Siliguri, Aug. 27: Director-general of police S.C. Avasthy has said his force is trying its best to stop subversive organisations like the KLO and Ulfa from regrouping in Bengal.

A few KLO leaders who are still active, are based in Nepal and Bangladesh, he said after the inauguration of the Pradhannagar police station here today. “After the flushout operation on the India-Bhutan border (in December 2003), the spine of the KLO was broken. But a handful of leaders are still active and trying to regroup.”

“We are trying our best to thwart them. Three of their cadre were recently arrested while trying to recruit people in north Bengal. Because of its strategic location, we are aware that Siliguri is a vital transit point for not only KLO activists but also Ulfa and the NDFB from Assam, and Maoists from Nepal and Bihar,” Avasthy said.

A fortnight ago, the CPM leadership had discussed with the party’s district secretaries from Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling measures to counter the activities of the KLO and other militant outfits.

CPM state secretary Anil Biswas had also said that party leaders from the three districts had been asked to work out development projects to isolate the extremists from the masses.

Asked whether Maoists should be banned in Bengal, the top police officer said: “This is a government and political decision and not for me to say. Though the Maoists are present in most areas of the state, they are active mostly in West Midnapore and Purulia.”

Avasthy said 27 police camps had been set up in these regions. “Though they are not involved in guerrilla warfare, we have to adopt new ways to counter extremist elements, including specialised para-military training, use of SLRs and other modern techniques.”