Chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat, is scheduled to visit Siliguri on 11 December. Reliable sources said that Mr Bhagwat will be returning from Guwahati on 10 December and stay here that night.

Though the venue for an assembly the RSS has planned with Mr Bhagwat has not yet been selected, the RSS chief is likely to join the meeting in Siliguri on 11 December.

“The programme for the RSS chief’s visit to Siliguri was finalised suddenly, considering the significance of Bengal as well as North Bengal,” a source said.

Senior RSS activists said they will chalk out detailed programmes soon and see if Mr Bhagwat will interact with intellectuals here.

As part of a routine programme named ‘Nagar Ekotrikaran’, an assembly for all RSS activists, who will be joining in their full uniforms and will do some physical exercises and join prayers, has been planned. Nagar Ekotrikaran will be held on 11 December around 7.30 am.

“Mr Bhaghwat will deliver a speech on a particular subject related to the nationalistic point of view. He may also interact with senior RSS activists in a special session in Siliguri,” the source said.

According to sources, RSS activists have taken the incident of Daribhit in Islampur into special consideration. It may be mentioned here that two students were killed and another one injured when police allegedly opened fire on a group of protesters in the Daribhit High School on 20 September.

It may be noted here that RSS activists do not called the place Islampur, while they prefer to call it ‘Ishwarpur’ instead.

“From Ishwarpur to the Indo-Nepal border, the entire 40 km stretch identified as the ‘Chicken Neck’, is vulnerable. If we cannot ensure its security, the Central forces will not be able to protect it. Besides, RSS is worried about the Islamic activities and anti-national activities along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal. We need to protect national interests since we live in Bengal, otherwise we will be branded as ‘Bengali Hindu Refugee’ again,” said an activist, directly associated with the RSS.

The RSS leadership has increased its activities in South Bengal by engaging several people and youths.

It may be noted that Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, the general secretary of the RSS, will be coming here in January to attend a scheduled ‘Khetra Baithak’.

RSS leadership has stressed on the need to “awaken the Bengal people as they lead India as the Bengal leadership did earlier.”

According to RSS activists, the founder chief of the RSS, Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, drew encouragement from Bengal and a Bengali youth as he came to Kolkata for higher studies.