An intensive phase of agitation for statehood demand looms large over parts of Assam and adjoining areas in West Bengal, vital for surface communication links between the North East and the rest of the country, from the first day of the new year.
Amid demands for a separate state carved out of Bengal by some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that she is ready to shed her own blood, if need be, to thwart attempts to divide the state.
On December 21, the United Liberation Front of Asom had issued a similar threat.
A total of 246 militants of United Gorkha People's Organisation and Tiwa Liberation Army formally surrendered before Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on Thursday.
One person has been arrested in connection with the Jalpaiguri bicycle bomb blast in which six persons were killed, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
Six banned militants groups operating in the north-east India have issued a joint statement calling for the 'boycott of Republic Day celebrations and a general strike on 26 January in the region. The outfits which have called for the strike included United Liberation Front of Assam, National Democratic Front of Boroland, Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, Manipur People's Liberation Front, National Liberation Front of Twipra and Tripura People's Democratic Front.
The members of the insurgent groups -- United Liberation Front of Assam, National Democratic Front of Boroland, Rabha National Liberation Front, Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, Communist Party of India-Maoist, National Santhal Liberation Army, Adivasi Dragon Fighters and National Liberation Front of Bengali -- joined the mainstream in front of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme.
ULFA's fugitive chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, stated, "We call upon the entire people of our region to boycott and prevent the celebration, in any manner, of India's Independence Day in our Region on 15 August 2008 to consolidate our solidarity in the struggle for liberation from Indian colonial occupation. On this day, a general strike shall be observed throughout the Region from 01:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Bangladeshi law enforcement and intelligence officials said a manhunt was underway for Jibon Singh, a suspected leader of Assam-based militant group Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, in line with requests from the West Bengal police, but they could not track him down yet. They said they received from their Indian counterparts documents of cases filed against Singh which were circulated among police stations across Bangladesh.
Reinforcements have been deployed along the porous border with Bangladesh in south, Nepal in northwest and Bhutan in the northeast.
central team has been sent to Belakoba station, where the blast occurred on the Haldibari-Siliguri passenger train on Monday, to ascertain which extremist group was behind the blast, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said.
A blast in New Jaipaiguri in West Bengal has killed four persons and injured seven. The police and the Intelligence Bureau are suspecting the involvement of the dreaded Inter-Services Intelligence funded, Kamtapur Liberation Organisation. The powerful bomb was planted on a cycle.
AAKRSU supporters claimed the violence was triggered by a conspiracy hatched by people opposed to a separate Kamtapur state.
Naxalite groups came to the state from Andhra Pradesh while the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation was trying to re-group and rebuild its organisation, the CM said.
Illegal crossings by militants through the Indo-Nepal border continued as enough check posts have not been set up, Sashastra Seema Bal's director general Himanshu Kumar said.
The Bhutanese Army overran six camps housing over 3000 heavily armed militants in four districts bordering Assam.
The police on Wednesday arrested three Kamtapur Liberation Organisation ultras including the mastermind of the December 26 blast in Jalpaiguri that left six persons dead.
A self-styled commander of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, who was allegedly involved in the killing of an agriculture department engineer, was shot dead in an encounter with security forces at Nayakgaon village in lower Assam's Kokrajhar district.
A joint operation by the army, the Central Reserve Police Force and the police have foiled an attempt of KLO militants.
Life was hit in lower Assam for the second day on Tuesday in three bandhs called to press for Bodoland and Kamtapur, while Karbi Anglong, which had erupted over statehood demand on the lines of Telangana, was slowly limping back to normal.
Security agencies are apprehensive that the Jalpaiguri blast is merely an indicator of the unrest triggered by fundamentalist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami along the India-Bangladesh border, says Vicky Nanjappa
Named Jahnabi, the word processor has came as a boon for those who need help in writing the language and can be easily used by those with a rudimentary knowledge of Assamese.
Days after the suspension of Indian Administrative Service officer Durga Shakti Nagal, an Indian Police Service officer was transferred two days after he reopened the history-sheet of the father of a Congress member of Legislative Assembly in Rajasthan, who had allegedly been involved in smuggling and other anti-social activities.
The Centre should focus on achieving peace either through long-term ceasefire agreements or sustained military operations. Military operations which are just intermittent responses to particular incidents won't lead anywhere, says Devanik Saha.
While Iraq and Afghanistan top the Global Terrorism Index 2014 as the most terror-affected nations, India has been ranked number six.
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