NEW DELHI, Dec 21 ?In a worrying development, camps operated by North East insurgents in Bangladesh have increased by about 25 over the past month touching the figure of 180 with Indian security agencies claiming to have ?concrete evidence? about al Qaeda presence in that country. The new camps in Bangladesh have been detected even as an operation is underway in Bhutan to flush-out Indian insurgents from that country. Dhaka has consistently denied presence of al Qaeda elements or NE insurgents in that country, reports PTI.
Dhaka has consistently denied presence of Al Qaeda elements or NE insurgents in that country. The number of camps, which earlier stood at 155, has increased despite repeated denials by the Bangladesh government about existence of even one of these on their soil, top security sources told PTI Sunday. The concentration of camps has been seen in Khagrachar, Bandarban and Rangamati mountainous tracts of Chittagong Hills besides those scattered in Cox Bazar and Maulvi Bazar districts, they said. Camps have also been detected in Habibganj, Sylhet, Sherpur and Kurigram.
The camps, whose list has been prepared by Indian security agencies, include those run by the ULFA, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM), they said. The list also includes training camps run by People?s Liberation Army (PLA), Muslim United Liberation Tiger of Assam (MULTA), Achik National Volunteer Council, Chakma National Liberation Front (CNLF), and Dima Halam Daoga, they said.
?Various outfits even have the tactical alliance among themselves under which members of a group are even trained at the camps operated by some other outfit,? the sources said. India has already handed over to Bangladesh a list of 155 terrorist camps operating at various places in that country with their pin-pointed location and asked Dhaka to shut these. Incidentally, the number of camps cited this time are 81 more than furnished by India in November last year.
A list of 85 insurgents wanted by India was also given to Bangladesh at a high-level meeting of officials in Dhaka six months back and their deportation sought. ?We have information that ISI activities directed against India are on the rise in Bangladesh. ISI men along with Al Qaeda operatives are imparting training at several of the camps,? they said, adding the Indian agencies had ?concrete evidence? regarding it. Al Qaeda men began arriving in Bangladesh soon after US campaign in Afghanistan started and fanatic elements in that country are providing shelter and cover to them, they said.
Reports also suggest that sophisticated weapons are being smuggled into India from various places in Bangladesh including Cox Bazar, Sylhet and Chittagong and ISI operatives are playing a key role in this. India has also asked Bangladesh to hand over insurgents wanted for crimes in North-East, including top ULFA leaders Anup Chetia and Babul Sarma, the sources said. The list of insurgents includes those from Assam, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur along with details where and when they were arrested in Bangladesh.
The Indian authorities have cited the earlier requests for their handing over which had never been met by Bangladesh, the sources said. Detailing some of the incidents when the insurgents were apprehended in Bangladesh, the Indian authorities said that most of them had been arrested under Foreigner Act, Passport Act, Bangladesh Control Act and Foreign Currency Act.
According to the sources, Chetia alias Golap Barua alias Jhon Devid Salemar alias Jaj Willium Balot alias Abdul Aziz had been arrested and sent to jail in Bangladesh on January 1, 1998 under Foreigner Act and Passport Act. Babul Sarma was jailed on December 24, 1997 also under the same acts as was another top ULFA leader Laxme Prosad Goshame.
Other insurgents demanded by India from Bangladesh include Bendage Wati, Chooba alias Maden, Tusi, Champa alias Chaoba, Kaning Aum (all of ULFA), Sohan Deb Barma and Ghanta Deb Barma of ATTF, Saul Borok, Dhingro Deb Barma, Makshod Borok, Saybam Deb Barma and Kumon Deb Barma (all of NLFT).