Dhubri, July 8: A joint meeting of the members of the Separate State Demand Committee of Koch-Rajbongshis from Assam and north Bengal held in New Cooch Behar for separate Kamtapur state today resolved to take forward the movement.

The leaders from Assam and north Bengal discussed the issue and adopted many resolutions, which would be implemented in phases.

Members of Kamtapur Peoples’ Party and Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association from north Bengal and All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) from Assam attended the meeting at Baisguri Lower Primary School in New Cooch Behar.

AKRSU general secretary Trilokya Roy said the Separate State Demand Committee, which was formed in 2008, was renamed the Separate State Demand Committee for Kamtapur or Greater Cooch Behar. “This body will organise a two-day workshop for the activists in Bongaigaon on July 18 and 19,” Roy added.

AKRSU vice-president Biswajit Singha said the committee was formed four years ago to put pressure on Bengal, Assam and the Centre to carve out parts of north Bengal and Assam to create Kamtapur.

However, in today’s meeting, the Greater Cooch Behar issue also figured during the discussion and it was included in the nomenclature of the new body. It will intensify the movement to achieve separate statehood for the Koch-Rajbongshis in Assam and north Bengal.

The committee wants Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, north Dinajpur, south Dinajpur and Malda districts of Bengal and Dhubri, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Barpeta, Nalbari, Darrang, Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Morigaon districts as part of Kamtapur.

AKRSU said though the community met Union home minister P. Chidambaram last year, who assured them that he would look into the demand, no step has been taken.

If the movement was intensified, as the committee plans to from August, north Bengal and lower Assam would face strikes and blockades.