Ahead of Mamata's North Bengal visit, KLO warns of bloodbath if Kamtapur statehood demand opposed

Ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's scheduled visit to northern parts of the state on Tuesday, banned terror outfit Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) has warned of a "bloodbath" if their separate statehood movement is opposed.

In a purported video, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified by PTI, a masked man claiming to be KLO leader Jeevan Singha, flanked by armed bodyguards, warned Banerjee against visiting North Bengal.

"We appeal to everyone, including Mamata Banerjee, not to oppose our Kamtapur statehood demand. She mustn't visit North Bengal. We will intensify our movement in the days to come and seek cooperation from everyone.

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"If anyone tries to stop us, the result would be devastating. There will be a bloodbath. We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the cause," the masked insurgent said.

Although police has declined to comment on the video, it has beefed up security in the region as Banerjee will address a TMC workers' meeting in Alipurduar on Tuesday.

A movement demanding to carve out a separate state of Kamtapur comprising the northern districts of West Bengal and the adjoining western parts of Assam was launched in the early nineties, citing the underdevelopment of the region.

However, it took a turn to armed insurgency when KLO was formed in the mid-nineties.

Once a dreaded militant group, KLO is now not even a shadow of its former self as most of its top leaders are either behind the bars or have returned to the mainstream under the TMC regime.

Several splinter groups have cropped up that believe in the democratic process to achieve the statehood demand.

"It hardly matters if someone is threatening. But I haven't seen the video, so I can't comment on it," Nikhil Roy, president of Kamtapur Peoples' Party (United), said.

The North Bengal region, comprising eight districts including picturesque Darjeeling, is economically important for West Bengal as it has revenue-generating industries like tea, timber and tourism.

The region is of utmost strategic importance because of the narrow Siliguri Corridor, referred to as the 'chicken's neck', which connects the Northeast with the rest of India.

North Bengal shares international borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and has witnessed violent statehood movements, including the Gorkhaland stir, since the eighties.

The KLO's warning, however, triggered a war of words between the TMC and BJP, with the ruling party in West Bengal accusing the saffron party of fanning separatist movements in the state.

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"It is clear that BJP leaders have been fanning separatist movements in the state for their vested political interests. They have been demanding either a separate state or Union territory over the last one year," senior TMC leader Partha Pratim Ray said.

The BJP, however, dubbed the allegations baseless.

"Partition of West Bengal is not viable socially, economically and politically. We are not in favour of a separate state. But we feel there is a need for the development of North Bengal. The people of the region have been deprived for a long time," state BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

Last month, BJP legislators from Matigara-Naxalbari constituency and Dabgram-Phulbari seat, Anandamay Barman and Shikha Chatterjee respectively, spoke in favour of Union territory of North Bengal.

Bishnu Prasad Sharma, the BJP MLA of Kurseong, had last year demanded the separation of Darjeeling Hills from West Bengal.

The saffron party's Alipurduar MP John Barla had stirred a hornet's nest last year by demanding a UT comprising the North Bengal districts.