Malkhan Singh a.k.a Madhab Mandal, a former militant of proscribed militant outfit Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), has claimed to be on an indefinite hunger strike for the past four days in Malda over his “arrest by state police in a false case”.

Police, however, have denied that Malkhan is on a hunger strike.

Last month, Malkhan was arrested by the special task force of the state police from a relative’s home on the outskirts of Siliguri, when he was reportedly on his way to Assam to initiate peace talks with the state government there and the Centre on behalf of the KLO.

Earlier, Jeevan Singha, the self-styled KLO chief, had announced Malkhan’s name as one of the representatives of the outfit.

After his arrest, Malkhan was taken into custody by Bamangola police station in Malda in connection with a case registered against him.

His brother Jadab said: “As he was implicated in a false case, he has stopped eating and drinking for four days now. Police have to make arrangements for his treatment. Even senior officers visited the police station to check on his health.”

A senior police officer, however, denied the claim. “The claim has no basis. He was provided with saline water as it was needed for his health condition. It is common practice. Also, the visit of senior officers at the police station was routine,” he said.

On Friday, he was sent to judicial custody, said sources.

In another development, Singha, the KLO chief, released a fresh video clip that surfaced on social media on Friday, where he was seen being critical of Bengal and Centre. He said the state and the Centre should act according to the merger agreement of 1949 when then Cooch Behar state merged with India. “It was supposed to be a C-category state but turned out to be a district. It is because of such a decision that people had to migrate to other states in search of jobs,” said Singha.