Khotang, October 22:

Kirant Janabadi Workers’ Party said the outfit would come for talks, if the government brought

back the security personnel posted in the eastern villages to the district headquarters.

Kirant Janabadi Workers’ Party general secretary and commander Bidroha Bibas ‘Binesh’ said this in a letter, which has been forwarded to Minister for Peace and Reconstruction and government talks team coordinator Janardan Sharma ‘Prabhakar.’

CPN-UML Khotang secretariat member Rajan Rai and journalist Ratna Prasad Acharya forwarded the letter to Prabhakar today.

On October 15, the minister had invited all the armed groups operating in several, Tarai districts, for talks.

In response to the invitation, the janabadi workers’ party has put forth its preconditions for talks — conducive environment for talks, release of its jailed activists, drop cases filed against activists and leaders and transfer of security personnel from “Kirant land.”

Minister Prabhakar, in reply, had said that an informal dialogue would be held with selected leaders of the armed groups before the final talks.

On February 19, the janabadi workers’ party had attacked the police posts based in Chisapani, Phaktang and Devisthan in Khotang district.

The group has been demanding a separate “Kirant state” with autonomous rights on the basis of caste.