Mystery over KLO chief's death

Assam DGP feigns ignorance

Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, June 13: Assam DGP Khagen Sarma today virtually denied reports that Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO) supremo Jiban Singha was killed in the reported strike by army commandos inside Myanmar territory on June 9 last. "So far we haven't got any body. Neither has any body been brought to GMCH or sent for D alysis. The reports are not to reliable," Sarma said. He indicated that had the KLO chief been killed, the body would have reached his home by now. In an e-mailed statement, the Ulfa also denied the reports and said the KLO leader was "safe, wherever he is".

Jiban Singha alias Tamir Das 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.

The KLO came into existence with support from the Ulfa in 1995. The objective of the KLO is to carve out a separate Kamtapur State comprising six districts-- Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dijpur and Malda--of West Bengal and four contiguous districts of Assam--Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara.