GUWAHATI, Oct 18 ? Increase in movement of militants operating in the north-eastern States through the North Bengal corridor is causing concern among the security agencies and the issue was one of the topics which got attention in the meeting of the DGs of the police forces of the NE States, held here recently.
Security sources said that the meeting, which stressed the importance of improving coordination between the police forces of the region to deal with the problem of militancy, was also attended by the Additional Director General of Police of West Bengal. Sources revealed that the two-day meeting decided to improve coordination at all levels and as the militants are frequently using the North Bengal corridor, the police forces of Assam and West Bengal would also improve coordination at different levels to deal with the situation.
Sources revealed that so far the militant outfits of North East have not launched any major operation in North Bengal area apart from a bank dacoity by the militants belonging to the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) in the 1990s, but there have been instances, where the militants belonging to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) operated along with the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO). Sources said that the militants of the region mostly use the North Bengal corridor as a transit route and there have also been reports of militants maintaining some bases as shelter points.
According to reports available with the security agencies, almost all the major militant groups of the region have their bases in Bangladesh and they are reportedly using the North Bengal corridor to enter India and before the operations against the militants in Bhutan in December last year, the militants also used the corridor to go from Bangladesh to Bhutan.
Sources said that the growing activities of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in the region was also discussed in the meeting of the DGs of the North Eastern States and a decision was taken to improve coordination among the police forces to check the activities of the Pakistani agency.
Sources said that the ISI has been using the outfits of the region to create disturbance, while, some of the Jehadi and fundamentalist outfits based in Bangladesh are also getting the patronage of the Pakistani agency, which may pose a threat to the security of the North East in the days to come.
The Indian security agencies are also apprehensive of the role played by a section of officials of the Director General of Field Intelligence (DGFI) of Bangladesh as they are of the view that some anti- India elements in the DGFI might be assisting the NE ultra groups.