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04/05/2010: "Operations against NSCN in Arunachal R Dutta Choudhury Assam Tribune"

Operations against NSCN in Arunachal R Dutta Choudhury Assam Tribune

GUWAHATI, April 4 – The Government of India has decided to launch a full-scale operation against both the factions of the NSCN in Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. This decision was taken during the recent visit of the Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram to Arunachal Pradesh.
Highly placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that the main purpose of the visit of Chidambaram was to assess the situation on the ground following reports of disturbance in Tirap and Changlang districts. Sources said during the visit, the Union Home Minister reviewed the situation in a high level meeting, which was attended among others by senior officers of the Army, Assam Rifles, and other paramilitary forces. After a thorough review of the situation, the Union Home Minister directed the Army and paramilitary forces to launch full scale operations in the two trouble torn districts of the otherwise peaceful State.
Sources revealed that Chidambaram asked the forces to adopt a “zero tolerance policy” during the operations and made it very clear that the cease-fire agreements with both factions of the NSCN are applicable only in the geographical boundary of Nagaland and strong action should be taken against any member of the outfits found to be indulging in unlawful activity elsewhere.
Sources revealed that the Centre would also extend cooperation to Arunachal Pradesh Government to strengthen its own police force. Chidambaram even visited some of the police stations in Tirap district to see the functioning of the police forces on the ground and found that there is urgent need for strengthening the police force of the State to deal with the situation. Sources said that the major shortcomings found by the Union Home Minister during the visit to the police stations included shortage of manpower, shortage of vehicles, lack of adequate communication equipment etc and the Centre would extend help to Arunachal Pradesh to overcome the shortcomings.
Official sources said that though Arunachal Pradesh is a relatively peaceful State, activities of both factions of the NSCN became a matter of serious concern. The members of the NSCN factions are indulging in large-scale extortions, kidnappings, etc in the two districts, while, there have been reports that the NSCN members also forced local youths to work for them. In the run up to the elections to the State Assembly last year, the NSCN even kidnapped candidates and political party workers and the events forced the Centre to adopt a tough stand to deal with the situation.
Sources said that though the members United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) also visit Tirap and Changlang districts from time to time, their activities have not caused much concern as yet. “The ULFA and NDFB use the area for tactical retreat whenever pressure is mounted on them in Assam and though there were some reports of the members of the groups indulging in extortions, they have not created much trouble in the area so far. Moreover, the NSCN (I-M), which is demanding inclusion of the districts in the greater Nagalim, has a stake in the area, which the ULFA and NDFB do not have,” sources added.
Meanwhile, sources said that not much should be read into Chidambaram’s visit to Tawang as he visited the place only at the request of the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister.
Talented Naga designer enthralls audience at Wills Fashion Week Albuquerque Express(ANI)
The Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week 2010 saw the participation of many young fashion designers, including Atsu Sekhose from Nagaland.

The glaze, the style and the unique signature style of this Naga designer enthralled onlookers at the weeklong fashion extravaganza.

Sekhose, a Delhi-based Naga fashion designer, showcased his autumn winter collection.

Atsu's exclusive signature style of designing made many fashion connoisseurs check out his collections.tsu is passionate about his work and believes the northeast is a hub for young talented people, who need to focus on their careers as he did.

"From the other states of India, the northeast is a place where everyone dresses up fashionably. Everyone knows what fashion is, maybe because people are very inclined fashion, art and music. So, when you see northeast India, they are more fashionable, they are trendier," claimed Sekhose.

Sekhose believes in harmony and unity for the all round development of society.Well, I think it's about caring for each other, loving each other. That is what we all do. You can start it from your home and I think it will make a big difference," he added.

Atsu is a graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and is moving rapidly towards establishing himself as a designer of note on the global stage.

He has worked for the Spanish label 'ZARA'.

He has assisted famous designer Tarun Tahliani in the early part of his career, and now has his wn label 'ATSU'.

His hard work has won him praise, and this year, he registered his presence at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. By Niharika Verma (ANI)
Centre's pointsman for peace talks visits Nagaland PTI IST

Kohima: Centre’s new interlocutor for Naga peace talks RS Pandey arrived in Kohima today on a five-day visit to Nagaland to meet cross sections of the society to know their views on the on-going peace process.
Pandey, a former Nagaland chief secretary, would meet chief minister and his cabinet colleagues, senior government officials, representatives from tribal Hohos (councils), civil society groups and churches during his two-day stay in Kohima, official sources said.

On April 7 and 8 he will visit Mon to attend the state government’s 'Roadshow' programme as a special guest and meet public leaders there where he served as deputy commissioner in early 1980s.

On April 9, Pandey, who was appointed as new pointsman for peace talks in February, will meet leaders of tribal Hohos and
Naga civil society organisation at Dimapur, the sources said. Known for his successful introduction of the concept of communitisation of public services and institutions in the state, which got international recognition, Pandey’s visit assumes significance in view of the resumption of stalled peace talks between the Centre and NSCN(I-M).

NSCN (I-M) leaders led by its general secretary Th. Muivah met the prime minister and the home minister and both sides reportedly expressed their commitment to find a negotiated settlement to the decades-old Naga political conflict. Although no date has been fixed so far, the next round of talks between the two sides is likely to be held within this month,, NSCN(I-M) sources said.

The newly formed Joint Parliamentary Working Committee (JPWC) of Nagaland assembly last week resolved to meet leaders of different underground groups for consultation to find "a common Naga voice" towards finding a lasting settlement to the vexed conflict.

Expressing their willingness to act as facilitator to the peace process the legislators while welcoming the renewed efforts of the UPA government and the NSCN in resuming the political dialogue, urged upon the negotiating parties to expedite the on-going negotiation in order to bring about a political solution that is "honourable and acceptable" to the people.
Assam: Bodo vs. Bodo Sandipani Dash
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
Chennabasaveshwar A. Patagundi
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
The second poll for the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) is scheduled to be held on April 9, 2010. The BTC was created under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (which deals with the Administration of Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram) back in February 2003 over the four contiguous Districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang. Despite the completion of seven years of the BTC, the Bodo insurgency remains intact in Assam, though the trajectory of violence has seen sharp irregularities.
Official sources indicate that violence in BTC areas increased by 74 percent in 2009, as compared to the previous year. In 2008, a total of 110 persons were killed in Assam in all insurgency-related violence, but in 2009, 194 people – at least 127 in Bodo-related violence – lost their lives. This abrupt escalation was attributed principally to fratricidal clashes among different Bodo groups.
Bodo Insurgency related Fatalities in Assam: 2003-2010
Year Civilians SFs Militants Total
2003 24 2 116 142
2004 48 0 28 76
2005 0 0 10 10
2006 3 5 6 14
2007 1 0 2 3
2008 85 0 13 98
2009 32 3 92 127
2010* 4 0 20 24
* Data till April 2, 2010
Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal
The Bodo insurrection accounts for around 44 per cent of insurgency-related fatalities in Assam in the first three months of 2010. Assam is presently the second most violent State in the Northeast, with 55 fatalities (trailing just behind Manipur, with 59 killed). The violence unleashed by Bodo groups had registered a steady decline in 2003-2007, with a slight variation in 2006. The trend has, however, subsequently taken an abrupt turn for the worse, with annual fatalities involving the groups spurting from just three in 2007 to 98 in 2008. The momentum of acceleration of violence has since been sustained.
2008 had witnessed serial bomb blasts in Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Bongaigaon, on October 30, which claimed 84 lives and injured over 300. While initial suspicion fell on the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), subsequent evidence indicated that a hit-team of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), under the direction of its ‘president’, Ranjan Daimary, executed the serial bombings in Assam, to demonstrate frustration at the alleged lack of progress in talks between the Bodo group and the Union Government. These serial blasts, in fact, triggered a split in the outfit into a pro-talks and an anti-talks factions. The NDFB had earlier entered into truce with the Assam Government and Union Government in New Delhi on May 25, 2005, and a cease-fire was declared. After the serial blasts, the NDFB, on December 15, 2008, held its ‘general assembly’ meeting at Serfanguri designated camp in Kokrajhar District and elected B. Sungthagra as its new ‘president’, replacing Ranjan Daimary. The Sungthagra group became the pro-talks faction, while erstwhile ‘president’, Daimary broke away to lead the anti-talks Bodo group.
Sungathgra had condemned the October 30 serial blasts in no uncertain terms, declaring, "The killing was inhuman and unfortunate; it reveals nothing but his (Daimary’s) sadism. He committed not only crimes against humanity but also violated the ceasefire which he himself declared unilaterally on October 8, 2004. The act is undoubtedly an act of terrorism and can never be part of revolutionary struggle." Daimary, on the contrary, in a statement issued from Kokrajhar, described his expulsion from the NDFB by the B. Sungthagra-led faction as "ridiculous", "After waging a war for 18 years for the legitimate rights of the Bodo people, when almost all the leaders were either in jail or missing, I declared the ceasefire on October 4, 2004, to solve the Indo-Bodoland issue peacefully and democratically… Now the NDFB shall have no other option but to renew the war for the liberation of Bodoland."
The rift was followed by attacks and revenge attacks by cadres belonging to the two factions in the Bodo populated Districts. On October 8, 2009, for instance, Bodo rights leader and sister of NDFB’s anti-talks faction leader Ranjan Daimary, Anjali Daimary, survived an attempt on her life, when suspected militants opened fire at her vehicle at Barama College in Baksa District. Further, on October 21, 2009, S. Sangjarang, ‘publicity chief’ of the pro-talks faction, was shot at and injured by unidentified militants at a crowded market in Udalguri Town. Again, on January 2, 2010, a relative of a pro-talks ‘commander’ of the NDFB was shot dead by suspected cadres belonging to the anti-talks faction, at Silapur village in the Balijuri area under Sootea Police Station in Sonitpur District, along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. The victim was identified as Udai Mushahari, brother of NDFB ‘commander’ M. Failou. Similarly, on January 4, 2010, a 52-year-old schoolteacher, Lilabati Basumatary, Daimary’s elder sister, was shot dead by suspected cadres belonging to the pro-talks faction, at Harisingha Deolguri in the Udalguri District. However, the pro-talks faction subsequently denied its involvement in the killing.
Political activists have frequently been targeted by the violent Bodo groups. In one such attack, on January 14, 2010, a Congress party leader, Arun Sarkar, nominated from Mazbat Assembly constituency to the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), was shot dead by suspected militants belonging to the anti-talks faction at Khusurabari in Udalguri. Subsequently, the Congress party in Assam asked its activists in the Bodo area not to venture out after sunset, since security agencies apprehended that the Daimary faction could target them. An unnamed PCC leader argued that the party had been expecting such a turn of events in the run-up to the BTC elections: "Two factors are involved. One, our party Government has gone all out against the Ranjan Daimary group and they are out to take revenge. Second, the upcoming BTC elections in which the outfit would want to play a crucial role. This could also be a warning to us that we keep out of the polls so that they can take on the Bodo People’s Front, which is headed by former Bodo Liberation Tigers chief Hagrama Mohilary."
Again, on January 22, 2010, unidentified militants exploded a remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a subway at Garibangha area under the Bijni Police Station of Chirang District along the India-Bhutan border. Two BTC members, Daneswar Goyary and James Basumatary, along with some officials, survived the attack.
Meanwhile, the pro-talks faction declared that it would participate in the upcoming BTC elections. The ‘general secretary’ of the outfit, Gobinda Basumatary, declared, "We might not put up candidates on our own, but would support candidates or political parties that advocate our cause for a separate Bodoland."
The Union Government on December 31, 2009, extended the cease-fire agreement with the pro-talks faction for a further period of six months, up to June 30, 2010. Earlier, tripartite peace talks between the NDFB and the Union and Assam Governments, were held in New Delhi on September 23, 2009. NDFB 'general secretary' Govinda Basumatary observed, "The first round of dialogue was satisfactory. It has been four years since we surrendered. For the first time we received a positive response." Again, the pro-talks group had met the newly appointed Union Government interlocutor, P.C. Haldar, on February 1, 2010, and had expressed the demand for a separate State within the Indian Union, for the indigenous tribal group.
Nevertheless, there have been signs of some disenchantment with the negotiating process. On March 8, 2010, Assam Forest and Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain informed the State Legislative Assembly that 40 NDFB cadres had deserted their designated camps. According to one estimate, around 700 pro-talks cadres of the NDFB are confined to three ‘designated camps’ in Kokrajhar, Baksa and Udalguri Districts.
The anti-talks has, meanwhile, consolidated its presence in the four BTC Districts and the adjoining Sonitpur District, establishing safe hideouts in the forests. Earlier, the Manas National Park, stretching over parts of the Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup and Darang Districts, used to be a hotbed of united NDFB activity. Currently, the Rowta Reserve Forests in Udalguri District and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary in Sonitpur District have emerged as the anti-talks faction’s safe havens. As one Police official disclosed, "The NDFB cadres carry out strikes and vanish into the Reserve Forest. It is difficult to catch them because of the inaccessible areas where they take shelter." An Army official, commenting on the presence of NDFB cadres in the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary stated, "The Park has also turned into a hotbed of militancy. We have reports of the Ranjan Daimary faction of the NDFB having a strong base inside the sanctuary."
The densely forested terrain along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border also provides sanctuary to the violent faction of the NDFB. The Bodo group is active in parts of as many as six Districts of Arunachal Pradesh: East Siang, West Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Upper Dibang Valley, Lohit and Papum Pare. Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Tako Dabi, on January 10, 2010, stated that he had recently toured and taken stock of the situation in Mebo and the adjoining areas of East Siang, and the Likabali area of West Siang, where NDFB and ULFA cadres were engaged in extortion activities. He said these groups’ cadres were also smuggling timber out of the forests in Seijosa in East Kameng and the Balijan area of Papum Pare District. Deputy Inspector-General of Police (East Range), Tashi Lama, further confirmed "The substantial presence of ULFA cadres in East Siang, West Siang, Upper and Lower Dibang Valley Districts, besides movements of NDFB militants in belts of Papum Pare and East Kameng Districts, have raised security concerns in the State." Another Police officer in East Kameng District stated that NDFB cadres had intensified extortion activities and set up camps in Seijosa, adding that the fact that a suspected NDFB cadre was shot dead in a joint operation in the Khanamukh area under Missamari Police Station of Sonitpur District in Assam, bordering Arunachal’s East Kameng District, on January 5, 2010, indicated that the anti-talks faction of the Bodo group was active in the area.
The Garo Hills area in Meghalya remains a corridor for the movement of cadres of the NDFB’s anti-talk faction across the India-Bangladesh border. On February 15, 2010, an NDFB anti-talks cadre, identified as Godadhar Hajong, was arrested by the Border Security Force from Debojani village of West Garo Hills District. He disclosed that, following the crackdown in Bangladesh by the Shiekh Hasina Wajed regime, almost all NDFB camps operating close to the border had been shut down, with a majority of cadres shifted to the Rangamati area of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. He also revealed that the NDFB’s main camp at Haluaghat in Bangladesh, opposite Gasuapara in the South Garo Hills sector, had to be closed down in 2006 after its ‘camp commander’, Bongcha Boro, surrendered. Further, he said, some of the NDFB leaders continue to be holed up in Dhaka, including S. S. Dhansuran Boro, the ‘treasurer’ of the anti-talks faction. Hajong further indicated that cadres were taken to Bangladesh for training and later pushed back to India through three different sectors in the Garo Hills: Beldova in Mahendraganj sector, Nokchi in the Dalu sector and Gasuapara under the Baghmara sector. The movement of NDFB militants through the Chokpot and Nokrek Hills was also confirmed by the arrested cadre.
With the operational expanse of the NDFB’s violent anti-talks faction extending well beyond the Assam State’s territory, and the absence of a coherent and holistic counter-insurgency strategy covering the entire Northeast region, the scope of extinguishing the remnants of the Bodo militancy remain limited.