A group of former militants and linkmen of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), a proscribed terror outfit, urged chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday to expedite their recruitment as special homeguards.

After being voted to power in 2011, Mamata had taken the initiative to rehabilitate former KLO militants and others associated with the outfit. Over 500 of them have been recruited as special homeguards in north Bengal.

On Monday, the ex-KLO cadres, including women members, took out a march under the banner of the Surrendered KLO & Linkmen Welfare Committee and submitted a memorandum, addressed to the chief minister, to the Cooch Behar district collectorate and sought her intervention on the issue.

“In Cooch Behar, the state government has recruited 282 former militants and linkmen of the KLO as special homeguards in two phases. But there are 151 others who are yet to be appointed. Their police verification and other formalities have been completed but they have not been recruited so far,” said Pulastha Barman, the president of the committee.

He said most of those ex-militants and linkmen were somehow running their families by doing odd jobs.

“We thank the chief minister for supporting us. At the same time, we would request her to see that these people, who are spending days amid hardships, get jobs,” added Barman.

In their memorandum to Mamata, the former militants have said in two Kamtapuri-medium primary schools which the state government has recognised, teachers should be recruited immediately.

“There was a plan to open these schools from the current academic session which
has already commenced. However, no teacher has been recruited to these two institutions so far,” said Anowar Hossain, secretary of the committee.

Both these schools are located in the neighbouring Jalpaiguri district. In Cooch Behar, the state has recognised around 120 Rajbanshi-medium schools.

“The state has conducted interviews to recruit teachers to these two schools. Altogether, eight teachers will be engaged in the institutions. Once they are appointed, other formalities like admission of students can be initiated,” Hossain added.