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15 mths after peace pact, NIA begins probe against new rebel Bodo group
The new rebel group — National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB) — is headed by MD Batha, who was among 1,615 Bodo insurgents to surrender on January 30, 2020.
Fifteen months after 1,615 cadres of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) signed a peace pact with the Centre and laid down weapons, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has initiated a probe into the formation of a new outfit formed by some of the surrendered ultras, people familiar with the developments said.
The new rebel group — National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB) — is headed by MD Batha, who was among 1,615 Bodo insurgents to surrender on January 30, 2020. It is said to be operating from the jungle area of Soraibil-Jamduar in the region, the people quoted above said.
Agencies came to know about the outfit in February first week this year, when during a naka (checkpost) checking at Nasraibil Bridge under Soraibil, Assam police officers stopped two vehicles (one Scorpio and one Innova).
A huge cache of arms and ammunition, including five AK-56 rifles, eight magazines of AK-56, under barrel grenade launchers, Chinese hand grenades, mobile sets, etc., were recovered and six suspects – Sanmanjay Basumatary alias Bogla, Rabinath Narzary alias Ganda, Pungka Basumatary, Mwktang Basumatary, Manipual Mushahary and Swmkwr Basumatary — were arrested.
Initial investigation has revealed that the arms, ammunition and explosives were being taken to the jungle for NLFB so that it can launch violent terror acts in the region. The ministry of home affairs, considering international ramifications of the matter, decided to hand over the probe to NIA recently, the people said.
Raising demand for a separate Bodoland state, NLFB announced its formation in March, just ahead of assembly elections in Assam, through a press statement in which it also accused the Centre and the Assam government of not taking interest in resolving the Bodo issue.
“We are still not free from the political suppression and oppression. The land, where we breathe is our land and the land which produces resources for us is our land. We want to live in this land free from the threat of our culture, tradition, language and political rights. Today, the unwilling motive of India government and the Assam government to solve the issue has compelled us to take a new decision to struggle and fight for our rights. So, today we have formed a new arms revolutionary group with a nomenclature and style National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB). We swear to fight for our rights till the last drop of our blood in our vein until our demand is fulfilled,” the outfit said in March.
Investigators handling the case said they believe that currently, there are 30-40 cadres in NLFB inside the jungle and some overground workers but they have access to arms and ammunition so they can be dangerous.
The government signed a memorandum of settlement with NDFB and two other factions on January 27, 2020 to end the 50-year-old Bodo crisis after which 1,615 cadres surrendered with some 4,800 weapons on January 30, 2020. The outfits had disbanded themselves on March 9-10, 2020.
