Militants sent on pre-poll terror mission in Assam desert outfit

Members of some Northeast militant outfits, sent on a pre-assembly election terror mission from their bases in Myanmar, have seized the opportunity to desert their extremist organisations.

Members of some Northeast militant outfits, sent on a pre-assembly election terror mission from their bases in Myanmar, have seized the opportunity to desert their extremist organisations.

Assam Police officials said an unspecified group of militants belonging to four armed outlawed groups had on March 8 entered a reserved forest in eastern Assam to unleash terror but deserted.

Assam Police officials said an unspecified group of militants belonging to four armed outlawed groups had on March 8 entered a reserved forest in eastern Assam to unleash terror.

But five of them chose to desert. Two each of United Liberation Front belonged to Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and one to Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL).

PLA and KYKL, both Manipur-based, are associates of the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia, which was formed by ULFA-I and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K).

The NSCN-K had in March last year walked out of a 14-year ceasefire with Indian armed forces.

“The two ULFA-I rebels named War Asom and Biman Asom deserted the group and are keen on returning to the mainstream. They said the group included members of NSCN-K and other groups assigned terror strikes,” an Assam Police spokesperson said.

While the two ULFA-I members have approached the armed forces, the PLA and KYKL deserters have not been traced.