Data and
assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form
with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal
|
NDFB:
Mindless Mayhem
Anshuman Behera
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
At least
24 persons, including 18 non-locals (mostly Hindi-speaking
people), were killed in 11 separate attacks across five
Bodo dominated Districts of Assam, by the militants
of the anti-talks faction (ATF) of the National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB), between November
8 and November 10, 2010.
On November
8, the NDFB militants killed 19 people and left at least
another 11 injured in seven strikes within three hours,
commencing at 5.30 in the evening. The strikes were
carried out in the Sonitpur, Kokrajhar and Baksa Districts.
On November
9, the terrorists killed two non-local traders in Kokrajhar
District and a local cycle mechanic in Chirang District.
A civilian injured in the November 8 attacks also succumbed
to his injuries during the day.
The militants
struck again and shot dead a Hindi-speaking woman in
Kokrajhar on November 10.
These
have been the worst attacks in the Assam since October
30, 2008, when 87 persons were killed and about 200
injured in nine near-simultaneous blasts in the State
capital Dispur and the adjoining Guwahati city and another
three Districts - Kokrajhar, Barpeta, and Bongaigaon.
Ostensibly,
the latest round of killings was in retaliation to the
killing of a NDFB-ATF cadre on November 8, 2010 by the
51 Gorkha Regiment of the Indian Army. An unnamed leader
of the NDFB on November 9 stated, "We killed these
people in retaliation to the killing of an innocent
Bodo youth by the Army on Monday [November 8, 2010]
morning. The Government should not take us lightly."
Meanwhile, the 'Organising Secretary' of the outfit,
B. Naison, issued a fresh threat on November 11 to all
communities residing in the Bodo belt, Security Forces
(SFs) or "other Indian communities", warning
of more "heinous and horrible results" if
they make "any mistake or crime against the NDFB."
He also urged the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), the
Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), the All Bodo Students' Union
(ABSU) and other Bodo organisations to protest alleged
killings of 'innocent' Bodos by the Police and SFs.
Earlier,
on November 1, 2010 the 'Deputy Chief' of the NDFB-ATF,
'Lieutenant' B. Jwngkhang, had issued a warning to the
State Government:
From
today onwards, if any innocent NDFB cadres were
killed by the Indian Army in the name of fake
encounter, the armed wing of the NDFB will take
action against any Indian. An innocent Bodo will
be equal to 20 Indians or maybe more and we don't
care who they are, maybe Indian civilian or Indian
Forces. Anytime and any moment we are ready to
strike. Remember this warning, and be serious
before killing any innocent Bodo people.
|
This
warning had come in the aftermath of the killing of
an NDFB anti-talk faction militant by the SFs at Singirmari
under Kazigaon Police Station in Parbhatjhora subdivision
of Kokrajhar District on October 29, 2010.
Following
the November 1 warning, a media report quoted intelligence
sources as stating, "The retaliation line is only
for public consumption... it is actually a much larger
and old game plan - of a homeland for the Bodo community
which it can achieve if they attain majority status
in areas they have in mind for the separate state or
silence those likely to oppose. This is borne out by
the systematic attacks on non-Bodos." Soon after,
security was beefed up in the State. The NDFB-ATF, nevertheless,
managed to carry out the killings.
Ever
since the 'President' of the NDFB-ATF, Ranjan Daimary,
was handed over to the Indian Administration by the
Bangladesh Authorities on May 1, 2010, second rank leaders
of the group have been trying to make their presence
felt. P. K. Dutta, Superintendent of Police of the Kokrajhar
District, on May 24, 2010, quoted a senior leader of
the NDFB-anti-talk faction who was arrested on May 16,
2010, as disclosing, "There is no instruction or
information coming from the leaders after the arrest
of Daimary, which has resulted in confusion among the
members on their roles. The NDFB [-ATF] was still well-equipped
with sophisticated weapons and can strike hard. Though
its chairman was arrested the organization still has
top leaders like I.K. Songbijit, the chief of the NDFB
[ATF] 'army staff', to carry forward the organization
in Daimary's absence".
The NDFB-ATF
has also been involved in at least five failed attempts
to engineer a major terrorist incident by carrying out
bomb blasts in major cities in Assam since May 31, 2010,
according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal
(SATP) database:
October
14: A portion of a railway track was damaged when suspected
NDFB-ATF militants triggered a blast near Singimari,
five kilometers from Kokrajhar railway station in Kokrajhar
District.
September 8: A goods train carrying food grain from
Rangia to Lakhimpur was derailed by NDFB-ATF militants
exploding an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
August 25: The SFs foiled an attempt by the NDFB-ATF
militants to blow up the railway track between Kamakhya
and Jogighopa railway stations following recovery of
a powerful bomb from a group of NDFB-ATF cadres.
July 8: The Garib Rath Express from Guwahati to Kolkata
was derailed because of a powerful explosion caused
by the militants of the NDFB-ATF in Kokrajhar District
resulting in the death of one civilian and injury to
six others.
July 6: The SFs foiled a plan by NDFB-ATF terrorists
to carry out blasts in different places in Assam following
the recovery of a huge quantity of explosive materials
in Udalgiri District. The recovered consignment included
30 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 24 batteries and a
bundle of flexible wires.
It was
on January 1, 2009, that the NDFB split into two. On
this day, the NDFB expelled its founding 'President',
Ranjan Daimary alias D. R. Nabla, replacing him
with B. Sungthgra alias Dhiren Boro as its new
chief. The new NDFB 'President', Sungthgra declared
that the NDFB would have no truck with the former chief
and his accomplices. The NDFB statement further declared,
The
NDFB, in a unanimous decision of the national
council, has expelled D. R. Nabla and his associates
with immediate effect as a disciplinary action.
We are shocked and surprised that Mr. D.R. Nabla
alias Ranjan Daimary, as per the statement
of Ajay Basumatary, who has been recently arrested
along with three others in Goalpara District,
is proved to be directly involved in a series
of bomb blasts in Assam on October 30 where many
innocent civilians were brutally killed without
any reason. The killing was inhuman and unfortunate
which reveals nothing but his love for sadism.
He not only committed 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.
|
Later,
the Ranjan Daimary faction constituted its new 'executive
committee' with Ranjan Daimary as the 'President', Dinthi
Gwra Narzary as 'General Secretary', 'Captain' Sangbijit
as 'Commander-of-Staff', Barbai Basumatary as 'Assistant
Publicity Secretary' and Rifikhang Goyary as 'Finance
Secretary'. Since then, the Daimary faction has been
involved in as many as 134 violent incidents, in which
at least 223 persons, including 150 militants, 61 civilians
and 12 SF personnel have been killed. Some of the major
incidents involving the outfit include:
October
3, 2010: The Police shot dead four NDFB-ATF militants
during an encounter at a thickly forested area at Dekatan
in Dhemaji District and rescued an abducted trader,
Cotton Nandy.
July 26, 2010: Four Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel,
including an assistant commander, were killed and three
others were injured in an ambush by NDFB-ATF cadres
at Amlaiguri under Panbari Police Station in Chirang
District along Bhutan border.
October 4, 2009: At least 11 persons were killed in
a attack carried out by suspected NDFB-ATF terrorists
at Balichand area under Biswanath Chariali Police Station
in Sonitpur District. At least 10 others were injured
in the attack.
May 19: SFs shot dead six NDFB-ATF cadre in a jungle
under Dokmoka outpost of Howraghat Police Station in
the Karbi Anglong District.
The NDFB-ATF's
killing spree is backed by a campaign of abduction for
extortion. According to a July 30, 2010, report, the
Tea Association of India (TAI) sent a distress message
to the Assam Government seeking security in the wake
of extortion notices being served by the faction and
by the All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), to several of its
member gardens in Sonitpur and Darrang Districts. Sources
in TAI, which has around 90 member gardens in Assam,
disclosed that the NDFB-ATF had recently served extortion
notices to some executives of the Chikonmati and Panbari
tea estates. A few days earlier, militants armed with
pistols and revolvers had abducted a staff member of
the Panbari Estate, head clerk Kamal Das. Das was, however,
released the next morning on payment of ransom, the
sources added.
Leaders
of the NDFB-ATF are also reported to have toured Nepal
to examine prospects of setting up bases there to carry
forward their armed movement for a 'sovereign' Bodoland,
just months after setting up their 'general headquarters'
in Myanmar. An August 5, 2010, report claimed that available
documents indicated that the NDFB-ATF's 'general meeting'
held in July had decided on the move. A six-member group
under the leadership of 'Lieutenant' G. Onthao then
visited Nepal for a 'survey'. "The outfit has already
set up its 'general headquarters' in Myanmar some time
ago with the help of Manipur-based insurgent outfit
Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL)," a senior Police
official disclosed. George Basumatary, a key accused
in the October 30, 2010, serial blasts in the State,
is currently looking after the 'general headquarters'
at Myanmar with about 40 cadres.
Amidst
these developments, the 'President', Ranjan Daimary,
has constantly been changing his stand. On May 4, 2010,
he declared, "I am ready for talks with the Government…
I have been rigid (over the sovereignty demand), but
now I have to do a rethink." On November 2, 2010,
however, possibly encouraged by his group's capacities
to strike even in his absence, he backtracked, stating,
"Right now, I cannot say anything on that."
There
are indications, however, that his position may have
been somewhat eroded within the NDFB-ATF. On November
2, 2010, when asked to explain his stand on the threat
issued by the outfit on November 1, he confessed, "I
have no links with other leaders of my organization
for the past few months. I cannot say anything on the
issue now. "B.J. Mahanta, Inspector General of
Assam Police (Law and Order), claimed, on November 10,
2010, "Daimary had literally lost control over
the outfit and some of its cadres had been carrying
out mayhem in the State. The recent attacks by the outfit
were done under the leadership of some of its top cadres
like B. Jwngkhang alias John, the 'deputy commander'
of the Bodoland Army, 'army commander' Songbijit and
senior cadres like Sagrid, Bidai, Jwmwi and Sotbangsa".
It is
evident that the NDFB-ATF will have to be dealt with
sternly. In an official statement issued after Union
Home Minister P. Chidambaram reviewed the situation
on November 13, the Union Government acknowledged, "The
anti-talk faction of the NDFB claimed responsibility
for the killings. Its leader Ranjan Daimary is in judicial
custody, but seems unwilling to control the criminal
actions of his faction." Sending out a strong message,
the statement added that the Central and Assam Governments
would not countenance any group that engages in wanton
criminal acts.
A second
faction of the NDFB is already formally in talks with
the Central Government and the Government of Assam.
Other Bodo organizations, such as the BPF, BSS and ABSU,
will have to be taken into confidence well before the
Bodo National Convention to be held on November 18-19,
2010, if the NDFB-ATF is to be successfully isolated
and delegitimized. The succession of massacres by the
NDFB-ATF are not only evidence of a security failure,
but also the a persistent failure of political management
that has given a continuing lease of life to an otherwise
discredited movement.
|
Weekly
Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
November
8-14,
2010
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
24
|
0
|
1
|
25
|
Jammu &
Kashmir
|
1
|
3
|
5
|
9
|
Left-wing Extremism
|
|
Bihar
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
Chhattisgarh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Jharkhand
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Orissa
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
West Bengal
|
4
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
Total (INDIA)
|
33
|
5
|
9
|
47
|
NEPAL
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
FATA
|
3
|
6
|
52
|
61
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
2
|
0
|
10
|
12
|
Sindh
|
10
|
12
|
0
|
22
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
15
|
18
|
62
|
95
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
JeI
Chief Motiur Rahman Nizami is the man behind 1971 Pabna
District mass murders, reveals ICT probe team: The
detained Ameer (chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI)
Motiur Rahman Nizami masterminded the massacres in Santhia
sub-district and elsewhere in the Pabna District in 1971,
the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) revealed on November
7. "In our primary investigation, we found that Jamaat
chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was the mastermind behind the
massacres," said Mohammad Abdur Razzak of the ICT probe
team. Daily
Star, November 8, 2010.
ULFA
paid USD 99 million bribe for arms passage in Bangladesh,
says former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar:
An Indian militant group and the embassy of a South
Asian country bribed "higher-ups" in the former Khaleda
Zia Government to ensure safe passage of a huge arms cache
that landed in Chittagong port in April 2004, former State
Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar told investigators
on November 11. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA),
operating in Northeast India, had teamed with the embassy
that was not named, to pay BDT 7 billion (USD 99.4 million)
for transshipment of 10 truckloads of arms, ammunition
and explosives, said the detained former minister. Babar
was "in the know of things" but was helpless as there
were orders from "higher-ups", he told officials of the
Criminal Investigation Department. Assam
Tribune, November 11, 2010.
INDIA
Anti-talk
faction of NDFB kills 24 persons in Assam: At least
24 persons, including 18 non-locals (mostly Hindi-speaking
people), were killed in 11 separate attacks across five
Districts by the militants of the anti-talk faction of the
National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-ant-talk) between
November 8 and November 10. A cadre of the NDFB-anti-talk
faction was also killed by the Security Forces on November
8. Hindustan
Times, November 9-11, 2010.
577
civilians and 260 SF personnel killed in Naxal violence
in 2010, says Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay
Maken: A total of 577 civilians have been killed while
more than 260 Security Forces (SFs) personnel lost their
lives across the country in Naxal [Left Wing Extremist]
violence in 2010 up to October 31. During the same period,
137 cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
were killed with the maximum of them in Chhattisgarh (72)
followed by West Bengal (37) and Jharkhand (12). The information
was given by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay
Maken through a written reply in the Lok Sabha on November
9. Hindustan
Times, November 10, 2010.
LeT operatives
attended Maoist meet, says Chhattisgarh Police Chief Vishwa
Ranjan: Two operatives of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)
attended a meeting of the Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist) near Bastar region of Chhattisgarh early 2010,
Director General of Police (DGP) Vishwa Ranjan said on November
10. "Two LeT operatives attended a CPI-Maoist central committee
meeting as observers, held sometime in April-May this year.
They met in a jungle inside Orissa, close to Bastar," said
the DGP. "This information is based on a single source,
and needs to be cross-checked," he added. Times
of India, November 11, 2010.
Terrorist
safe-havens within Pakistani borders are unacceptable, says
US President Barack Obama: US President Barack Obama
on November 8 endorsed India's concerns over terrorism emanating
from Pakistan. "We will continue to insist to Pakistan's
leaders that terrorist safe-havens within their borders
are unacceptable, and that the terrorists behind the Mumbai
attacks be brought to justice", he said. Also in a joint
Statement issued along with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, Obama gave a call against terrorism and said that
all terror networks, including the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT),
must be defeated. The
Hindu, November 8-9, 2010.
At least
500 terrorists still active across Jammu and Kashmir, says
DGP Kuldeep Khoda: The Director General of Police (DGP)
Kuldeep Khoda on November 11 said that at least 500 militants
of various groups are still active across the State and
added that Security Forces (SFs) are on high alert to prevent
fresh infiltration from across the border. Times
of India, November 11, 2010.
PAKISTAN
52 militants
and six SFs among 61 persons killed during the week in
FATA: 10 militants
were killed and three Security Force (SF) personnel were
injured in an encounter in Toor Kanrhi area of Orakzai
Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on
November 13. In addition, five militants were killed when
a US drone fired four missiles at a car in Ahmadkhel area
of North Waziristan Agency.
Four militants
and a soldier were killed while another soldier suffered
injuries when militants attacked SFs in Kareer area of
Mohmand Agency on November 12.
Eight suspected
militants were killed and five others injured when US
drones fired eight missiles into a house in Guli Khel
area along Afghanistan border of North Waziristan Agency
on November 11. Also, six militants and a soldier were
killed in an encounter in Goak area of Orakzai Agency.
Further, three militants, a civilian and a Khasadar
Force (local tribal force) trooper, Naib Subedar Qadar
Khan, were killed while three soldiers received injuries
during search operations in Qandharo, Habibzai and Sandokhel
localities of Safi tehsil (revenue unit) in Mohmand
Agency.
Gunship
helicopters on November 10 pounded militants' positions
in Orakzai Agency along the Afghanistan border and killed
18 militants and injured another 22.
Daily Times; Dawn;
The
News, November
9-15, 2010.
22 persons
killed in a blast at CID office in Sindh: At
least 22 persons, including 12 Security Force personnel
and 10 civilians, were killed and over 100 injured when
an explosive-laden truck blew up inside the head office
of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), which is
located inside the main red zone of Karachi in Sindh,
on the night of November 11. Daily
Times,
November 9-15, 2010.
Pak-Afghan
border heart of al Qaeda, says United States Defence Secretary
Robert Gates: The
United States (US) Defence Secretary Robert Gates on November
9 said that the "heart" of al Qaeda remained in the Afghan-Pakistan
border area even as the network spreads its influence
to places like Yemen and Somalia. Daily
Times,
November 10, 2010.
TTP
plans to attack shrines on Eid-ul-Azha, says report:
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has planned to attack
mosques, shrines and Imambargahs (Shia place of
worship) during Eid-ul-Azha (festival of sacrifice) prayers,
especially in remote and rural areas across the country.
Meanwhile,
the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) have planned to carry
out suicide attacks in Islamabad and other parts of the
country. According to intelligence information, TTP 'commander'
Qari Momin sent four suicide bombers to attack Eid congregations
in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. The LeJ
is also likely to target Eid congregations, mosques, Imambargahs
(Shia place of worship), shrines, Police and Army establishments
and places of worship belonging to minorities.
Daily Times,
November 9-13, 2010.
Pakistan
got PKR 112 million foreign assistance for war on terror,
says Interior Minister Rehman Malik: Interior
Minister Rehman Malik on November 10 told the National
Assembly that the Finance Ministry has provided PKR 112.26
million from foreign assistance in the annual budget of
the Interior Ministry during the financial year 2009-10
in relation to the ongoing war on terror. He further said
that PKR 11,584,000 was received for operational support
to the Interior Division and Air Wing, including cost
of food items. Daily
Times,
November 11, 2010.
Coup
in Pakistan a real possibility, says US terrorism expert
Bruce Riedel: The
United States (US) terrorism expert Bruce Riedel while
talking with Spiegel Online on November 12 said
that coup in Pakistan is a real possibility. Daily
Times,
November 13, 2010.
The South
Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that
brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on
terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on
counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on
related economic, political, and social issues, in the South
Asian region.
SAIR is a project
of the Institute
for Conflict Management
and the
South
Asia Terrorism Portal.
|
|