Manipur ultras active in Barak Valley

By R Dutta Choudhury

GUWAHATI, Nov 29 – Members of Manipur based militant outfits have started sneaking into the Barak Valley districts of Assam, while, activities of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) in the Dima Hasao district have become matters of serious concern.

Highly placed police sources told The Assam Tribune that members of Manipur based militant groups are suspected to be involved in blowing off of a bridge in Cachar district last evening and the main aim was to cut off the road leading to Manipur.

Sources said that there was an intelligence input that some of the Manipur based militant outfits have been trying to increase their dominance in the areas bordering the Barak Valley and they might try to cut off the road connecting the neighbouring state from the Valley. Accordingly, the main bridge near the inter-state border was guarded, but the militants managed to sneak into the Valley to blow off a bridge well inside Assam. “We have learnt the lessons from the incident and a survey of all the vulnerable bridges are being conducted so that those can be properly secured,” sources added.

Police sources said that after a lull for a few months, the United Democratic Liberation Army of Barak Valley, a militant outfit of the Riangs, are trying to become active once again. The outfit declared a unilateral cease fire in January this year, but it was withdrawn in October and the outfit started its activities by kidnapping a gateman of the Railways. But the outfit suffered a severe setback last week when five of its members were arrested in Silchar when they came to kidnap a Railway employee. But the disturbing fact is that the Riang group has joined hands with criminal gangs to indulge in unlawful activities.

Meanwhile, activities of the NSCN (I-M) have become matters of serious concern for the police and security forces in Dima Hasao district. Though the NSCN (I-M) is under cease-fire agreement with the Government of India, members of the outfit are violating the ground rules to indulge in unlawful activities in Dima Hasao. Sources revealed that the militant group issued extortion notices to a number of people in the district and in recent times, a few of the cadres of the outfit were arrested along with extortion notes and weapons.

One NSCN cadre has been arrested in connection with the killing of engineer Rajiv Pathak in Haflong, but it is still not known whether he had received any extortion notes from any militant group. “Pathak never informed the police about receiving any extortion demand,” sources added.