KLO leader released due to police mistake, surrenders

A KLO leader, who had been arrested from Bengaluru and lodged in a correctional home here, was released instead of another inmate following an error by the police and later surrendered.

A probe has been ordered into the case, DIG Malda Range, Satyajit Banerjee said.
Two police personnel--general record officer Jiten Ray Sarkar and constable Prasanta Ghosh were suspended for negligence of their duties, Superintendent of Police at Malda,
said.

Nabanu Burman, a close aide of underground Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) top leader Malkhan Singh who had been charged with sedition, following his alleged involvement in a shootout in a moving bus last year at Habibpur here, had been lodged in the jail since last month after his arrest in March end in Bengaluru, where he had fled.
He was released suddenly last night, following a police instruction though he had not been produced in court during the day nor his bail petition heard.

Infact it were two KLO linkmen Kumud Burman and Kartik Mondol, also lodged in the same prison, who were produced in court yesterday in connection with the same firing case and were granted bail, Correctional Home Superintendent D Bhutia said.

While Kartik was released from jail at around 9 PM, Kumud was not allowed to go as he is facing another case of supplying counterfeit notes, he said.

The mix-up came to light when Nabanu after emerging from the jail contacted Kamtapur Peoples Party central committee member Subash Burman over his sudden release and Burman contacted Public Prosecutor Tirtha Basu.

It was found that Nabanu's name had been erroneously mentioned by the police in place of Kumud Burman in its instruction.

Thereafter, Nabanu surrendered at around 1 AM on the Subash Burman, who had also contacted the police.

Nabanu had been brought to Malda from Bengaluru by the state police on transit remand and Malkhan Singh, who had been on the run, was arrested from Malda district in April.

KLO is demanding a separate Kamtapur state comprising Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur and Malda districts of West Bengal and Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara districts of Assam and has been blamed for a string of attacks in north Bengal.