GUWAHATI, May 2 — The arrest of two NDFB leaders in Kolkata on Tuesday has exposed the feud running deep amongst the top leadership of the banned militant outfit. Police sources today said NDFB chairman Ranjan Daimary was directly behind the arrest of Sunil Brahma alias B Simang, the NDFB spokesperson, and it was Daimary who intimated Kolkata police about the presence of Brahma along with Indra Mohan Basumatary alias B Buthang, the other NDFB man arrested there.
The rift between Daimary and Brahma has been widening for the last several years and although it narrowed to some extent at the intervention of NDFB general secretary Govinda Basumatary (who was also recently arrested at Rangiya), it resurfaced and intensified over the issue of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), the sources claimed, adding that the NDFB supremo had earlier even tried to eliminate Brahma, but without success.
Brahma, the sources claimed, was the mastermind behind the mass killing at Bansbari on July 27, 1994, committed by the NDFB. But following the incident, Brahma gradually underwent a change of mind and was unwilling to involve himself in killings, leading to a rift between him and Ranjan Daimary.
NDFB publicity secretary B Erakdao was also at Kolkata at the time of their arrest, but he managed to give police the slip after being tipped off about the police action by Ranjan Daimary himself, the sources said. Besides incriminating documents, Rs 10 lakh in cash was recovered from the duo, the amount being ‘collections’ from business houses of Kolkata having business interest in Assam.
A team of Assam police officials on Thursday left for Kolkata to interrogate the arrested militants which is likely to result in crucial revelations about the outfit. Lots of incriminating documents already seized from the duo are also sure to throw more light on the outfit activities and different connections. They will be under the custody of Kolkata police till May 6.
It may be mentioned that the NDFB has, of late, received quite a few setbacks with the arrest of several of its top leaders in the past few months. NDFB vice-president Dhiren Bodo was arrested in Gangtok on December 31 last year followed by the arrest of its general secretary Govinda Basumatary at Rangiya.
Over ten cases including murder charges are pending against the arrested militants. Besides, Kolkata police too has been looking for the two in connection with a bomb blast at Jalpaiguri some time back.