Assam Timeline - 2008

January 1	The Karbi Anglong district president of the All-Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam, Anil Toppo, surrendered at Bokajan police station in the Karbi Anglong district.
January 3	One surrendered ULFA cadre and a Bharatiya Janata Party activist, identified as Jatin Lahkar, was shot at by two suspected ULFA militants at Datara under Ghograpar police station in the Nalbari district. One surrendered cadre of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), identified as Raja Basumatary, was shot dead by another surrendered cadre of the same outfit, Bigrai Basumatary, at his rented house at Gwjunpuri in Kokrajhar town.
January 4	The dead body of a surrendered ULFA militant, Anil Kakati alias Dwip, was recovered near his residence at Udalbakra in the Sonaighuli area of Guwahati.
January 5	United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) ‘sergeant’ Swapna Baruah alias Swapna Moran was killed in an encounter with the army at Dirak Rongpuri village in the Tinsukia district. Seven ULFA militants and three from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) surrendered at an army camp in the Tinsukia district. They deposited two 9mm pistols, a .22 pistol, a revolver, four grenades and ammunition of assorted weapons. Security forces arrested two ULFA militants, Nikhil Bhuyan and Jadab Saikia, from Naginimora in the Sivasagar district. An unspecified quantity of RDX, INR 11,000 in cash and some incriminating documents were recovered from them.
January 6	One person, identified as Abdul Rehman Bepari, was injured when a bomb planted in his garage exploded at New Iddgah Colony in Dhubri town. Golaghat police arrested three suspected agents of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s external intelligence, along with some American currency in their possession. According to police, the three persons, identified as Mohammed Ahmed Hussain, Ijal Haque and Abdul Khalek, were arrested while they were trying to exchange a bank draft of American dollar with a person in Golaghat.
January 7	A former ULFA militant, identified as Razizul Haque Byapari, who later joined the Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Asom (MULTA), surrendered before security force personnel in Guwahati. Byapari also deposited a 9 mm revolver with two rounds of ammunition. A top leader of the NDFB, Sunil Brahma, was acquitted by the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) Court in Guwahati in connection with an attack by the group in the Kokrajhar district in 1994 that claimed 21 lives. The court acquitted him of all the charges levelled against him by the police stating that Brahma was not involved in this particular attack. An Assamese poet, Santanu Sarma, was arrested at Malikuchi in Nalbari town on charges of writing seditious material for the ULFA and mobilising opinion against counter-insurgency operations. He was reportedly writing and editing material for the ULFA’s mouthpiece, Freedom.
January 8	Police arrested a top leader of the All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), identified as Rupen Lakra, at Baghjan in the Bokajan town of Karbi Anglong district and recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives. The police later found a sten gun, three AK-47 rifles, an M16 rifle, two .315 rifle, two US-made carbines, a grenade launcher, four bombs, three rifle grenades, six hand grenades and a large amount of ammunition and assorted weapons in a nearby paddy field. Sahen Brahma, a former Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) cadre was shot at by unidentified militants at Bagbor near Panbari in the Kokrajhar district. Jana Mohan Mashahary, president of the former BLT Welfare Society alleged that Brahma was attacked by a group of NDFB cadres.
January 9	Two ULFA militants, including a woman, surrendered before the police at a ceremony in Dibrugarh. They were identified as Bhaimon Changmai alias Nabin Dutta and Bina Payeng alias Rimi Bora. They also deposited a 9 mm pistol along with magazines and six live rounds of ammunition. Both militants were from the ULFA’s 28th battalion and handled communication between the outfit’s leaders and grassroots-level cadres.
January 10	Security forces killed a ULFA militant belonging to the Charlie Company of the 28^th battalion in an encounter at Ahukhat village under Makum police station in the Tinsukia district. The militant was identified as Corporal Puwali Dowerah alias Hiren Dowerah, a resident of Hatijan. Rupen Lakra, the AANLA leader, who was arrested by the police on January 8-night, has reportedly admitted that the cache of arms and ammunition that was dug up from a paddy field after his arrest came from the NSCN-IM. Lakra told interrogators that the AANLA ‘commander-in-chief’ David Tirkey struck the arms deal a few months ago when he was in Dimapur in the guise of a pastor. Two unidentified militants lobbed a grenade towards the Nanoi outpost in the Nagaon district. No injury or damage was reported in the incident.
January 11	Two Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) militants were killed by the security forces in Golaghat district. An AK 47 rifle and a pistol were recovered from them. Security forces arrested a ULFA militant, identified as Raju Chetri alias Moni Subba, and a linkman, identified as Diganta Hazarika, near Tingali Bam Tea Estate under Sonari police station in the Sivasagar district. Police arrested an ULFA militant, identified as Arjun Deka, in the western Baksa district and seized five French made timer devices.
January 12	Four railway workers were injured when suspected ULFA militants lobbed grenades on them at Rongsal in the Dibrugarh district. Two members of the UNLF, a Manipur-based terrorist group, and their two Bangladeshi guides were arrested at Jorabat while they were proceeding to their camps in Bangladesh via Meghalaya.
January 13	At least 17 persons, including six security force personnel, were injured when suspected ULFA militants triggered a grenade explosion in front of the Paltan Bazaar police station near Guwahati railway station. Three militants lobbed a grenade targeting an army camp at Halua under Borhat police station in the Sivasagar district. But the grenade exploded a few metres away from the camp and there was no casualty reported. One ULFA militant, identified as Bitupan Moran, was arrested from Rajgarh tea estate in the Tinsukia district. One kilogram of explosives, including six live rounds of AK 56 and 15 rounds of assorted ammunition, were recovered from him.
January 14	Two security force personnel, Trolin Lamare and Suresh Koch, who were guarding the entrance to the Kopili powerhouse near Umrangsu town in the North Cachar Hills district, were shot dead by militants of the Black Widow (BW). Later, the militants opened fire killing a girl, Anamika, and wounding her mother, Junumai. Subsequently, two civilians, Sahadeb Nath and Jatia, were also killed and Sahadeb’s child, Ajay, was wounded when militants opened fire on them. Seven persons, including three soldiers, were injured when two suspected ULFA militants lobbed a grenade targeting paramilitary personnel at Morigaon town. A former BLT militant, Kabiranjan Basumatary, was shot at by an unidentified gunman at Bhatarmari under Kokrajhar police station. However, Basumatary managed to escape unhurt.
January 15	Security forces, while conducting a search operation in view of the coming Republic Day celebration, recovered a high power bomb from a passenger bus at Rongpur near Silchar in Cachar district.
January 16	A mob set ablaze a camp of former BLT militants at Mukuldang in the Kokrajhar district, accusing them of harassing the villagers without any provocation. Earlier, on January 15-night, villagers ransacked five houses belonging to members of the Bodoland Progressive Front, led by the former BLT chief Hagrama Mohilary, following an argument between a former BLT member and some villagers of Bhatabari. Security forces arrested a hardcore ULFA militant, identified as Damodar Das of Karmipora village in the Darrang district. The militant confessed about the plan of ULFA to plant improvised explosive devices in several places of the district on the eve of Republic Day (January 26) and of his involvement in an extortion drive in the district.
January 18	A ULFA cadre, identified as Dilip Kalita, was shot dead in a joint operation by the Army and police in the Konwarpur area of Sivasagar district. The NDFB warned former members of the BLT who formed the Bodoland Territorial Council that "provocation" would invite strong retaliation from them. The outfit’s information and publicity secretary, S. Sanjarang, claimed that some "ex-BLT members" were trying to "provoke" his group into frittering away the gains from the peace process. According to a Union Ministry of Home Affairs report, Assam remains at the top of the list of casualties in terrorist violence in the year 2007. According to the Ministry, more than 290 civilians were killed in the acts of violence by the militant groups in 2007 in Assam and more than 750 others wounded. The militant groups also received major setbacks in the counter-insurgency operations in the State where more than 120 militants were killed, while, 25 security force personnel were killed in the encounters. Intelligence reports said that a huge consignment of explosives and dozens of small arms has been transhipped into Assam by the ULFA from Bangladesh a week back. The reports also revealed that the shipment included highly-sophisticated remote control devices like those used by the Islamist militants to carry out the blasts at Hyderabad and Ajmer Sharif in 2007. The consignment has reportedly been received by ULFA ‘commander’ of lower Assam, Hira Sarania, from the courier from Bangladesh. Intelligence reports mentioned that 40 trained ULFA cadres had already sneaked into the State from Bangladesh to carry out subversive activities ahead of the Republic Day (January 26). They could target the public and crowded places, especially in Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.
January 20	Guwahati city police arrested two hardcore ULFA cadres from Golaghat district for their alleged involvement in a host of subversive activities in the city recently. They were identified as, Abhijit Dutta and Pradeep Kurmi, and reportedly masterminded the car bomb blast at Pan Bazaar in Guwahati in 2007. In Tinsukia district, security forces arrested one ULFA cadre, identified as Lambeswar Khotowal, from Borhapjan and another cadre, Daman Moran, from Borgaon. Security forces also recovered one revolver, 16 round of live bullet and few ULFA extortion notes from the militants. According to intelligence reports, the ULFA has managed to sneak in a number of programmable time device switches into Assam through Bangladesh in the recent times. Police said that the ULFA has been bringing in weapons and explosives through Bangladesh by taking advantage of the porous international border and the 109 battalion of the outfit has been entrusted with the task of transhipment of weapons. The members of the battalion are based mainly in Garo hills of Meghalaya and in Goalpara district for the transhipment of weapons.
January 21	Suspected NSCN-IM cadres abducted two Northeast Frontier Railway engineers on inspection duty from Lower Haflong in the North Cachar Hills district and released them on the next day. The two were identified as Pragjyotish Duwara, senior section engineer of Jatinga railway station in Lower Haflong and Aswini Kumar, senior section engineer.
January 22	Security forces shot dead a ULFA militant at Raidang village under Digboi Police Station. An unidentified militant was shot dead in an encounter with the army at Bogamati area in the Baska district. Nine persons were injured as an improvised explosive device, fitted to a bicycle by suspected militants, exploded near Srirampur check-gate along the Assam-West Bengal border in the Kokrajhar district. Another bomb was also found at the incident site. One school boy was injured when militants exploded a bomb in front of a Railway Protection Force camp in the Bamunimaidan area of Guwahati. Two bombs were recovered from a bus at Baihata Chariali in Kamrup district during routine checking by the security forces. Police arrested three ULFA linkmen, identified as Kishor Roy, Gautam Barman and Uttam Baruah, from the Boitamari area of the Bongaigaon district on an unspecified date allegedly for maintaining links with a top ULFA militant Pulak Bharali.
January 23	One KLNLF militant was shot dead while another was arrested by the security force personnel in an encounter near Bokajan in Karbi Anglong district. A KLNLF militant, identified as Philip Singnar, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Kakajan under Borpathar Police Station in the Karbi Anglong district. Another cadre, Lorence Teron, was arrested by the security forces on the spot while another managed to escape taking advantage of the dense forest. A 24-hour bandh (general strike) has been called by the KLNLF in the Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills districts from 5pm (IST) of January 25 till 5pm of January 26 in protest against the "incursion of Indian occupational forces" in the territory of the two districts.
January 24	38 ULFA militants, including a woman cadre, surrendered before the security forces at Tamulpur in the Baksa district. They also deposited 27 pistols, 18 grenades, 22 detonators, 30 kg of explosives and 150 live ammunition of AK-47 assault rifle.
January 25	Two ULFA militants were killed in an encounter with the army at the Dibru-Saikhowa reserve forest in Tinsukia. One of the slain militants was identified as Dhajiya Gogoi. One person, identified as Rabin Sarma, was injured when a bomb kept in a bicycle exploded at Nagara Chowk under Nalbari police station in the Nalbari district. Security forces recovered a powerful time bomb containing two kilograms of explosives in front of the civil hospital in the Kokrajhar town. In another incident, explosives were recovered from a bus in the Chapaguri area of Bongaigaon district. The explosives contained 200 detonators and 170 gelatine sticks. Two bombs were recovered near Bhama Gas Agency in the Dhubri district.
January 27	Two ULFA militants and a Captain of the Gorkha Regiment of the Indian Army were killed in an encounter at Borpathar Rongagora under Doomdooma Police Station in the Tinsukia District.
January 28	Sentinel reports that the DHD has recently served extortion notes to businessmen in Dayangmukh, under Kheroni police station in the Karbi Anglong district. A statement released by the market committee of Dayangmukh has said that the DHD has demanded huge amounts of money ranging from INR 20,000 to INR 50,000 from each shopkeeper and businessman of the locality. A caller, identifying himself as a DHD cadre, has threatened that their demand should be met immediately; otherwise they will not allow the businessmen to transact their operations in peace. Unidentified militants fired at B.C. Sharma, head assistant at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Haflong of North Cachar Hills district. The bullets missed Sharma and the assailants escaped from the incident site. Police arrested a NDFB cadre, Mwgthang Basumatwry, at Tilapara under Howraghat police station in the Karbi Anglong district. One M-20 pistol, one magazine and eight rounds of live ammunition were recovered from his possession.
January 30	A hardcore ULFA militant and chief instructor of the outfit's 709 battalion, 'sergeant' Bubul Das alias Himangshu Rava alias Ritu Basumatary, surrendered before the police in the Baksa district. Security forces arrested a militant belonging to the AANLA, Sabilal Sahu, at Molesbasti under the Bakalia Police station in the Karbi Anglong district, according to Assam Tribune. A 9 mm pistol was also recovered from his possession.
January 31	Suspected BW militants shot dead Bikrom Khakra, a senior leader of the Autonomous State Demand Committee, after abducting him at Jirikinding bazaar in Hamren subdivision of Karbi Anglong district. Four other persons, identified as Pranab Bey Sarkar, Swapan Malakar, Sontosh Dam and Basa Timung, who were with Khakra, were also abducted. Militants severely assaulted Sarkar and Malakar and took Dam and Timung with them. Villagers later recovered Khakra’s body and rescued Sarkar and Malakar. A six-member delegation of the DHD, led by its chairman, Dilip Nunisa, called on Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and discussed ways to end the stalemate in peace talks. He renewed the demand for 'Dimaraji' state to be carved out of North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam and Dimapur district in Nagaland.
February 3	At least two persons were killed and three others injured by the suspected BW militants in Manderdisa village part II, under Lumding police station in the North Cachar Hills district.
February 6	Three persons were arrested by the police for allegedly demanding money from an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation employee by posing themselves as ULFA militants. The trio, arrested from Geleky area in the Sivasagar district were allegedly demanding INR 250000.
February 9	Two surrendered ULFA cadres, Dharma Barua and Simanta Gogoi, were arrested by Sonari police near the Abhoipur area in the Sivasagar district on charges of extorting INR 200000 from a businessman, Kabir Ahmed.
February 10	Assam Police foiled a plan of the ULFA to hijack a plane from Guwahati airport to Pakistan and arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in the conspiracy. ULFA’s 709th battalion’s Manoj Tamuly alias Randip Baruah alias Kamal Das alias Haloi alias Pathak and his fiancee Dharitri Sarma, also an ULFA militant, were arrested from Panjabari Bagorbori area of Guwahati. During interrogation, Manoj confessed that the ULFA had planned to hijack a plane from Borjhar and to take it to Pakistan. Based on his confession, a prominent advocate, Nekibur Zaman, was also arrested. The house of a human rights activist, Lachit Bardoloi, was raided while a television journalist Pradeep Gogoi was arrested from Tinsukia. Baksa district police arrested six NDFB militants in connection with the abduction of Dipak Sikharia, a Class X student of the Don Bosco School.
February 11	Four persons, including an Assam Police Battalion soldier, were killed and two more injured when Black Widow militants ambushed a convoy of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd officials 20-km from Umrangsu in the North Cachar Hills district. Three Islamist militants with suspected links to the Pakistani ISI were killed and three others were arrested in an encounter with security forces at Binajuli village under Agia police outpost in the Goalpara district. The slain militants were identified as Sonowar Ali, Abu Sadique and Zahanoor Ali while those arrested were identified as Alauddin Sheikh, Sabuddin Sheikh and Habib Basumatary. The Commander of the 27th battalion of ULFA, Keshav Hazarika, Lieutenant Biraj Phukan and sergeant major Kumud Bordoloi, surrendered along with several others at Dinjan army base. Wife of Keshav Hazarika, Meenakshi Hazarika, reportedly surrendered in absentia. 28 militants of various outfits, including two from the NDFB and two from the KNLF also surrendered with a huge cache of arms and ammunition. Human rights activist and member of the People’s Consultative Group, Lachit Bordoloi, was arrested by police from Moranhat in the Sibsagar district on the charge of being part of a ULFA plan to hijack an aircraft from Guwahati to Pakistan. Six NDFB cadres were arrested by police in connection with the kidnapping of a student, Dipak Sikaria. Police arrested a youth, Abhinash Gogoi, from Panichokua area under Pulibor Police Station in the Jorhat district for alleged links with the ULFA.
February 12	A ULFA militant suspected to have been involved in the abduction of FCI official P.C. Ram was arrested at Guwahati. He was identified as Champak Sharma of Burajan village in the Kamrup district. Police also recovered an M20 pistol, ammunition, five kg of RDX and bomb-making materials from his rented house.
February 14	Police seized a boat that the ULFA had been using to ferry arms and its cadres to Guwahati city. Police also arrested seven persons including the boat driver, and seized 10-kgs of RDX from the boat at Goroimari in the Kamrup district, about 100-km from Guwahati. A truck was set ablaze by suspected NDFB militants at Saudarbhita under Salbari police station in the Baksa district.
February 16	Four ULFA militants were killed in a joint operation by the Army and police in the Sibsagar district.
February 17	Unidentified militants shot dead two youths and dumped their bodies near Debarai village under Haflong police station in the North Cachar Hills district on. The youths were identified as Utpal Chakraborty and Ronji Hojai.
February 19	Five employees of a private cement factory, Vinay Cements, were killed while another was injured in an attack by the BW militants in the North Cachar Hills district.
February 20	The United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) set two conditions for renewing the cease-fire that lapsed on January 31, 2008. In a letter to the Joint Secretary (Northeast) in the Union Home Ministry, the UPDS ‘foreign secretary’ Klirdap Kathar said that they would sign a fresh cease-fire agreement only if the Union Government agreed to hold a round of talks every three months until a solution was reached. The second condition put by the outfit is that its demand for self-rule be included in the terms of reference of the proposed State Reorganisation Commission. NDFP militants along with other militants from Nagaland abducted two traders from the Panjan area under the Sarupathar police station in Golaghat district and took away INR 40,000 from them.
February 21	Suspected ULFA militants shot dead a school teacher, Pradip Hazarika, at Kakopathar Harumechai village in the Tinsukia district. They also assaulted his neighbour, Jiten Changmai, before leaving the place. The same group also killed one Bhoyen Moran, a resident of the adjoining Bormechai village.
February 22	Three KLNLF militants were shot dead by the security forces in an operation in the Kamalabhati village under Howraghat Police Station in the Karbi Anglong district. Five people, including three policemen, were injured in an attack by the BW militants in the North Cachar Hills district. The militants ambushed a convoy of police personnel near Hatikhali under Langting police station injuring three of them and two other passers-by.
February 23	Police arrested a suspected ULFA linkman, Judhajit Das, from Barpeta.
February 24	Suspected KLNLF militants shot dead two Hindi-speaking persons in the Bokoliaghat Rangnagar village under Bokoliaghat police station of Karbi Anglong district. The victims were identified as Biswanath Chauhan and Radheshyam Chauhan. One BW militant, identified as Pranjit Langthasa, was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Neonkro village near Harangajao in the North Cachar Hills district.
February 25	Telegraph reports that BW militants have been buying sophisticated weapons from the Chiang Mai arms bazaar of Thailand bordering Myanmar. Deputy Inspector General of Police for south Assam Y.S. Gautam said that the arms were generally routed to India’s Northeast via Myanmar and Bangladesh. He said the outfit’s chief, Jewel Gorlosa, visited Thailand via Nepal in 2007 and bought the weapons with help from the NSCN-IM militants.
February 26	Assam Police, with the assistance of the Army, has started a river unit to operate in the Brahmaputra River to check the activities of the ULFA, which is using the river route to ferry men and weapons across various locations connected by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries.
February 27	One person was killed and 14 others were injured in an IED blast by suspected ULFA militants at Borgolla Chariali near Tezpur Sadar police station in the Sonitpur district. Ajit Ghosh, a grocery shop owner at Panchmile, was killed in the incident. Suspected unidentified militants belonging to the Karbi community shot at and injured a doctor at Bagori under Bokakhat police station in the Golaghat district.
February 28	NDFB decided not to take part in the February 29 meeting between the Joint Monitoring Group and the Government due to the violation of the cease-fire ground rules by the government. Union Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta, said that the Centre is not ready to hold any talks with the ULFA on the issue of "sovereignty of Asom". Gupta also said, "The ULFA has to give up violence before holding peace talks with the Centre, and there will be no mediators in the peace process. The Government is ready for only direct talks with the ULFA."
February 29	NDFB militants took out rallies in the Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang districts on to protest an attack on one of its members. NDFB cadres set ablaze nine vehicles, including a magistrate’s official jeep, at Sikhargaon, under Dotma police station in the Kokrajhar district, for defying a 12-hour strike called by them. A motorcycle was set ablaze at the same place while another group of militants set fire to a van at Tilipara under Gossaigaon police station and torched a bike at Tinali in the same district. Similarly, another vehicle was torched at Labdanguri in the Baksa district.
March 2	One former DHD militant, Belen Kempry, was killed by unidentified militants at Prabadisha Block Bazaar under Dagang police station in the North Cachar Hills district on an unspecified date, reports Sentinel. The headmaster of Kharuwa Iraqdao High School, Pradeep Swargiary, was killed by unidentified gunmen in the Baksa district. Kagen Holoi, owner of a sweet shop, was killed by unidentified militants at Udalbari Chowk in the Kokrajhar district. According to Telegraph, arrested human rights activist and ULFA-appointed mediator, Lachit Bordoloi, had been emailing statements on the outfit’s behalf to the media with ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa’s scanned signature on them.
March 3	Three suspected ULFA linkmen, Abdus Sattar, Atowar Rahman and Hazrat Ali, were arrested by the Assam Police during a search operation at Damalkona village in the Dhubri district.
March 4	Two ULFA militants, identified as Tapan Baruah alias Arun Baruah and Parikshit Chettry, were shot dead by the Assam Police during an encounter at Thanubam village under Barbaruah police station in the Dibrugarh district. A child, Guljar Hussain, was killed and two others, Sashi Konwar and Nirmal Gogoi, were wounded in a bomb blast near the Laksminath Bezbaruah Park in Sibsagar town. Guljar was suspected to be the carrier of the bomb.
March 5	Telegraph quoting police sources reports that the NDFB has set up an office-cum-transit camp in Guwahati for extortion and other illegal activities in violation of its cease-fire with the government. One person was injured when ULFA militants exploded a bomb near the District Magistrate's office at Lakhimpur.
March 6	Assam government admitted in the State Legislative Assembly that Bangladesh-based jihadi groups are active in the State. Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain made this admission through a statement on behalf of the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Hussain also admitted that several insurgent groups of the State and other parts of the Northeast region are taking shelter in the neighbouring Bangladesh.
March 8	One person, identified as Sanjay Mahato, was killed in a grenade explosion at Coal Road in Dibrugarh.
March 9	Four Hindi-speaking people were shot dead by the ULFA militants at a brick kiln near Udalguri tea estate in the Dibrugarh district. The Army neutralised a camp of the Black Widow at Baladisa under Langting police station in the North Cachar Hills district and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from the hideout. An ULFA militant, Suryamohan Rai, and a linkman, Shafiul Rahman, were arrested by the security forces from Golokgunj area of Dhubri district along with a pistol and INR 10,000.
March 10	Three ULFA militants were arrested during a search operation at an unspecified place. Police recovered and subsequently defused an explosive that was planted near the Assam Legislative Assembly in Dispur. Another bomb was recovered and defused at Adabari area in Guwahati city. Two ULFA militants, 'sergeant major' Amrit Ballav alias Mizo and 'corporal' Bikram Hazarika alias Uttam Hazarika, surrendered along with arms and ammunition before the Golaghat district administration.
March 11	Two persons were killed and 13 others injured in a bomb blast in the Doomdooma town of Tinsukia district.
March 12	10 persons were injured in a powerful explosion at Mazbat in the Udalguri district. Further, two more blasts were reported from the Udalguri town. While the first blast occurred in the Udalguri railway station, the second one was reported from the heart of the town. No one was, however, injured in these explosions. Security forces arrested a senior commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Surajit Singh, along with two of his associates, Ibasul Haque and L.C.K. Singh, from a hideout at Sonai block in the Cachar district.
March 13	Four persons were killed and nine others injured in a police firing on an irate mob which was protesting against the dismantling of a NDFB camp at Bengtol in the Chirang district. Army shot dead a ULFA militant, Rupa Moran, after he lobbed a grenade at the troops at Hatibandha village under Tengakhat Police Station in the Dibrugarh district. Two persons, including a minor, were injured in a grenade blast in an ice factory at Rupaisiding in the Tinsukia district. Suspected BW militants abducted five persons, including three officials of a private construction company working on the North Cachar Hills stretch of the East-West corridor of the National Highways Authority of India.
March 14	Police arrested three DHD militants from Matikhola Gojalipar village in the Howraghat area of Karbi Anglong district. Assam Government directed the police to shift all NDFB cadres to three designated camps. According to the officials, the proximity of the NDFB cadres to members of the disbanded Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) was causing law and order problems and the rival groups needed to be distanced.
March 15	Four persons were killed and more than 50 others, including some women and children, were injured in a grenade blast at Jonai in the Dhemaji district. According to official sources, about 15,000 people gathered in a field near the Jonai circuit house to celebrate Ali-Aye-Ligang, a festival of the Mising community, when suspected ULFA militants lobbed a grenade at the crowd. SFs killed two militants, suspected to be either from the ULFA or the NDBF, during an exchange of fire at Silikhaguri Sapori under Narayanpur police station in the North Lakhimpur district. An injured militant escaped with his AK-47 rifle, while a pistol with five rounds of ammunition and a revolver with four rounds were recovered from the slain militants. One NDFB militant was killed by the SFs during an encounter in the Karbi Anglong district. Six hardcore ULFA militants surrendered and laid down their arms at a ceremony at the Kamrup Deputy Commissioner’s office.
March 16	NDFB militants shot dead Bigrai Basumatary alias Belaibe, ‘secretary’ of the surrendered NDFB Welfare Association. His bullet-riddled body was found at Dhaolabari Ashuline, near Kokrajhar town. Police said Belaibe was killed by the NDFB cadres on the suspicion of maintaining close links with former Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) cadres.
March 17	One ULFA militant involved in several bomb blasts in the Tinsukia district was killed in an encounter with the police at Dirakbokhai village in the Dibrugarh district. Two other militants, however, escaped. One suspected ULFA militant, Satyajit Chetia, was injured when one of the bombs being he was carrying exploded in the Sibsagar district.
March 18	Three NDFB cadres were killed and two others were injured when unidentified militants attacked their camp at Ghoskhata under Dotma police station in the Kokrajhar district. The three deceased militants were identified as B. Bhatam, B. Modaram and B. Lambu. An expert in guerrilla warfare from Jharkhand, Ahin Beltapu, was arrested along with five All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) cadres, including a woman, from a hideout in Chekta Basti near Chokihola inside the jungles of Karbi Anglong district. Other AANLA militants arrested along with Beltapu were identified as, Rajesh Singh alias Ranjit Karket, Dilip Toppo, Sunil Modi, Mirmashi Toppo and Jayanti Karkate, are from different parts of Karbi Anglong and Golaghat districts.
March 20	Two militants, one belonging to the ULFA and the other to the DHD, were killed in two separate gun battles in Assam. Manindra Rai, a suspected ULFA militant, was killed in a gunfight with a team of police and army personnel at Gouripur in Dhubri district. In another gunfight with army personnel at Maibongdisha in North Cachar Hills district, a hardcore militant of the DHD, identified as Joydeep Maibongsa, was killed.
March 22	The ‘deputy commander-in-chief’ of the Black Widow (BW), Franky Dimasa, is arrested by the Guwahati Police from Fatasil Ambari area.
March 24	Three persons, including two railway employees Keshab Malakar and Masab Palai, were killed and two others wounded when the BW militants attacked Harangajao railway station in the North Cachar Hills district. An activist of the Bodoland People’s Front party, identified as Ranjit Swargiary, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Jopadang under Barbari police station in the Baksa district. The BW declares a unilateral cease-fire for a period of three months.
March 25	One NDFB militant was lynched while another escaped near the Manas National Park in the Chirang district. The two militants had reportedly gone to Bansbari on Barpeta Road to extort money from contractors of a Public Works Department road. The Baksa District Superintendent of Police P. Baruah said that militants shot dead two youths, Jiten Boro and Gala Boro, at Silakuti Part I and Goybari villages. "The spate of killings is the result of friction between the NDFB and ex-BLT members. Most of those killed so far are family members, relatives or supporters of either group," he stated. With this, the death toll due to clashes between NDFB militants and Bodo People’s Front members has increased to 19 in less than a month.
March 26	A businessman, Raju Jain, is shot dead and his son Narendra Jain sustains injuries when suspected ULFA militants opened fire at them at Mohkhuti under Nimuguri police station in the Sibasagar district.
March 27	The ‘chairman’ of the DHD, Dilip Nunisa, meets Assam Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Ajai Singh and requests him to take steps to expedite the peace talks between the Government of India and the outfit.
March 29	Sentinel reports that a new militant outfit, identified as Bodoland Royal Tigers Force, has been formed in the Bodoland area.
March 31	A teacher of the Bhalukdanga Bidya Mandir High School, identified as Bijay Chaudhury, is shot at and wounded by unidentified militants at Barama in the Baska district. Guwahati Police arrested three suspected NDFB cadres, Marcus Narzary, Ajit Boro and Binod Basumatary, from the Chandan Nagar locality and seized four 5.56 pistols, two M 20 pistols, two pen pistols and one revolver from their possession. 18 cadres belonging to various outfits, including 13 from the ULFA, three from the NDFB and one each from the Khaplang and Isak-Muivah factions of the NSCN, surrendered before Major General Jatinder Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Mountain Division at Dinjan Military Station in the Dibrugarh district. The chief of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Hagrama Mohilary, withdraws his talks offer to Ranjan Daimary, ‘chief’ of the NDFB.
April 1	Sentinel reports that the NDFB cadres, residing in unauthorized camps, have been extorting money from common people and harassing businessmen in the Baska district. Two suspected NDFB militants shot dead Bodosa Narzary, principal of the Patgaon Jwngma Boro Foraisali High School and director of Kokrajhar-based television channel, at Titaguri Bhabhanipur in the Kokrajhar district. Narzary was a former Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) cadre. The Assam Government stated in the Legislative Assembly that 234 Islamist militants were currently lodged in different jails in the State. The 234 militants include as many as 150 belonging to the Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA), 50 to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), and seven Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) operatives. The ISI operatives, the Government said, include at least two who are citizens of Pakistan who had admitted during interrogation that they had sneaked into Assam from Bangladesh. Five of those currently in jail are also from Bangladesh. "These militants have been arrested over a period of seven to eight years, and several of them were involved in cases of sabotage and treason," Rockybul Hussain, the Minister for Forests and Environment, told the Assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who also holds the Home portfolio. Hussain said there was strong evidence that a number of these militants had been to Pakistan and Bangladesh and undergone training in arms. "The Government has information that these groups recruit young boys from the districts of Dhubri, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Karimganj, Cachar, Hailakandi, Nalbari, Nagaon and Darrang and send them out for training in Bangladesh and Pakistan," the minister said. Hussain admitted that the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) too was active in Assam, but added that no member of the group had been arrested so far in the State. "While the Government had banned SIMI in 2001, there is information that the group is still active in Assam," Hussain told the Assembly.
April 2	The report of the judicial inquiry headed by Justice (retd) R. K. Manisana Singh which is tabled in the Assam Legislative Assembly states that the AANLA incited a section of the protestors to assault residents and damage vehicles, roadside shops and houses in Beltola in Guwahati on November 24. The Manisana Singh report confirms that some of the protestors came with weapons at the behest of the AANLA leadership. The judicial inquiry revealed that administrative ineptness was also responsible for the November 24 Adivasi protest march turning into the worst instance of street rioting in Assam.
April 3	One NSCN-IM militant, Njanphemo Lotha, is arrested by Assam Police during a search operation at Khatkhati area in the Karbi Anglong district.
April 4	One surrendered NDFB cadre, Mridul Mushahary alias Marble, is shot dead by unidentified militants at Dalbari village under Barama police station in the Nalbari district. His associate, Ambir Boro, is injured in the attack.
April 5	Two MULTA cadres are arrested by Army personnel from Chatguri-Jangirkilla in the Dhubri district.
April 6	One hardcore ULFA militant, Hemchandra Bora alias Udipta Hazarika, surrenders before the Assam Police in the Tinsukia district.
April 7	The Border Security Force personnel shot dead an unidentified militant of the BW in an encounter in the Thajury area of the North Cachar Hills district. ULFA hoisted its flags at several places in the State on the occasion of its ‘raising day’.
April 8	At least 30 powerful grenades and detonators fitted with time devices meant for the ULFA were seized from three persons, including a Bhutanese, in the Nalbari district near the India-Bhutan border.
April 10	At least 41 persons were injured in a bomb blast at a market in the Howraghat area of Karbi Anglong district. Police said that the KLNLF is suspected to be involved in the incident.
April 11	Union Government rejected the demand of the UPDS for a Karbi state in a meeting with six UPDS leaders. The outfit said it could join hands with the DHD factions to prepare a common set of demands.
April 12	One ULFA militant was shot dead by the Army personnel who retaliated when eight suspected ULFA cadres opened fire on them at upper Dihing Reserve Forest in the Tinsukia district. Two ULFA cadres, Mandal Hasda alias Sadhu and Birbal Murmu, were arrested by the Army personnel at Gwmfela under Kachugaon police station in the Kokrajhar district. Major General Shakil Ahmed, Director General of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), after signing the Joint Record of Discussions with the Border Security Force in New Delhi, said that Paresh Baruah, ‘commander-in-chief’ of the ULFA, was no longer in Bangladesh. "Let me assure you that Paresh Baruah is no longer in Bangladesh," said Ahmed.
April 16	Police recovered the bullet-riddled dead body of a surrendered Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) militant, Bijoy Rongphar, from Kakojan under Howraghat police station in the Karbi Anglong district.
April 16	The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Radhika V. Selvi, informs the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) that inputs suggest that the ULFA has been using the territory of Bangladesh to procure and smuggle arms and explosives into India. The Minister was replying to a question on whether ULFA commanders have a vast network running seven hotels and six nursing homes, besides procuring weapons through the port city of Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh.
April 18	The Union Government categorically rules out any possibility of talks with the ULFA on its main demand for sovereignty. The Union minister of State for Industry, Ashwani Kumar, said, "We are all for talks but these have to be within the ambit of the Constitution. The unity and integrity of the country is not negotiable, let there be no ambiguity on this front."
April 20	A KLNLF militant is killed and huge quantities of arms and explosives are recovered by the security forces (SFs) when they neutralised a KLNLF camp at Manja area in the Karbi Anglong district. The KLNLF retaliates the killing of its cadre by triggering a bomb blast near the statue of Karbi leader Rangfarpi Rangvi in Diphu town. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (Karbi Anglong), N. Dungal, sustained minor injuries in the blast.
April 21	Five NDFB militants while demanding money from people are arrested by the Assam Rifles personnel at Bahbera area under Missamari police station in the Sonitpur district.
April 22	Eight militants belonging to the KLNLF and AANLA give up arms in a surrender ceremony held at the Circuit House in Diphu in the Karbi Anglong district. The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Radhika Selvi informs the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) that there are reports that some militant groups from the northeast have links with the Pakistan’s ISI and some other terrorist groups of neighbouring countries such as the Bangladesh-based HuJI. She denied that there is any such report that the HuJI has established its base camps in the Dhubri and Bonbaigaon districts of Assam.
April 23	Sentinel reports that the ULFA has changed its extortion strategy. Instead of issuing written extortion notes, the outfit is demanding a huge amount of cash from the businessmen of upper Assam by sending SMS through mobile phones. The report added that when the security forces were conducting counter-insurgency operations in upper Assam, cadres of the ‘28th battalion’ of the ULFA led by self-styled ‘commander’ Bijay Chinese were sending SMS to a number of businessmen of upper Assam demanding amounts ranging from INR 10 00000 to INR 50 00000.
April 24	One Bodoland Peoples Progressive Front (BPPF) leader, Rupam Brahma, is shot at and wounded by unidentified militants in front of his residence at Dotma in the Kokrajhar district. Brahma was a former Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) cadre. Police arrest two NDFB militants, Khiranto Narzary and Gepo Narzary, from the outfit’s transit camp at Gossaigaon after the Bodoland Peoples’ Front files a First Information Report against them. The CRPF personnel arrest four militants from Killarbak area under Jamira police of Hailakandi district along the Asom-Mizoram border.
April 25	Kokrajhar district police recovered the dead body of one NDFB cadre, identified as Gautam Basumatary, who was earlier shot dead, near Gaurang river bank at Desargaon village. 27 ULFA militants, including a woman cadre, surrender before the General-officer-Commanding (GOC) of 21 Mountain Division, Major General Chander Prakash, and senior police officials at Tamulpur in the Baska district. They deposited a large number of arms, ammunition, grenades and extortion notes during the surrender ceremony. Of the 27 cadres, 19 were from the ULFA ‘709 battalion’ while the rest of them belonged to the outfit’s 27 and 109 battalions.
April 26	Assam Police arrests two women supporters of an unidentified militant outfit, Muskan Choudhury and Mampi Roy, while trying to collect extortion money from one Kantom Rongpi at Diphu in the Karbi Anglong district.
April 29	Four children, including one minor girl, are killed in a grenade blast at Kolaigaon in the Chirang district.
April 30	Nagaland Post reports that the flourishing narcotics trade along the India-Myanmar border has been helping militant groups getting funding for their violent campaign. "In India's northeast, narcotics trade and insurgency are close allies with militants trading in heroin and other forms of drugs to procure arms to continue with their secessionist campaigns," an unnamed intelligence official told Indo-Asian News Service.
April 27	Three militants of the Manipur-based Islamist militant outfit PULF, identified as Mohammad Zakria Khan, Mohammad Altaf and Firoze Khan, are arrested from the Dispur area.
April 28	Guwahati Police arrested Kazi Omar Farooq, ‘chairman’ of the PULF, from a rented house at Sasal area. The arrest followed the earlier detention of three PULF cadres from a rented accommodation in Dispur. Additional Superintendent of Police Debojit Deuri said, "During the interrogation of the three PULF cadres on Sunday, our team raided a house in Chasal and could nab Farooq today." Kazi had been hiding in the city for a long time, he added.
April 29	Army arrests seven NDFB militants while carrying out extortion at Number 1 Disiri village in the Sonitpur district.
April 30	A joint team of the Army and Assam Police neutralise a ULFA transit camp at Bangshijhora hill in the Dhubri district and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition. An unnamed senior police officer said the camp was frequently used by the ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants, since they have some common areas of operation and used this vital transit camp not only for shelter but also for ammunition supply.
May 1	The NDFB submits its charter of demands to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. According to NDFB sources, the ‘liberation’ of Bodoland reportedly figured in the charter of demands of the outfit. A trooper, identified as Saheb Singh, and one ULFA militant, Ajay Deka, are killed during an encounter at Dalanghat under Kalaigaon police station in the Darrang district.
May 3	Army personnel arrested one Black Widow (BW) cadre and a suspected female militant when they neutralised a hideout of the outfit at Relai near Maibong in the North Cachar Hills district.
May 5	Telegraph reports that Nirmal Konwar, ‘second-in-command of the 27 battalion’ of the ULFA, confessed that the outfit is now carrying out only operation-specific recruitment, where a person is assigned a single task and has no links with the outfit thereafter. Konwar and his wife were arrested when they were undergoing treatment at a nursing home in Guwahati on May 1. Two ULFA militants of the ‘709 battalion’ were arrested by the Army personnel from Agomoni in the Dhubri district. A revolver and two rounds of ammunition are recovered from them.
May 8	Two ULFA militants, Janak Bora and Tarun Sonowal alias Apurba, were killed by the Army personnel during an encounter at Kathalguri Hunjan village under Kakopathar police station in the Tinsukia district. Seven ULFA cadres surrendered before the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup district R.C. Jain at Guwahati.
May 9	Two ULFA linkmen were arrested by the security forces at Amtuli under Fakiragram police station in the Kokrajhar district.
May 10	12 Black Widow militants were killed and 18 others injured in a gun battle with the security forces in the North Cachar Hills district.
May 11	A group of around 10 armed BW militants shot dead eight labourers engaged in the construction of a railway quarters at Thoibasti in the North Cachar Hills district. Assam Police arrested a National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militant, Sajal Debbarma alias Sanjay, from Paltanbazar in Guwahati.
May 12	Two persons were killed and another injured when suspected BW militants attacked railway workers engaged in a construction site at Migrendisa under Haflong police station in the North Cachar Hills district. Two ULFA cadres were killed in an encounter with the Army at Leseri in Baksa district.