Kamtapur statehood push intensifies as 100-hour hunger strike enters third day in Assam's Dhubri

A coordinated 100-hour hunger strike demanding a separate Kamtapur state reached its third day on December 5, in Bilasipara, Dhubri district, where Koch Rajbongshi organisations are staging a demonstration opposite the Co-district Commissioner’s office.

The strike, which began on December 3, is being led jointly by the Kamtapur State Demand Council (KSDC), AKRSU, UG AKRSU and the Rajbongshi Jatiya Dal Sangathan. The groups are pressing for a series of long-pending demands, including reorganisation of the proposed Kamtapur or Greater Cooch Behar state, a speedy peace agreement with KLO and KLO(KN), tribal status for the Koch Rajbongshi community, and constitutional recognition of their mother tongue.

Participants have been resting on mattresses laid out under a large temporary shelter as they continue the extended protest. A portrait of Mahatma Gandhi placed at the site underscores the organisers’ intention to frame the agitation as a peaceful campaign rooted in the principles of Satyagraha.

Calls for a Kamtapur state — encompassing parts of North Bengal and adjoining districts of Assam — have persisted for decades, driven by concerns over cultural identity, language preservation and regional development.

Organisers say they remain determined to complete the full duration of the hunger strike, arguing that sustained pressure is necessary to push both state and central governments to act on longstanding commitments.