Bangladesh unrest raises concerns about NE militants

The turmoil in Bangladesh has raised concerns about militant outfits in India's Northeast India may find haven in the country.

The Sheikh Hasina regime flushed out Northeastern rebels from Bangladesh. United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was split after several top leaders under its chairman Arbinda Rajkhowa decided to join peace parleys with the Indian government after their arrest in Bangladesh.

ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia was extradited to India in November 2015 from Bangladesh. Later, he too joined the peace process.


Those who did not agree to negotiate with the government rechristened themselves as ULFA (independent). The Paresh Baruah led ULFA faction is a banned organisation and manifested itself with a new name in 2012.

Northeastern states share an over 4500km long border with Bangladesh, China, Myanmar and Bhutan. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km-long border, of which 262 km traverses through in Assam.

Sources in the intelligence agencies said that decisive action of Sheikh Hasina's government flushed out the Northeastern ultras out of Bangladesh.

"These outfits have used Bangladesh as a safe hideout and launched subversive activities from those hideouts. After they were flushed out from Bangladesh, they set up bases in Myanmar."

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently expressed concern over the Bangladesh situation and said that instability in Bangladesh might turn it into a base for Northeast India based insurgent outfits.

"The event in Bangladesh is worrisome for us from two angles. If unrest persists in Bangladesh, people will attempt to come to India. We must secure the border. During the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, the insurgents from Northeast India were flushed out of Bangladesh," he said.