Ranglajhar market under Moinagaon police station in the Jalpaiguri district along the Assam-Bengal border. Three others are injured in the firing.

• February 24: A KLO cadre, Bhyamal Barman alias Akshy Das, is arrested from Natabari village in the Coochbehar district of West Bengal. He is reported to be a close associate of KLO leader Tom Adhikari.

• February 8: Two suspected KLO cadres are arrested following raids at the Changimari and Pukari areas of Kumaragram village in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. Four AK-56 rifles and 170 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition are recovered from them.

• January 18: Cooch Behar Police arrest three KLO linkmen from Buxirhat police station area on the charge of sheltering terrorists.

• January 18: North Bengal police intelligence sources report that the fugitive KLO ‘commander-in-chief’ Jibon Singha, now in Dhaka, is scheduled to meet the functionaries of Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, ISI, in Bangladesh to seek their help.

• January 18: A KLO militant, identified as Helatu Das, surrenders at the Kumargram police station in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

• January 17: West Bengal police arrests eight linkmen (five from Falakata, two from Dhupguri and one from Mainaguri) of the KLO in the Jalpaiguri district.

• January 16: A relative of the West Bengal Forest Minister Jogesh Burman, identified as Shyamal Roy, is arrested at Jharbeltoli under Falakata Police Station in the Jalpaiguri district for his alleged close links with the KLO. Police sources say that Roy had given shelter to KLO cadres on several occasions and has links with the outfit’s senior leaders like Tom Adhikary, Milton Burman and Anirban Rava.

• January 14: Suspected KLO militants kill four civilians and injure several others in an attack on a video parlour in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district.

• January 11: A KLO linkman, Meghnath Roy, is arrested from Shidhabari under Alipurduar police station limits in the Jalpaiguri district.

• January 2: A KLO militant is shot dead during an encounter with the police in the Jalpaiguri district.

2003

• December 29: Royal Bhutanese Army (RBA) hands over 12 KLO cadres to the Indian Army. Jalpaiguri Divisional Commissioner Balbir Ram says that the RBA handed over the cadres at Binaguri cantonment in the Jalpaiguri district.

• December 22: KLO in a press statement released in the name of its ‘chairman’ Jibon Singha terms the military offensive in Bhutan as unjustified. The statement says, "Bhutan has inscribed the history of monumental betrayal by arresting and extraditing our Central Committee members to India when they went to negotiate with the authority of Bhutan in response to their invitation."

• December 20: Top KLO leaders Tom Adhikari and Milton Barman confess to the abduction and subsequent murder of timber merchant Naresh Das from Kumargram in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal in year 1998 in collaboration with the ULFA.

• December 20: The 48-hour bandh (shutdown) called by the KLO, ULFA and NDFB evokes a mixed response and partially affects life in Assam. It was called in protest against the crackdown launched by the RBA on their camps in Bhutan.

• December 18: Reports suggest that KLO chief Jibon Singha has been killed in the anti-insurgency operations in Bhutan.

• December 17: KLO senior leaders, Milton Burman and Tom Adhikary, are arrested by the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) during operations against Indian terrorists based in Bhutanese territory.

• December 3: Security forces recover the body of a surrendered KLO cadre from Balapasa near the Assam-Bengal border.

• November 1: The Jalpaiguri district police in North Bengal kill two suspected KLO terrorists inside the Buxa Tiger Reserve near the Indo- Bhutan border. Two AK-56 rifles and 59 rounds of ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

• August 6: Northeast terrorist groups including ULFA, NDFB, NLFT and KLO call for the boycott of Independence Day (August 15) celebrations.

• July 23: Media reports say that the 81^st National Assembly of Bhutan adopted a resolution for ‘the last attempt’ to persuade ULFA, NDFB and the KLO to close down their camps within this year ‘peacefully’ failing which terrorists would face ‘military action’.

• July 11: Media reports from Bhutan indicate that Bhutan National Assembly was unable to reach a consensus over the issue of the way to tackle NDFB, ULFA and the KLO.

• May 17: Bhutanese King Jigme Singhye Wangchuk calls upon the people to volunteer for the formation of a ‘militia force’ to counter Indian insurgent groups–ULFA, NDFB and the KLO on its soil.

• May 9: Chief of the Indian Army, General N C Vij discusses the activities of ULFA, NDFB and KLO with the Bhutanese authorities.

• May 3: Report indicates that the Bhutanese Government has asked Indian terrorist groups, including NDFB and ULFA and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), operating in parts of Assam and West Bengal to leave by June 15.

• February 15: Two KLO terrorists are killed in an encounter at Kherabari, Gossaigaon police station limits, Kokrajhar district.

2002

• December 5: A KLO terrorist is arrested in Siliguri, West Bengal, while returning to India from Nepal.

• November 18: Two KLO terrorists are arrested from a place under Bakshirhat police station-limits, Cooch Behar district of West Bengal.

• October 11: Terrorists of the KLO kill a leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Bankachumari, Haat, Jalpaiguri district.

• October 9: Two terrorists of the KLO and a security force personnel are killed in an encounter at Punki village, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal.

• October 1: A KLO terrorist, who had received arms training in Bhutan, is arrested from Baxirhat, Cooch Behar district, in West Bengal.

• August 31: Two KLO terrorists are killed in an encounter at Beltoli village, Cooch Behar district, West Bengal.
  West Bengal police arrest a timber dealer in Takura forests of Haldibari, Cooch Behar district, for allegedly supplying arms to KLO terrorists.

• August 29: A KLO terrorist is arrested from his Nazijote hideout in West Bengal’s Siliguri district.

• August 28: A front-ranking terrorist of the KLO, Rohini Adhikari, allegedly involved in the August 17-Dhuppuri massacre, is killed in an encounter in Hamuktala, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal

• August 26: Six persons, including an employee of the Cooch Behar district collectorate, is arrested in the district for alleged links with the KLO.

• August 24: Inspector General of Police (IGP) (North Bengal) Bhupinder Singh says terrorists belonging to the ULFA and KLO have jointly carried out the August 17-terrorist attack in Dhupguri,

• August 17: Terrorists of the KLO kill five activists of the Communist Party of India––Marxist [CPI-M] and injure 14 others at its local office in Dhupguri town, Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal.

• August 5: Three KLO terrorists, including its women’s wing chief Bharati Das, are arrested from Shaltali village, Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal.

• May 26: Six Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel are injured in a landmine blast triggered by terrorists of the KLO at Kajulibasti, near the India-Bhutan border, Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal.

• May 24: Two KLO terrorists are killed and a police is personnel injured in an encounter in Dhumpara forests, Jalpaiguri district in North Bengal.

• May 14: A KLO terrorist is killed in an encounter near Siliguri in West Bengal. Two more terrorists manage to escape.

• January 31: Speaking at the Assam State conference of the CPI-M in Guwahati, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya accuses the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan of backing terrorist outfits like the KLO to engage in subversive activities in the region.

2001

• October 22: Terrorists of the KLO kill a leader of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in Madhya Haldibari village, Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal.

• October 4: Union Ministry of Home affairs convenes a joint meeting of officials from Assam and West Bengal to review threats emanating from the increasing nexus between the ULFA and the KLO.

• July 22: Bomb explosion is reported at the Jalpaiguri railway station

• July 19: Speaking in the West Bengal State Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee says the KLO is receiving arms training from the ULFA, and if they join with the Maoists in Nepal, a deadly situation could arise in North Bengal.

• July 15: Buddhadeb Bhattacharya says the State government is prepared to talk on development issues in North Bengal with the KPP if it leaves the path of militancy and gives up its links with the KLO. He criticises the KLO for extorting money in North Bengal for use by the KPP and for its linkages with the ULFA.

2000

• October: A joint team of KLO and ULFA terrorists abduct a tea garden owner.

• August 7: KLO terrorists kill a local leader of the CPI-M in Jalpaiguri.

• May 4: Terrorists of the KLO kill a local leader of the CPI-M at Ghogsapara, near the Assam-West Bengal border.

1999

• November: KLO and ULFA terrorists loot a railway cash counter near Siliguri

• July 1999: In the first reported KLO-ULFA joint-armed operation, a tea garden owner is abducted from the Latabari tea estate, Dooars region, North Bengal Also, it is the first time that militants in north Bengal have used sophisticated arms like AK-47s.

1995

• December 28: KLO is founded.