Bodoland arms haul raises worries
Security agencies admit ex-militants still running pvt militia
The presence of a large number of illegal weapons with former militants in Western Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Council has become a major area of concern for security agencies which have succeeded in recovering some weapons while admitting that former militants are still running a private militia and may turn out to be a serious threat to law and order of the area.
Though, ministry of home affairs had made a major breakthrough by forcing all the factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) signing a peace accord that led to ceremonial surrender of arms before Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in January this year.
The separatist groups which announced the end of armed struggle however deposited only 178 weapons, raising the eyebrows of security agencies which feared that a large number of sophisticated weapons were withheld by these rebel groups.
It is significant that all together 1615 cadres which included 836 of the
NDFB-Progressive, 579 of the NDFB-Ranjan Daimary faction and 200 of the NDFB(S) led by B. Saoraigwra had laid down arms.
Pointing out that all the four factions claimed to have deposited 4,800 weapons, security sources said that on scrutiny of the arms, it was found that only 178 weapons that NDFB cadres used were surrendered and remaining arms were junk and unused old weapons.
Security forces recovered one HK-33 rifle, an M16 rifle, an AK-47 rifle and 27 rounds of live cartridges on July 19 from
Ghaghra Part II in Udalguri district.
The police had also recovered a HK-33 Rifle with ammunition from No 4 Moinaguri under Bijni Police Station in Chirang district on Sunday evening. Earlier a day before on Saturday, in two separate operations, the police recovered arms and ammunition from Kokrajhar and Baksa districts. Two AK-47 rifles, 2 9MM pistols and ammunition were recovered from Goreswar Police Station area and one AK-47 and ammunition from Simla Police Station area in the district.