Insurgency / Assam

GUWAHATI, May 13 ? Proximity with districts and States facing serious problem of insurgency has made Cachar a vulnerable district and the terrain in the bordering areas also caused problems for the security forces. Police sources in Silchar told The Assam Tribune that Cachar?s neighbouring district of North Cachar Hills is hit by the activities of militant outfit Dima Halong Daogah (DHD) while several outfits including the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, PLA and UNLF are active in the neighbouring State of Manipur. The militants can sneak into Cachar by taking advantage of the terrain...

SILCHAR, May 12 ? The Dimasa outfit Dima Halam Danga (DHD) has intensified its activities for the creation of a separate Dimaraji State with the inclusion of the parts of Cachar, North Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts. This has created fear psychosis among the people living in the areas. A vernacular daily of Silchar has reported quoting intelligence sources that the DHD has chalked out a blue-print for this. It is learnt that the Bodo outfit NDFB has extended its support towards the DHD for creating a strong movement like the Bodoland one. NDFB has reportedly opened some...

GUWAHATI, May 9 ?After suffering setback in recent months, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) leadership has initiated steps for regrouping of the outfit and the local units have been specific targets for recruitment and fund collection, highly placed police sources said here. Sources revealed that according to information available, all the local units of the outfit have been given specific targets for recruitment and according to the target, around 200 boys will be recruited from Sivasagar district, while, around 150 will be recruited from Nagaon. Sources revealed that the ULFA has...

SILCHAR, May 8 ? Lack of adequate security cover and a hostile terrain make the Railway employees and the contractors engaged in the gauge conversion work between Lumding and Silchar easy targets of the militants, particularly the militants belonging to the Dima Halong Daogah (DHD). There were several instances in recent past when persons engaged in the gauge conversion work came under attack from the armed militants, and if such incidents are not checked, the gauge conversion work will be seriously affected. During a recent trip through the hill section of the Lumding-Silchar line of the...

NEW DELHI, May 7 ? Reiterating Centre?s conditional offer for talks with the outlawed ULFA, Union Minister of State for Home, I D Swami today while ruling out the possibility of unilateral ceasefire said the offer has to come from the militant outfit. Talking to a group of newsmen on the sidelines of the national seminar organized by All Assam Students Union (AASU), the Minister said the outfit has to first abjure violence and give up arms before negotiations. ?It is the first stated policy of the Government of India to talk to any militant outfit provided they give up violence,? he said.

On...

GUWAHATI, April 29 ? Nalbari district, a strong bastion of the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), is today under siege of the Army, police and para-military forces engaged in counter-insurgency operation. Deputy Commissioner of Nalbari, B Kalyan Chakraborty, who heads the Unified Command at district level by virture of his official position, informed that over 20 hardcore ULFA militants had been ?eliminated? in the district in ?encounters? with security forces in the last couple of months. The Deputy Commissioner attributed the success of ?well-coordinated? Army-police...

GUWAHATI, April 27 ? Though the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has not indulged in any major act of violence in recent past, the recruitment drive of the outfit is still on and according to intelligence reports, at least 300 youths have been recruited from different parts of the State within this month. Highly placed official sources told this correspondent that those who joined the ULFA in recent weeks included some educated youths including engineers and doctors, who were frusted at the lack of employment avenues in the State. According to intelligence inputs, the fresh...

GUWAHATI, April 25 : The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has expressed its ?grave concern? over mounting tension and mistrust among different communities in the State over proposed Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Dismissing the reported allegation of Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) publicity secretary, Mainao Daimari who stated that ULFA was trying to create confusion among Bodo people over BTC and conspiring to deprive Bodo people of their democratic right, the banned ULFA in a statement today said that the BLT leader made the ?sweeping remarks? in the media without reading...

GUWAHATI, April 25 ? The Assam Police, under the Project Aashwas, will soon launch a baseline survey of the trauma and requirements of the families of the victims of terrorism. Police sources said that a reputed agency has already been engaged to carry out the survey and the project will be financed by the UNICEF. Sources pointed out that so far no scientific survey of the trauma and needs of the victims of terrorism was carried out in the State. The survey will take at least a year.

The second component of the project, that is training of police personnel and other officials to change their...

GUWAHATI, April 20 ?Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi?s latest appeal for negotiation during the festive season of Bihu has nothing new in it, said the proscribed ULFA here today. The ULFA in a faxed press release, said that the Chief Minister?s appeal was only a cover-up measure to hide the State Government?s conspiratorial attitude and lack of effectiveness in matters of resolving the ULFA issue through negotiation. Infact, the Chief Minister?s appeal is nothing but an attempt at befooling the people, it is full of hypocracy and product of a diabolic design, the banned outfit said.

It also called...