Assam: ‘Peace talks between GoI and KLO on Kamatapur issue near conclusion’

Guwahati: The peace negotiations between the Indian government and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) from Assam are approaching conclusion.

This was stated by KLO-KN chairman Darsar Langkam Koch.

According to KLO-KN chairman Darsar Langkam Koch, only a formal declaration on the issue is being awaited.

Initially, the KLO-KN faction had earlier declined to participate in peace talks with the Indian government, which is being led by KLO chief Jeevan Singha Koch.

However, KLO-KN chairman Darsar Langkam Koch entered India on June 18 this year and joined the peace talks under Singha’s leadership.

Also read: ‘Land more than whole of Chandigarh freed from encroachers in Assam’

“Our talks with the Indian government are at the final stage, and only a formal declaration is awaited,” Koch stated.

The KLO-KN urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah to provide a permanent solution to the community’s issues, based on their charter of demands.

KLO chief Jeevan Singha Koch had responded to the central government’s invitation for talks by entering India on January 17, 2023.

Subsequently, KLO foreign secretary Koch Paval joined the negotiations on March 15, 2023.

Following several rounds of discussions with officials from the ministry of home affairs (MHA), 28 leading organizations representing Koch Rajbongshis, including the Kamatapur Suraksha Samity (KSS) and Kamatapur State Demand Committee (KSDC), called for peace talks with KLO chief Jeevan Singha Koch, focusing on a five-point charter of demands.

Also read: Will move court: AIUDF on Assam govt’s decision to repeal Muslim marriages act

The KLO’s demands include the formation of a separate state of Kamatapur, carved from parts of Assam and West Bengal.

They also seek the inclusion of the Kamatapuri language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India and the recognition of the Koch Rajbongshi community under the Scheduled Tribes (Plain) category.

KLO-KN chairman Darsar Langkam Koch claimed that the proposed peace agreement would address all these demands.

Previously, on November 5, 2023, Darsar Langkam Koch had rejected the idea of peace talks with the government and threatened to launch insurgency operations during the Diwali festival.

He also warned former KLO associates, who favoured peace talks, of severe consequences if they did not abandon their initiatives.