Kidnapping by Bodo ultras on the rise in Arunachal

ITANAGAR, Jan 15— Kidnapping of Arunachal’s businessmen and Arunachali’s by various militant organizations of Northeast region, especially by both the factions of the Bodo militants seems to be a regular phenomenon in the recent past. Within a span of nine months, Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had carried out three kidnappings inside the territory of this tribal dominated Himalayan State. On May 3, 2001 Sri Tadap Nabam, a businessman from Seijosa in East Kameng district was kidnapped by NDFB militants and was released on May 6 night. Heavily armed BLT militants’ kidnapped businessmen Hulash Todi from the heart of state capital, Itanagar on December 26 last year. Todi was released on the early morning of January 2002 after taking ransom from him. The latest in the episode was kidnapping of Sri Logu Tayem, a businessmen and Sri Vikram Whage, aged 16, of Seijosa by the NDFB militants on January 6, 2002. The fate of Sri Lugo and Vikram is not yet known since the armed militants kidnapped them from their respective residence on January 6. Security forces have launched a massive operation to free them from their kidnappers. This gruesome act of the Bodo militants of neighbouring Assam has evoked widespread condemnations and resentments from various quarters across the State. Some human rights organization based in the state capital, Itanagar described the kidnapping of innocent Arunachali’s by the Bodo militants inside its territory as most barbaric and unfortunate’. “Why should the Bodo militants kidnap our people without any rhymes and reasons? They should stop doing such acts at once if they wants Bodo people serving in Arunachal Pradesh secured”, a human rights organization in a press note here said. Meanwhile, the NDFB militants have freed two persons kidnapped from Seijosa, on January 6 on Friday night.Sri Logu Tayem and Vikram Whage were kidnapped from their houses by the NDFB militants.