Centre fails to fulfill historic merger agreement: Jeevan Singh

Staff Reporter, Kokrajhar, August 27: Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) Chief Jeevan Singh has raised his voice against what he perceives as unaddressed grievances by the Indian government. Singh underlined the lingering disappointment that even after 76 years of independence, the Indian government has failed to implement the historic Merger Agreement in its entirety. The residents of Koch-Kamtapur, once envisioned as being part of a united and self-governing entity, continue to grapple with feelings of marginalization and subjugation within independent India. Highlighting the historical Merger Agreement signed with the Government of India on August 28, 1949, Singh lamented that the promises made then had yet to materialize for the people of Kamtapur and Cooch Behar. Despite the passage of decades, the constitutional benefits envisioned under the Merger Agreement have remained elusive for the residents of Kamtapur. Singh remarked that fundamental rights continue to be withheld from the people, leaving them in a state of deprivation. Access to education in their mother tongue has also been a challenge, undermining their cultural identity. In a call for solidarity, Singh urged the people of Koch-Kamtapur to mark August 28 as a day of mourning.