Islamic militancy posing serious threat

GUWAHATI, March 12: Growth of Islamic militancy in Assam, if not checked immediately, may pose a serious threat to the security of the country as efforts are on by Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) backed outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) is to unite all the small Islamic militant outfits operating in the State, highly-placed police sources said. Sources said that according to information available with the security forces, the HUM is trying to act as an umbrella organisation for all the Islamic outfits operating in the State including the Muslim United Liberation Front of Asom (MULFA), Muslim Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA), People's United Liberation Front (PULF) and the Human Liberation Front. So far more than a hundred youths from Assam were taken to Pakistan through Bangladesh for training. On March 10 last, six militants belong to the HUM surrendered before the Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Sources said that all of them received training at Battrachi in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. They were first taken to Bangladesh through Dinhata in West Bengal and some identification papers were given to them at Dhaka by the Pakistani embassy, before they were taken to Pakistan by air. Apart from giving training to handle arms and explosives, they were also given ideological training at Battrachi and after the completion of the training, they were sent to Assam to motivate others to strengthen the base of the HUM in Assam. However, they were not given too many weapons and were told that proper weapons would be provided to them at an opportunate moment, sources said. Giving an account of the growth of Islamic militancy in Assam, police sources revealed that immediately after the Nellie massacre in 1983, there were attempts to take measures by some Islamic groups to "protect themselves". However, the move did not yield any result at that moment. Sources said that Islamic militancy began to take roots in Assam after the Babri Masjid demolition as groups like the MULTA and the MULFA were formed around that time. Sources pointed out that the real threat posed by Islamic militancy came to light after the arrest of four ISI men including dreaded militant Qari Salim in Guwahati in 1999. About 40 cadres and linkmen of the HUM were arrested from different parts of Assam after the arrest of the ISI men. Police revealed that the arrest of the ISI men unearthed the plan of the HUM in Assam. After the security arrangements were tightened in the western sector, the ISI and the HUM tried to create trouble in the Northeastern region and the rapid change of the demographic pattern due to unabated influx from Bangladesh provided them with the fertile ground to foment trouble. "The only saving grace for the country is that the ISI and HUM found it difficult to motivate people with the spirit of a jehad as was done in the case of Kashmir", sources added. According to records available with the security forces, one Nurul Amin of Borbori area of Nalbari district was the first person from Assam to cross over to Bangladesh to join the Harjat-ul-Jehad in 1994. Sources said that the fact came to light after the recovery of Nurul's passport after the hideout of the outfit was busted in Delhi. Nurul was later nabbed. However, Akram Master of Barpeta, who was instrumental in recruiting youths for HUM is still at large and he is believed to be in Pakistan.