GUWAHATI: The unified command in the state will review the nature of its ongoing operations against Ulfa-I, the anti-talks faction of the rebel outfit led by Paresh Baruah, after Anup Chetia's repatriation to India from Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Assam Police stepped up pressure on Baruah's last surviving field commander, Drishti Rajkhowa, to join the Arabinda Rajkhowa-led pro-talks faction. The Assam Police DGP on Monday said that Drishti Rajkhowa ordered the grenade blast that injured 15 persons in the city on Sunday.
"Our counter-insurgency operation will continue on existing lines for now but we may have to change them after Anup Chetia is brought here. He is the key leader of the outfit and his statements will be crucial for us. We will interrogate him after he comes and whatever information he gives us will be matched with the information we have and, then, we may have to change the line of the operation," a security source said.
Chetia, who is the founder general secretary of the outfit and currently in protective custody in a Bangladesh jail, recently gave up his appeal in a Bangladesh high court seeking political asylum and wants to return home. Chetia was the mastermind behind making Ulfa a powerful militant outfit, and both Baruah and Rajkhowa want him on their side. The Centre also wants Chetia to join the peace talks.
The source said, "Pinning the blame for the blast on Drishti is part of the strategy to mount pressure on him to switch sides. There were inputs about Drishti's presence in Mehndipathar in Garo Hills a few weeks ago, but he was untraceable there. Assam Police have been making a huge effort to break Drishti and lure him to the pro-talks faction."
Drishti Rajkjhowa, whose actual name is Monoj Rabha, is from the Rabha community in Goalpara district. He is very popular among the Rabha people and is the last armed wing 'commander' of the outfit, and has survived waves of surrenders and counter-insurgency operations. Known to be a master disguiser, Drishti shuttles between Bangladesh and the neighbouring Garo Hills in Meghalaya that border the state in the southwestern region. He is so elusive that security and intelligence agencies do not even have any recent photograph of him.
"If Drishti can be coerced to leave anti-talks faction, it will be the biggest blow to Paresh Baruah and it will weaken him like never before," the source said.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Factional clashes among militant outfits a cause of security concern in Manipur
Factional clashes among militant outfits are a cause of security concern in Manipur. Recently, unidentified armed militants launched an attack on a vehicle carrying the 'home secretary' of the Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) Saikhohao and his family.
On July 13, Saikhohao, along with his family, was on his way back from Imphal to his home in Saikul village. While Seikhohao died on the spot, his two year old daughter succumbed to her injuries the next day. Two others were also injured in the ambush.
"This type of brutal killing is inhumane in nature and is completely condemnable and as the speaker of the Kuki Inpi Manipur, I strongly condemn this type of action against him and any other persons in Manipur," said H Azhang Khongsai, Speaker, Kuki Inpi Manipur
While no one has taken responsibility for the incident till now, rival Kuki cadres are suspected to be behind the attack. Kuki militant outfits often engage in factional fights, which result in bloodshed.
"This incident has happened at a time when they are under the suspension of operation. So this is very unfortunate and I am not happy with it," Chungkham Haokip, President, Kuki Inpi.
KLA is the armed wing of the Kuki Liberation Organization (KLO) and the group is a signatory to the ongoing Suspension of Operation with the government. Over 20 Kuki militant groups operating in Manipur have signed tripartite agreement with the state and the Centre.
On July 13, Saikhohao, along with his family, was on his way back from Imphal to his home in Saikul village. While Seikhohao died on the spot, his two year old daughter succumbed to her injuries the next day. Two others were also injured in the ambush.
"This type of brutal killing is inhumane in nature and is completely condemnable and as the speaker of the Kuki Inpi Manipur, I strongly condemn this type of action against him and any other persons in Manipur," said H Azhang Khongsai, Speaker, Kuki Inpi Manipur
While no one has taken responsibility for the incident till now, rival Kuki cadres are suspected to be behind the attack. Kuki militant outfits often engage in factional fights, which result in bloodshed.
"This incident has happened at a time when they are under the suspension of operation. So this is very unfortunate and I am not happy with it," Chungkham Haokip, President, Kuki Inpi.
KLA is the armed wing of the Kuki Liberation Organization (KLO) and the group is a signatory to the ongoing Suspension of Operation with the government. Over 20 Kuki militant groups operating in Manipur have signed tripartite agreement with the state and the Centre.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
GNLA commander killed in Meghalaya
A three-hour gunfight between security forces and Garo rebels Friday
ended after a Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) commander was killed
in Meghalaya.
Acting on a tip off, security forces raided Basamgre village in the East Garo Hill district, about 300 km west of Shillong.
The gun battle began when the militants fired at the security forces. Area commander Pilon M. Sangma was killed, district police chief J.F.K. Marak told IANS.
Pilon was wanted in several cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion in Garo Hills. Police said his killing was a major setback to the outfit.
An AK-47 rifle, three magazines with 148 rounds of live ammunition, one US-made .45 Colt pistol with 17 rounds of ammunition, a grenade and a high frequency wireless set were recovered from the site.
Sohan D. Shira, military wing chief of GNLA, has threatened retaliation.
"If our GNLA cadres are killed in this way, then from now onwards all those people travelling in vehicles will also meet the same fate. This will happen very shortly," Shira told Alva B. Sangma, editor of a Garo weekly Achik Songbad.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Police has sounded a security alert in Garo Hills following the GNLA's threat, while the SWAT and CoBRA commandos continue combing operations to track down more rebels.
The GNLA, one of five Garo rebel groups fighting for a separate "Garoland" in western Meghalaya, is headed by police officer-turned-rogue Champion R. Sangma.
Sangma is presently lodged in Shillong jail after being arrested from the India-Bangladesh border last year.
Over 40 people, including security personnel, have been killed, and more than 10 people were abducted for ransom by GNLA in the last three years.
Acting on a tip off, security forces raided Basamgre village in the East Garo Hill district, about 300 km west of Shillong.
The gun battle began when the militants fired at the security forces. Area commander Pilon M. Sangma was killed, district police chief J.F.K. Marak told IANS.
Pilon was wanted in several cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion in Garo Hills. Police said his killing was a major setback to the outfit.
An AK-47 rifle, three magazines with 148 rounds of live ammunition, one US-made .45 Colt pistol with 17 rounds of ammunition, a grenade and a high frequency wireless set were recovered from the site.
Sohan D. Shira, military wing chief of GNLA, has threatened retaliation.
"If our GNLA cadres are killed in this way, then from now onwards all those people travelling in vehicles will also meet the same fate. This will happen very shortly," Shira told Alva B. Sangma, editor of a Garo weekly Achik Songbad.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Police has sounded a security alert in Garo Hills following the GNLA's threat, while the SWAT and CoBRA commandos continue combing operations to track down more rebels.
The GNLA, one of five Garo rebel groups fighting for a separate "Garoland" in western Meghalaya, is headed by police officer-turned-rogue Champion R. Sangma.
Sangma is presently lodged in Shillong jail after being arrested from the India-Bangladesh border last year.
Over 40 people, including security personnel, have been killed, and more than 10 people were abducted for ransom by GNLA in the last three years.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Arms and ammunition seized in Meghalaya
Shillong, July 19 : Security forces Thursday arrested a gunrunner with a cache of arms meant to be delivered to the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), a police official said.
The illegal arms and ammunition were smuggled out from Nagaland's Dimapur district via Assam, the official said.
"Acting on a tip-off, we intercepted a vehicle loaded with weapons and seized three rifles ofthe AK series, four Under Barrel Grenade Launchers and rifle ammunition of different calibre from a vehicle at Chinabat area," East Garo Hills district police chief J.F.K. Marak told IANS.
Chinabat area in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district is about 300 km west of Shillong, the state capital.
The arrested gunrunner has been identified as Beet Sangma of Dimapur, the main commercial town in Nagaland, bordering Assam's Golaghat district, Marak said.
Marak, however, said that two other gunrunners whom Sangma identified as Taklu and Kari Ao, escaped from the spot on seeing the security forces.
Security forces have launched a manhunt to nab the two absconding gunrunners.
In recent months, Assam Police have seized a huge consignment of arms and ammunition, including rocket launchers, shells and foreign-made pistols, which were brought from Dimapur via Assam to Garo Hills, meant to be delivered to the outlawed GNLA rebel outfit.
The GNLA, one of five Garo rebel groups fighting for a separate "Garoland" in western Meghalaya, is headed by police officer-turned-rogue Champion R. Sangma.
Sangma is presently lodged in Shillong jail after he was arrested from the India-Bangladesh border last year.
The illegal arms and ammunition were smuggled out from Nagaland's Dimapur district via Assam, the official said.
"Acting on a tip-off, we intercepted a vehicle loaded with weapons and seized three rifles ofthe AK series, four Under Barrel Grenade Launchers and rifle ammunition of different calibre from a vehicle at Chinabat area," East Garo Hills district police chief J.F.K. Marak told IANS.
Chinabat area in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district is about 300 km west of Shillong, the state capital.
The arrested gunrunner has been identified as Beet Sangma of Dimapur, the main commercial town in Nagaland, bordering Assam's Golaghat district, Marak said.
Marak, however, said that two other gunrunners whom Sangma identified as Taklu and Kari Ao, escaped from the spot on seeing the security forces.
Security forces have launched a manhunt to nab the two absconding gunrunners.
In recent months, Assam Police have seized a huge consignment of arms and ammunition, including rocket launchers, shells and foreign-made pistols, which were brought from Dimapur via Assam to Garo Hills, meant to be delivered to the outlawed GNLA rebel outfit.
The GNLA, one of five Garo rebel groups fighting for a separate "Garoland" in western Meghalaya, is headed by police officer-turned-rogue Champion R. Sangma.
Sangma is presently lodged in Shillong jail after he was arrested from the India-Bangladesh border last year.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Arrested rebel escapes from Meghalaya hospital, two cops held
A top leader of the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) escaped Wednesday from a hospital where he was admitted and two policemen who were supposed to keep an eye on him were arrested, police said.
Phyrnai Swer, a former Meghalaya constable-turned-lieutenant of the HNLC, escaped from the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences Wednesday morning, a police official said.
A massive manhunt has been launched to recapture the rebel.
"We have arrested armed branch constables Meytush Sangma and Sanborlang Shylla for facilitating the escape of Phyrnai Swer from the hospital," Mariahom Kharkrang, the district police chief of East Khasi Hills, told IANS.
He said the duo will be presented before a court Thursday. "We are interrogating the constables and we hope they will spill the beans," Kharkrang said.
Phyrnai was arrested Jan 24 from his wife's residence at Iawmusiang in Jowai town after he sneaked into India from Bangladesh.
Before joining the HNLC, Phyrnai was the chairman of a Meghalaya-based Retrieval Indigenous United Front outfit. He was arrested with all his other founding members.
The Khasi outfit is fighting for a sovereign Hynniewtrep homeland in the eastern part of Meghalaya.
The HNLC stages hit-and-run operations from hideouts in Bangladesh. Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, hilly and unfenced and thus prone to infiltration.
Phyrnai Swer, a former Meghalaya constable-turned-lieutenant of the HNLC, escaped from the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences Wednesday morning, a police official said.
A massive manhunt has been launched to recapture the rebel.
"We have arrested armed branch constables Meytush Sangma and Sanborlang Shylla for facilitating the escape of Phyrnai Swer from the hospital," Mariahom Kharkrang, the district police chief of East Khasi Hills, told IANS.
He said the duo will be presented before a court Thursday. "We are interrogating the constables and we hope they will spill the beans," Kharkrang said.
Phyrnai was arrested Jan 24 from his wife's residence at Iawmusiang in Jowai town after he sneaked into India from Bangladesh.
Before joining the HNLC, Phyrnai was the chairman of a Meghalaya-based Retrieval Indigenous United Front outfit. He was arrested with all his other founding members.
The Khasi outfit is fighting for a sovereign Hynniewtrep homeland in the eastern part of Meghalaya.
The HNLC stages hit-and-run operations from hideouts in Bangladesh. Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, hilly and unfenced and thus prone to infiltration.
45 Manipur militants rejoin the mainstream
Altogether 45 tribal militants, members of the United Tribal Liberation
Army (SK Thadou group), surrendered their weapons on Wednesday after
signing an accord with the Union and Manipur governments.
The homecoming ceremony was held at Jiribam in Imphal east district.
About 42 weapons — including AK 47, AK 56 and M-16 rifles — were
recovered along with assorted guns and pistols.
The Union government was represented by Shambu Singh, Joint Secretary of
the Union Home Ministry, while Suresh Babu (Principal Secretary Home
Ministry) was present on behalf of the Manipur government.
This is the 19th underground organisation to rejoin the mainstream since
2008. For the time being, they will be lodged in the camp of a security
force and shifted once a designated camp is constructed.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Top militant leader arrested for extortion
A top militant leader was arrested today when he came to receive extortion money from a petrol pump personnel while his accomplice managed to excape at Jiribam town here in East district, official sources said.
Self-styled general secretary of United Tribal Liberation Army (UTLA) Seinio Guite alias James Kuki (29), who had on July 13 last hurled a grenade at the petrol pump demanding payment of Rs 10 lakh, was arrested when he came to collect the money from pump personnel, they said.
Police arrested him along with a small arm, sources said adding that another UTLA man escaped.
Meanwhile, an army major (name withheld) of 22nd Assam Rifles battalion came to the police station along with some para military forces, reports from the border town said adding that the para military forces demanded immediate release of Guite on the ground that they were to surrender to Assam Rifles soon.
They also damaged partly the gate of police station, reports said but police officers of the station refused to hand over the UTLA leader since he was arrested with arm.
There was some argument between the two forces, reports said adding an FIR has been lodged with the police station against the particular army officer.
Self-styled general secretary of United Tribal Liberation Army (UTLA) Seinio Guite alias James Kuki (29), who had on July 13 last hurled a grenade at the petrol pump demanding payment of Rs 10 lakh, was arrested when he came to collect the money from pump personnel, they said.
Police arrested him along with a small arm, sources said adding that another UTLA man escaped.
Meanwhile, an army major (name withheld) of 22nd Assam Rifles battalion came to the police station along with some para military forces, reports from the border town said adding that the para military forces demanded immediate release of Guite on the ground that they were to surrender to Assam Rifles soon.
They also damaged partly the gate of police station, reports said but police officers of the station refused to hand over the UTLA leader since he was arrested with arm.
There was some argument between the two forces, reports said adding an FIR has been lodged with the police station against the particular army officer.
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