GUWAHATI, Dec 16 ? A full-scale Army operation is once again looming large on the State as the State government has sounded a state-wide red alert to thwart possible infiltration bid by militants from Bhutan in the wake of the Bhutanese Army launching operations to flush out ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants from the Himalayan kingdom.
Addressing a Press conference today, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi informed that the Union government had specifically asked the State government to prevent any bid by militants who are facing offensive of the Royal Bhutan Army, to sneak into the State. Gogoi informed that already a red alert had been sounded throughout the State and vigil had been geared up along the Indo-Bhutan border in Assam while State police and their counterparts in West Bengal were coordinating to foil infiltration bid, particularly by KLO ultras.
He, however, stated that the State government had no knowledge on the details of the operations carried out by the Bhutanese Army and hence it wouldn?t be possible to provide information on casualty, if any, on the side of the ultras from the State taking refuge in that country. He stated that there shouldn?t be any sympathy for those anti-national elements taking shelter in Bhutan in the wake of the military offensive launched against them in the neighbouring kingdom.
Although the State government would have liked to be in possession of adequate companies of Special Security Bureau (SSB) personnel in the State at this moment to deploy along the Indo-Bhutan border in the State, the same continued to remain a far cry. The Chief Minister said, ?Although the Centre had given the nod for deployment of SSB along the Indo-Bhutan border in Assam, the force personnel could not be made available for the State so far in view of failure of Jammu and Kashmir government to release the SSB personnel deployed in that State.?
Welcoming the action of the Royal Bhutan government to evict ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants from the Himalayan kingdom, Gogoi pointed out that similar action by Bangladesh and Myanmar governments would be instrumental in neutralising militancy in the State. ?Flushing out of militants from only Bhutan would hardly solve the problem unless their camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar remain intact,? Gogoi said, adding that because of the sanctuaries enjoyed by the militants in neighbouring countries the State have remained vulnerable for ultras although their support base within the State has eroded.