With the flushing out of activists of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation and negligible presence of Maoists, the major security concern for the North Bengal region before the assembly polls is from the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples Association.
-
Complete Coverage: The Five-State Fight
The GCPA will go on an indefinite hunger strike on May five, three days before the elections, if its demand that Cooch Behar district be made a 'C' category state under the terms of merger of the erstwhile princely state of Cooch Behar in 1949, is not met.
GCPA has given an ultimatum to the Centre to give its opinion on its demands by April 15, failing which it would go on a fast till death.
However, no poll boycott has been called, GCPA General Secretary Bangshibadan Burman, said, adding that the people would voluntarily stay away from voting. The Kamtapur Liberation Organisation was not considered a big threat to the election as its back was broken during the month-long 'Operation Flushout' by the Royal Bhutan Army on its camps in the Himalayan kingdom in December 2003.
Many KLO activists were killed, many surrendered while its chief, Jibon Sinha, fled to Bangladesh. Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K L Meena said that security had been notched up in north Bengal for the election following threats by different separatist organisations.
More from rediff