Strongly condemning the Jalpaiguri blasts of Dec 26 last year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday cautioned local youth against falling prey to those who incite violence in the name of language.
“I appeal to the youth in north Bengal not to take the road shown by those who instigate people in the name of language and place guns in their hands to kill, in the name of language. That path is not a way to peace… it is the road to hooliganism and destruction,” Banerjee said, while inaugurating a branch of the state secretariat in Jalpaiguri district.
The mini-secretariat has been christened “Uttar Kanya” and the two-storey green building was constructed near Phulbari in north Bengal.
“I do not know why they do this… snatch away people’s lives… to get money and to do hooliganism… I tell them if they (terrorists) want to, they can murder me as many times as they want, but do not kill innocent people… They have no right to kill innocent people. We strongly condemn it,” the chief minister said.
Five people were killed and four others injured when suspected Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) militants triggered a bomb blast in Jalpaiguri district Dec 26 last year. The blast took place two days ahead of the foundation day of KLO, which came up in 1996.
A separatist outfit, the KLO has been demanding a Kamtapur state comprising six districts – Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur and Malda – of West Bengal and four contiguous districts of Assam – Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara.
“Uttar Kanya will be a symbol of peace, unity and progress. We will not support separatism, division, violence and bloodshed,” the chief minister said.
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