Guwahati: Soon after Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO) leader Jeevan Singha, also known as Jeevan Koch Timir Das, surrendered to security forces in the Longwa region along the Indo-Myanmar border, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that talks with Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the peace process and other issues are ongoing.
“Discussions are on and we will reveal everything soon once it is over, Said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The fact that they have entered the mainstream is certainly good news, and CM Sarma added that everything will become clear once the state government’s talks with the centre are done.
On January 18, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla met to discuss KLO-related issues. Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka also attended. In the Longwa region of the Mon district, Jiban Singha Koch and nine other members of his organisation surrendered to security forces.
In the past, some KLO leaders have renounced their positions. The organization’s second-ranking head, Kailash Koch, and his wife turned themselves in to Kolkata police in 2022.
Following their surrender, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma extended an invitation to the group to participate in government-led peace talks.
The KLO, which is mostly active in Western Assam and northern Bengal, has been calling for the creation of a separate Kamatapur state.
The group was formed by Jiban Singha Koch in 1995, three years after he received his degree from Siliguri College.
After the group was established, they began calling for a breakaway state to include portions of Assam, Cooch Behar, Malda, North and South Dinajpur, and Jalpaiguri districts.