KLO bandh: Police alert, security beefed up in Malda

Security has been tightened for the 24-hour bandh called by the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) tomorrow in Malda district.
While outstation forces were called in, sensitive areas like Malda, Bamungola, English Bazar, Gajol and Habibpur, known KLO strongholds, have been kept under constant watch, Malda SP Kalyan Mukherjee said today.
"We have taken all precautionary measures keeping in view the KLO bandh. The administration is on alert to ensure that normal life is not disturbed and no untoward incident takes place," Mukherjee said.
Vehicles including two-wheelers, bicycles were also under searched and suspected KLO hide-outs raided, he said.
Sources said that police are looking for KLO militants and their 'commandant' Malkhan Singh.

KLO had called the bandh to protest the arrest of its leader Narayan Roy's sister Jayamati Roy, her husband Santosh Roy and three others in connection with the Jalpaiguri bomb blast in December.

Six people were killed in the December 26 bicycle bomb blast at Bajrapara area of Jalpaiguri, while the next day three persons were injured when militants fired at a bus in Malda's Habibpur area.
Police suspected that KLO was behind both the incidents, which the outfit, however, denied.
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 - Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara - of Assam.