Insurgency / Assam

GUWAHATI, August 17: The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) today alleged that Indian intelligence agencies like the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were involved in the recent attacks on the family members of NDFB activists. In a statement, B Erakda, secretary, information and publicity of the NDFB, said Indian intelligence agencies were worried over the recent agreement between the NDFB and the BLTF. He said the NDFB and the BLTF had decided not to fight each other and work jointly. Because of this, the Indian agencies were trying to create differences between the Bodo groups...

GUWAHATI, August 16: As many as 202 extremists surrendered in different parts of the state on the occasion of Independence Day yesterday. An official release said of the militants who surrendered, 178 belonged to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), 23 to the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and one from the Bodoland Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF). The ultras also surrendered 47 pieces of firearms, 599 rounds of ammunition, 23 explosive devices, 10 kg of explosive materials. In Guwahati, 47 ultras - 34 belonging to the ULFA, 12 to the NDFB and one to BLTF - surrendered to the...

SIBSAGAR, August 14: Veteran nonagenarian freedom fighter Uma Rajkonwar has called for a solution to the insurgency issue in the state through amicable negotiations. Both the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) boys and the government should come forward to resolve the issue through negotiations, although the responsibility to create a congenial atmosphere for such negotiations lies mainly with the government, Rajkonwar, now 99, told this correspondent at his Lakwa residence on August 10 last. The observation is significant since the youngest of his three sons , Rajib Rajkonwar, is the ULFA...

GUWAHATI, August 11: A virtually open Assam-Bangladesh border and a favourable demographic pattern along the border areas has encouraged the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents to use Assam as a route to enter the country. This fact came to light after the arrest of four important ISI men in the city recently, police sources said. They said during interrogation of the four arrested ISI men - Md Fasih Ullah and Md Javed Wakhar of Pakistan, Maulana Hafiz Md Akram Mallik of Kashmir and Qari Salim Ahmed of Uttar Pradesh - the police came to know that those people came to Dhaka from...

JORHAT, August 10: A cloak-and-dagger game is on all over Assam. Bitten and embarrassed by the Kargil bug that showed India's intelligence personnel in bad light, the sleuths appear to be waking up to seek revenge against Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). It was once again the Army that issued the wake-up call. On July 31, Major-General B P Bopanna, GoC 21 Mountain Division, made a startling disclosure: Some madrassas (schools) in Assam were helping the growth of separatist forces with the help of ISI. The General was specific: the madrassas engaged in anti-national activity were...

NEW DELHI, August 9: The Centre today finalised a fresh strategy to counter the ongoing spurt in militant-related violence in Kashmir and the Northeast particularly the Kupwara region in North Kashmir and few select areas in Assam. The nuts and bolts of the strategy are understood to have been cleared for instant implementation at a high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani at his North Block office here today. The meeting among others was attended by Chief of the Army Staff Gen V P Malik, Director General Rashtriya Rifles, Home Secretary and other senior officials of...

GUWAHATI, August 9: The names of two of the four Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) men nabbed by the city police figure in the list of the most wanted enemies of the nation prepared by the Union government, police sources here said. They said the two -Qari Salim Ahmed of Uttar Pradesh and Maulana Hafiz Md Akram Mallik- were wanted in connection with several bomb blasts in different parts of the country. The other two ISI officers nabbed by the city police are Md Fasih Ullah Hussaini and Md Javed Wakhar, both of Pakistan. Giving details of the events leading to the arrest of the ISI men, police...

GUWAHATI, August 8: The Assam police achieved a major breakthrough in busting the network of the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the state and nabbed 31 persons including two ISI officers, two agents of the agency and 27 militants belonging to different Islamic militant outfits. The arrests also exposed the plan of ISI to convert Assam into a separate Islamic country. The chief minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, said the Assam police yesterday arrested four persons - Mohammad Fasih Ullah Hussaini alias Hamid Mehmood, alias Khalid Mehmood of Hyderabad, Sind of Pakistan, Mohammad...

GUWAHATI, August 8: The United Minorities' Front (UMF) led by HRA Choudhury has condemned the statements made by the general officer commanding of 4 Corps, Lt Gen BS Shekhatkar, suggesting that mosques and madrassas in the state are becoming shelters for agents of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In an executive meeting today, the UMF passed a resolution condemning the statements and said that it was a well-calculated move by the Army as well as the state government to harass religious minorities, particularly religious leaders, intellectuals, social workers and known political workers...

NEW DELHI, August 5: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the Tripura People's Democratic Front (TPDF) have said there will be no change in their previous collective decisions together with the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), People's Revolutionary Party og Kangleipak (PREPAK) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) over the boycott of India's Independence Day celebrations "in our entire region". A statement issued by ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and TPDF president Ranjit Deb Barma appealed to the people of the Northeast to...