Assam State Government hand in violence syas JNH

SILCHAR, May 13 : Citizen Right Protection Volunteers, the mysterious outfit which had claimed responsibility for burning three Dimasa villages, was actually formed by NSCN (K) with local support from the pro-talk faction of DHD and indirect patronization from the State Government, stated apex body of Dimasa society, Jadikhe Naiso Hosom (JNH) president Dithang Naiding.

Talking to The Sentinel over telephone, Naiding said the recent cases of arsoning were a deep rooted political conspiracy to unleash fratricidal blood bath among the various tribes of NC Hills.

Accusing the State Government, the JNH chief strongly denied the role of Dimasa people in the burning of Guilong Basti, a village mostly inhabited by Nagas. Naiding also said at least 150 NSCN (K) militants had intruded into NC Hills from Manipur.

These Naga militants had secret nexus with pro-talk faction of DHD, the splinter group of Black Widow led by Bihari Dimasa and Dinob Dimasa as well as a section of security forces, he said. Naiding categorically alleged that just prior to the burning of Dimasa villages, security jawans were seen on the spots who reportedly chased away the Dimasa youths who were guarding their villages. Naiding asked all communities to maintain peace and harmony.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of Black Widow alleged that Special Task Force of Assam police IGP RN Singh had been playing a dangerous game in the NC Hills by instigating various non-Dimasa groups against the Dimasas. The spokesman further added that the recent incidents of arsoning was a conspiracy by the State Government with a motive to create communal riot in the NC Hills.

Meanwhile, RN Singh, who had been monitoring the situation from his temporary office at Haflong Circuit House, had reportedly denied the allegation. He however had earlier maintained that the security forces would launch an all-out operation against the Black Widow, which, according to him, was now a weak-kneed outfit.

SOS: 3 killed in NC Hills

Guwahati | May 11  : The situation in trouble-torn North Cachar Hills in Assam is worsening with latest reports received here that three people have been killed, several others injured and more than 30 houses of a village razed. The people have been gripped by fear psychosis that in the next few days there would be large-scale ethnic violence if concrete and drastic measures are not taken immediately.

On Saturday, in the ongoing violence three persons were killed while some 38 houses were torched reportedly by Zeme youths at a Dimasa village in restive North Cachar Hills. According to official sources, the incident took place at Phoiding village, around 40 kilometers from district headquarters Haflong, around 6 am.

The latest spate of violence has prompted the administration to clamp prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in the entire district.

Ethnic violence has been going on between the Zeme Nagas and the Dimasa community for sometime now in NC Hills district of Assam. A number of Zeme Nagas were killed earlier in the early part of this year. Even though additional forces have been rushed to the district as a preemptive step initiated by the Tarun Gogoi government, there has been no respite in the violence.

Reports said a group of gunmen swooped down on the village and fired indiscriminately from sophisticated weapons. While two persons died on the spot, another succumbed to injuries in a hospital. Three more injured persons are  undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mahur, sources said.

They added that the houses were set ablaze when the panic-stricken villagers ran for life. Senior officials of the administration rushed to the site to take stock of the situation.

Mention may be made that on Friday, unidentified gunmen torched 13 houses in Dimasa-dominated Jorai village in the district. One person sustained bullet wounds when the militants opened indiscriminate fire. A hitherto unknown ‘Citizens Rights Protection Volunteers’ (CRPV) had claimed responsibility for both the attacks. The group called up local media and threatened to continue with the attacks on the Dimasas, who are in majority in the district.

Sources said that CRPV was a newly-formed insurgent group led by Zeme Nagas and it launched the attack to avenge the purported ban on procurement of rice. The CRPV alleged that the ban was imposed by Dimasa outfit, now in ceasefire, Dima Haolam Daogah (Dilip Nunisa faction). A spokesman of DHD, when contacted, however, dismissed the allegation. Police said that they were trying to find out the identity of the group involved in the incident.

It may be mentioned that earlier in the past a number of lives were lost in ethnic clashes between the two communities in NC Hills. The latest violent incidents are seen as the prelude to full-scale communal riots in the district.

Two police officers killed as DHD(J) militants strike again

Haflong (Assam), Apr 11 : In a second attack in as many days, suspected Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) militants fired at a goods train killing two police officers and injuring another in Assam's North Cachhar Hills district on Saturday.

The insurgents, also known as the 'Black Widow', fired at the train killing the two special police officers on board and injuring the constable at Warengdisa as it was heading towards Badarpur from Umding, official sources said.

The two officers were identified as Lalit Borgohain and Biseswar Bora and the injured contable as Bhupen Kalita.

After the attacks train services in the district were cancelled for an indefinite period, the sources said.

Suspected DHD(J) militants had on Friday attacked the Barak Valley Express in the same railway section killing a CRPF jawan and critically injured 14 passengers. 

Taking responsibility for the attacks, the DHD(J) said it was protesting the killing of its cadre by security forces.

Poll observers ambushed

Nagaon, April 9 : Suspected DHD (Jewel Gorlosa) militants today ambushed a convoy of central elections observers in North Cachar Hills district but nobody was injured in the attack.

Elections for the Diphu seat will be held on April 16.

The attack at Gunjung, about 45km from the district headquarters town Haflong, is the third ever since the poll process got under way with Ulfa triggering a blast close to the election venue of external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on March 31 and a string of explosions across the state on Monday on the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit.

Sources said Ulfa was likely to step up its disruptive activities targeting the elections in the coming days.

The observer, Arun Chanda Singh, an IAS officer from Bihar, was travelling to Umranghsu when his convoy was ambushed. Security personnel escorting him fired back. The encounter lasted for nearly 15 minutes after which the militants fled.

Police said the official was in a bulletproof car and accompanied by inspector of schools, Phanindra Jidung. There are three observers for the Diphu seat which covers North Cachar Hills and adjoining Karbi Anglong district where another militant outfit, the Karbi Longri North Cachar Liberation Front (KLNLF), has imposed a 36-hour bandh.

“The militants attacked the fifth vehicle while Singh was in the second. Security forces retaliated as soon as the rebels started firing from sophisticated weapons,” a police source said. An IED planted at the site was later recovered by the team after the militants left the spot. A high-level team of NC Hills administration, led by deputy commissioner S. Jagannathan, superintendent of police Mridulananda Sarma and officials of the Assam Rifles reached the spot just after the incident.

The observer cancelled his scheduled visit and returned to the district headquarters. “Investigation is on to find out which group was involved in the attack,” Jagannathan said.

This is the second strike in the constituency since last night. Around 9.30pm, suspected KLNLF rebels attacked a police patrol jeep in which a constable was seriously injured. 

According to Diphu police, militants targeted the Maruti Gypsy at Tissomgaon under Manja police station. The rebels exploded an IED on the road and then fired on the vehicle from sophisticated weapons. These incidents occurred just two days after a high-level meeting of Karbi Anglong police in which DGP G.M. Srivastava took part to review the law and order scenario.

Srivastava said in Guwahati today that parking of vehicles within a 50-metre radius of election offices of political parties has been banned across the state, indicating that the police were not taking any chances in view of increased militant activities in the run-up the elections.

Dispur readies poll security shield

Guwahati, March 21 : A jittery Dispur today finalised a security blueprint on how to tackle the threat from trouble-makers and militants alike during the election process with special emphasis on the two hill districts, the BTAD and the inter-state and international border areas.

A meeting convened by chief electoral officer Hemanta Narzary and chaired by chief secretary P.C. Sharma this evening thoroughly assessed the situation with senior civil and police officials and finalised the blueprint, including sending a fresh proposal to the Centre to look into the state’s requirement for additional central security forces.

The meeting comes in the wake of sporadic incidents of violence that have of late rocked the hills, particularly Karbi Anglong district and the BTAD area, even before the start of electioneering. 

“Besides, there have been some fresh inputs which suggest that certain armed groups are likely to disrupt the poll process... we are taking these inputs seriously,” an official who attended the meeting said. 

The “zero tolerance” stand the government had taken post-October 30 serial blasts could see armed groups flexing their muscles, the official added. 

Reports emanating from Dispur suggest that the Centre has expressed its inability to meet the government’s requirement for additional forces as the overall security scene elsewhere in the country is similar after the Mumbai terror attack. 

“Against the additional requirement of 120 companies, the ministry of home affairs is keen to spare only 80 companies since it had previously allowed Dispur to retain over 21 companies despatched earlier. Though we have a plan ready, we will continue to fine-tune it, depending on field reports,” a source said. 

Around 2,000 polling booths have been identified as highly sensitive and nearly 7,000 as sensitive for these elections.

Assam will have two-phase elections on April 16 and 23 with three seats going to the polls in the first phase and 11 in the second.

Sources said Dispur has decided to sanitise areas which are being used by militants before the day of polling by launching special operations.

“These areas are North Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong, BTAD, particularly Baksa, along with areas bordering Bangladesh and Bhutan. We have moved the Election Commission through the chief electoral officer to provide us with two helicopters and 20 satellite phones to carry out the operations. This will help us respond swiftly,” the source said.

Police sources in Kokrajhar said a tight vigil would be maintained on NDFB militants in ceasefire as there have been occasions when some of them have indulged in unlawful activities. 

Already there are certain procedures in place to monitor their movement outside the designated camps and these have to be strictly adhered to,” the source said. “But, at the same time, we cannot take away their voting rights. If they choose to vote or campaign, we cannot really stop them.” 

There have already been some skirmishes between supporters of the two leading parties in the BTAD, the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) and the Bodoland Peoples Progressive Front (BPPF). 

Yesterday, Kokrajhar district superintendent of police P.K. Dutta said a group of Ulfa militants had sneaked in and has plans to carry out subversive activities during the elections. 

Congress leaders have also started voicing concern over security threats from militants in certain areas. 

“We might have some tough times in Karbi Anglong and NC Hills, going by recent incidents. Already we are told that KLNLF has said that it would allow only a couple of parties to campaign in Karbi Anglong and the Congress, unfortunately, does not figure in the group’s list. Then there is always the threat from DHD (Jewel Gorlosa) in NC Hills, especially since the government has spurned its ceasefire offer,” a senior leader said.

Police officer killed in N C hills

A police officer was killed another gangman was injured when suspected DHD(J) rebels attacked a group of workers engaged on a railway tract at Langting in North Cachar hills district on Thursday.

According to information, the incident took place at around 10-30 in the morning at the railway tracts at Langting at a distance of 100 kilometer from the Haflong police station.

The deceased, who died on the spot has yet to be identified as police officer identified as some Baglary who was at work died on the spot while a gangman Anil Dey sustained injury. He has been rushed to the Lumding Hospital.

ULFA, NDFB active in State: Govt

GUWAHATI, Jan 13 – The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) are carrying out subversive activities in Assam under the influence of foreign powers and the top leaders of the outfit are staying abroad, said Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, who was replying to questions by Chandra Mohan Patowary and Keshab Mahanta of the AGP in the state Assembly today.

Hussain, who was replying on behalf of the Chief Minister, said the Government has already entrusted the job of investigating into the serial blasts in the state on October 30 to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He said that the investigations by the police found involvement of NDFB chairman Ranjan Daimary and a few other members of the outfit.

“As Ranjan is in Bangladesh and is maintaining close links with ULFA commander in chief Paresh Baruah and Islamic militant outfits like the HUJI, the police suspects involvement of those outfits in the blasts,” he added.

Hussain said that the Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to deal with insurgents. He said that sustained operations against the insurgents are continuing while, the Government has also kept its doors open for talks. He said that efforts are also on to bring back the militants to the mainstream and to rehabilitate them.

The Minister informed the House that steps have been taken to prevent movement of militants to Bangladesh and Bhutan with deployment of BSF and SSB along the borders with the countries. He revealed that the counter-insurgency operations paid dividends as last year 124 militants were killed and more than 1300 were nabbed. The security forces also recovered 203 bombs and 202 grenades.

Hussain said that eight militant groups are active in the state. These are- ULFA, KLNLF, DHD(J), AANLA, KRA, HUM, MULTA and HMC(D). He said that activities of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) were also noticed in the State and 11 suspected ISI operatives and agents were arrested. However, of them, eight were released and two are in jail, while, one managed to escape from West Bengal. One Harkat ul Mujaahideen activist Nurul Amin managed to escape from Guwahati medical college hospital.

In reply to a question by Ramendra Narayan Kalita (AGP), the Minister said that during the period from 2001 to 2008, as many as 406 persons were killed and 3248 were injured in bomb blasts in the State. He said that as many as 1345 persons were killed by militants and 355 were abducted.

Giving an account of the crime graph, Hussain said that during the same period, the state recorded 48630 theft, 2978 dacoity and 8452 vehicle theft cases. He said that 637 dowry death cases were reported during the same period, while, 317 persons lost their lives in ethnic clashes.