Jalpaiguri: The families of locals residing in North Bengal who were killed by the Kamtapur Liberation Organistion (KLO) have decided to launch a protest against the Trinamool Congress government. The family members of those killed in the attack will also seek government jobs and assistance from the state government.
Many families had donated lands for projects Tista Canal, Moynaguri Power House and Circuit Bench. The condition was that families donating land will be provided state government job. But that condition is yet to be fulfilled.
Now, families of victims either want their land back or want a state government job.
In the late nineties, KLO, a militant outfit, had been formed by a section of Rajbanshi youths of the region for separate statehood. It had carried out subversive activities across north Bengal but gradually turned defunct following the arrests of prominent leaders.
A total of 47 families were affected during the attacks and locals claimed that the state government has provided jobs only to ten families having influential backgrounds. They have already staged demonstrations on this issue at the offices of the district magistrate and Zilla Parishad.
According to locals, the state government failed to fulfil its promise of providing jobs to 25 families whose members were killed in an attack with KLO linkmen. The local unit of BJP has come forward in support of their movement.
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The armed agitation by KLO started since 2001 and for quite some time their armed activism rocked the entire north Bengal. Many activists of the-then ruling party, CPI(M), as well as some common people, were either killed or got severely injured because of the attack by KLO activists. The erstwhile Left Front government also promised jobs and also arranged for necessary training for that purpose. But nothing happened.
“We appreciate the state government’s initiative to provide jobs for the former KLO activists. But at the same time the state government should consider the same thing for those families who got affected because of the armed KLO movement,” said a local person.
Suvoijit Sarkar, a resident of Purba Salbari locality in Jalpaiguri, said that armed KLO activists killed his father on October 11, 2001. “After my father's death, it became almost impossible for us to make both ends meet. My family appealed to the state government for a job for any member of the family again and again. So we are now forced to go for an agitation,” he said.
Similar opinions were expressed by Krishno Sarkar and Krishnapada Das, who was injured in KLO attacks. “We ran out of all our savings because of the treatment. So if we get a job we will be relieved,” they said.
On the other hand, the demand of the land losers to the state government is either to give them jobs or return the land. The members of the Land Loser Committee went for a fast- unto- death agitation in August last year. However, Trinamool’s Jalpaiguri district president, Kishan Kalyani and Raigunj MLA, Khageshwar Roy persuaded them to withdraw the agitation. But even after that, there had been no positive development on the job front. , compelling them to go for agitation.
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Committee leader Nazrul Islam alleged that despite approaching the district magistrate, zilla sabhadhipati and district president of Trinamool Congress there had been no positive result as yet. “So now we have decided to go for bigger agitation including blocking the national highway. It is strange that the state government is providing jobs to those who went for armed movement. But the state is depriving those who donated land for state development projects,” he said and was echoed by other persons with a similar fate like Hemanta Roy, Anima Roy and Ujjal Roy.
At the same time, the Jalpaiguri unit of West Bengal Casual Employees Association has also started an agitation demanding permanent job till 60 years and state government recognition, among others. The district president of the association, Uttam Som said that they want the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee to consider their demands sympathetically.
Trinamool’s spokesperson in Jalpaiguri district, Dulal Debnath said that the matter has already been brought to the notice of the chief minister.
“The former KLO activists were given jobs to bring them back to the social mainstream. But we have also informed the chief minister about the demand of the land donors,” he said.
