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North East violence

	October 18, 2004

Alarm bells in New Delhi

The recent wave of violence in this troubled region which claimed over 80 lives, appears to have alarmed New Delhi forcing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene special meetings to review the deteriorating security situation.

The situation in the North East dominated the third meeting of the Left-UPA coordination committee held last week. Home Minister Shivraj Patil who is reportedly now under a cloud for “creating a mess” in the region, gave details of the measures the government proposes to initiate to tackle the situation, and the Left Front which is supporting the UPA Government from outside, expressed satisfaction at the outcome.

In specific terms, Patil told the Left leaders that while the Manorama Devi issue in Manipur is in the legal process, Assam Rifles (AR) has almost moved out of Kangla Fort. Out of 1,800 AR personnel, only 200 are left and by December, the fort would be handed over to the state government. Also, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been withdrawn from Imphal.

The Minister also shared information about the yet-to-be confirmed ceasefire offer from National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), the Bodo insurgent group which is perceived to be behind the current wave of violence. The Government has so far not been able to check the veracity of the offer made through e-mail to some journalists. Patil assured the meeting that the Government will be willing to discuss the offer with the NDFB.

According to media reports, the NDFB has formally handed over to the State Government its offer of a six-month ceasefire from October 15. State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has termed the NDFB offer as a “step in the right direction to help restore peace in the region. Gogoi also revealed that NDFB president D.R. Nabla had directly sent him the letter containing the offer of truce for six months. He said he would communicate to the Centre the NDFB’s offer.

Left leaders also brought to the Government’s notice involvement of terrorists, based in Bangladesh and Myanmar, in the recent blasts. Patil maintained that while the situation in the north-east has “generally improved”, Assam and Manipur are returning to normal.

India’s relations with Bangladesh were also discussed, touching upon the current strains in the ties over security issues like smuggling and infiltration.



Measures to tackle insurgency

After getting a nod from the UPA and the Left Front about its handling of the north east, the government the very next day initiated concrete measures to deal with the delicate situation, especially in Assam and Manipur.

The Centre, according to observers, appears to be more worried in view of the fact that terrorists chose two very important days to strike terror causing large scale bloodshed in the region. The strikes, observers feel, were the result of careful planning and coordination among some of the major insurgent groups operating in the north-east. There was definitely a conspiracy to have simultaneous strikes at a number of places in Assam and Nagaland. The insurgents had deliberately chosen August 15 and thereafter October 2, for the attacks, apparently to show their disrespect for the days sacrosanct to the Indian State. The ULFA and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) have since acknowledged their involvement in the attacks. These two very groups, observers point out, had towards the end of December 2003, asked the Chinese Government for shelter and medical facilities when their cadres were fleeing from Bhutan. An appeal, signed jointly by Arabinda Rajkhowa (ULFA Chairman) and Ranjan Daimari (NDFB Chairman) requested China to allow members of ULFA, NDFB and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) safe passage “to save their lives”. China, of course, had ignored the appeal.

It was clear that the ULFA and NDFB, reportedly aided and abetted by foreign elements, would launch retaliatory strikes at a time and place of their choice. While the ULFA wanted to demonstrate that it retained its strike capability and wanted to avenge the humiliation suffered in Bhutan, the NDFB was finding itself marginalised ever since the formation of the Bodoland Territorial Council in December 2003 which followed the surrender of cadres of the Bodo Liberation Tigers at Kokrajhar.

The sudden resurgence in terrorist attacks in north-eastern India is attributed to the emergence of Myanmar-Naga hills controlled by the NSCN(K) as an operating base for the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).



Myanmar-Naga hills new home for 4,400 ULFA cadres

The recent attacks are being staged by ULFA cadres operating from bases in Myanmar-Naga hills and are being coordinated by the outfit’s leadership based in Bangladesh, according to the Government of India’s latest appraisal of the North-east.

A “secret” report, to which the Chandigarh-based English daily The Tribune has reportedly access, says interrogation of arrested and surrendered ULFA cadres has highlighted that the central command headquarters of the ULFA is now based in Bangladesh. The headquarters is in regular communication with bases in Myanmar-Naga hills and is directing the planning and execution of attacks in Assam.

The report warns that ULFA has been trying to organise its remaining cadres to hit at Lower Assam and it is only a matter of time before Lower Assam sees the kind of attacks on public places and infrastructure that Upper Assam is witnessing.

The recent blast in a cinema hall at Dhubri is a precursor to such attacks.

Following the Bhutan operations, the ULFA has focused on reorganisation of its cadres. A major exercise being conducted by the group towards this objective is organising the remaining strike forces into five battalions, each assigned with a specific responsibility.

Apart from the central command headquarters, almost the entire ULFA top leadership is now based in Bangladesh. Interrogations have revealed that the senior ULFA leaders were withdrawn to Bangladesh well before the Bhutan army operations.

Thus, while the lower cadres were abandoned to their fate, the senior leadership ensured its safety by fleeing to Bangladesh. Six of the 14 members of the central executive committee of the ULFA and a large number of the commanders and Deputy commanders of the ULFA’s armed wing are now permanently based in Bangladesh.

Dhaka has consistently rubbished charges of providing shelter to any terrorist outfit.

Dhaka’s importance for the ULFA today is reinforced by the fact that Bangladeshi territory is the landing area for all arms procurement by the ULFA. The truth of this was brought home dramatically in April 2004 when a huge consignment of arms and ammunition was seized when the contraband was being unloaded at Chittagong port.

Interrogations have indicated that the ULFA had played the major role in arranging the consignment and was to be its biggest benefactor.

This is not the first time that the ULFA has utilised Bangladeshi territory for bringing in weapons and smuggling them to India. Interrogations conducted after the Bhutan operations have clearly indicated that almost the entire weaponry of the ULFA is routed through Bangladesh. In fact, the ULFA had smuggled into India another major arms consignment through Chittagong in the year 2000-01.

The report points out that today Bangladesh is the fulcrum for all ULFA activities. Arrested cadres of groups like the NDFB, the ANVC and the KLO have clearly outlined that the smaller groups depend on the ULFA’s network in Bangladesh for their sustenance.

This network is well established and varied in nature, with contacts in political, religious and government circles, including security agencies. ULFA is the favoured group among all anti-India elements in Bangladesh.



Threat of fresh attack leads to red alert

A red alert has been sounded in West Bengal and other parts of the north-eastern states bordering Bangladesh against fresh attack of terrorists from across the border during the Puja festival.

According to an intelligence report, about 900 dreaded terrorists trained by the ISI of Pakistan and the DGFI of Bangladesh had sneaked into several north-eastern states, including Assam, Tripura and Manipur recently.

Some of the terrorists had now entered West Bengal to create trouble during the festive season. Major-Gen Shadek Hossain Rumi had been authorised by the ISI to lead the operation in West Bengal and the N-E, according to state Home Department sources.

State Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said they had some specific information that ISI terrorists from across Bangladesh would try to disturb peace during the festive months in the region. Accordingly, the police had been asked to take all precautionary measures. He said some 20 platoons of the additional paramilitary force like the CRPF, BSF and CISF had been deployed in all vulnerable areas in the state, particularly in north Bengal districts.

Though the Bangladesh government had denied the existence of terrorists camps in that country, Union Home Ministry officials specifically identified 195 camps in Bangladesh where the ULFA, the KLO, the NSCN, the TTVF and other Indian terrorists had been undergoing training by the ISI and Al-Qaeda.