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532 Assam militants surrender: AFP

More than 500 tribal rebels surrendered on Tuesday to the Indian Army, dealing a jolt to their homeland campaigns in Assam, officials said in Sibsagar.

A total of 532 guerrillas belonging to the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom and National Democratic Front of Bodoland gave themselves up in Sibsagar, 360 kilometres east from state capital of Guwahati.

Tuesday's mass surrender was the biggest by tribal guerrillas in Assam where for the past decade the two insurgent groups have been waging separate homeland campaigns.

Indian Army officials said the militants also handed over a huge quantity of weapons, explosives and communications equipment at a function organised by the military for the surrender.

The state government promised to help the men and women who voluntarily gave up arms.

"We shall be providing the surrendered militants with all possible help and support, including vocational training, to enable them to lead a normal life," state Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mohanta said.

More than 1,500 tribal guerrillas have surrendered in smaller batches in the past three years in Assam.

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