Darjeeling: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has successfully managed to woo the Kamtapuri community with development packages; promotion of the Kamtapuri language, tradition and culture and by rehabilitating the surrendered militants and linkmen. 291 such persons were given appointments in the special Home Guard by the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister also gave Rs 5 crore package for the Kamtapur Bhasha Academy. "Many of our demands for which we had launched the Kamtapuri agitation have been fulfilled by the present State Government. We feel that our sacrifices have not gone in vain. The recognition of the Kamtapuri language; the Kamtapuri academy and the Rai Saheb Panchanan Burman University were part of our demands. The Government has also lived up to the assurance of rehabilitating the former militants and linkmen. We request the Chief Minister to open dialogues with KLO Chairman Jiban Singh who is underground. He should also be brought back to the mainstream," stated Milton Burma, the former Commander-in-Chief of the KLO, talking to Millennium Post. Jibon Singh is believed to be underground in the jungles of Myanmar. About 130 surrendered KLO militants and linkmen from Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda were handed over appointment letters for the special Home Guard on Tuesday. The remaining 161 mainly from Cooch Behar will receive appointment letters on Wednesday. The Kamtapuris were earlier agitating for a Kamtapuri State comprising all seven districts of north Bengal and four contiguous districts of Assam. They had even launched an armed struggle under the aegis of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO.) KLO was formed on December 28, 1995. The outfit has been accused of carrying out bomb blasts in North Bengal. KLO was banned by the Indian Government in 1997. "We are with the Chief Minister. She has done lots for our community. We urge her to withdraw all the criminal cases pending against us and to also give jobs to the family members of the persons who were martyred in the Kamtapuri agitation. We have been seeking her appointment. We want to thank her in person and offer her a garland, a Kamtapuri traditional Gamcha and Gua Paan (betel leaves and nut) as per our tradition," stated Jyotish Roy, President, Kamtapuri Andoloner Nirjatita Committee. Roy was a KLO linkman and was in jail till 2005.

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