Assam: NIA arrests 3 top NDFB militants

GUWAHATI: The National Investigation Agency ( NIA) has arrested three top militants of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland for their alleged involvement in the recent killing of more than 80 people in Assam.

The agency has identified the three as Ajoi Basumatary, 32, Dilip Basumatary, 40, and Khamrei Basumatary, 35. NIA said the militants were arrested from Kohima in a joint operation with Nagaland police. The three belong to NDFB’s Songbijit faction.

NIA officials said Ajoi Basumatary was the commander of NDFB (S) 3 Battalion. “It was under his direction and leadership that killings took place in Sonitpur district of Assam on December 23, in which 36 persons including women and children were killed and six persons were injured,” the NIA said in a statement.

The agency said Dilip Basumatary was responsible for co-ordinating activities of NDFB (S) in the reserved forest areas of Assam along the India-Bhutan border and the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. According to NIA, Dilip Basumatary was actively involved in the conspiracy behind the recent killings in Assam.

Officials said the third militant, Khamrei Basumatary, belonged to NDFB (S) 14 Battalion. He was one of the main suspects in the recent killing of 20 people in Assam’s Kokrajhar district. They said he was also involved in another attack in Assam’s Baksa district in May.

NIA said seven mobile phones and documents linking them to NDFB (S) were also recovered from the three militants.

A senior Nagaland police official said NDFB militants often hide in Nagaland before attempting to cross the India-Myanmar border. The official said NDFB militants have set up a base in Taga in Myanmar, where Paresh Baruah-led United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) also runs a camp.

Over the last 20 days, the Indian army and security forces have arrested over 30 NDFB cadres in different operations.