A matter of concern

S S Ahluwalia, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare, has written a letter to the home ministry in which he has raised several demands for Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, including a new Army regiment from the district. The regiment, Narayani Sena, will represent the Cooch and Rajvanshi population of the district, which is part of Ahluwalia's parliamentary constituency, Darjeeling. The state administration fears that the move might spark fresh demand for a separate state among the indigenous population of the district. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the director general of police to conduct a thorough investigation.