Leave by March 31, northeast rebel groups tell Hindi speakers, Bengalis

Three lesser known northeast rebel outfits mentored by the hostile-again National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) and the Paresh Barua faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa-Independent) have set March 31 as deadline for Hindi speakers and Bengalis to quit Tripura and parts of Assam and West Bengal.

These outfits are Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) and People’s Democratic Council of Karbi-Longri (PDCK). They have been provided a new lease of life by the Myanmar-based United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia, a front helmed by NSCN-K and Ulfa-I.

Hindi speakers, seen as representatives of ‘colonial New Delhi’, have been pet targets of major extremist groups in the Northeast. Bengalis have been added to their hate list in reaction to BJP’s plan to grant refugee status to persecuted non-Muslims from neighbouring countries, primarily Bengali Hindus from Bangladesh.

“We strongly oppose heinous killings by Indian Army and rehabilitation programme for Bangladeshi Bengalis…. We hereby would like to notify Indian citizens (Bengali and Hindi speaking people) to quit Kamatapur, Karbi-Longri and Tripura,” an “eviction notice” issued Monday evening said.

The notice was signed by KLO chairman Jiban Singh Koch, NLFT organising secretary Seng-phul Borok and PDCK chairman JK Lijang.