Militancy in Assam has been on the wane for some time. Along with that, there has been a rise in public confidence. People are resisting extortion attempts, even capturing militants and handing them over to the police. Two such incidents have occurred recently in Karbi Anglong district. Other such incidents have also been reported from districts previously infested with militants-Baska, Chirag, Kokrajhar and Barpeta. Police and Security forces are now finding it easier to apprehend militants with support from local people who are ready to supply information on militants. The reason is that factions of the ULFA and the NDFB have joined the peace process. Many other groups have signed truce pacts with the government. Some militants handed over by the local people belonged to the anti-talks factions of the ULFA and the NDFB. The extortionists caught in Karbi Anglong were members of the Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT). Some pro-talks militants had also taken to extortion but they have either been killed or put in police custody.
The recent development can be attributed to two factors. There has decidedly been an attrition of the strength of militancy due to sustained police and paramilitary operations, withdrawal of support by neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar as well as the growing disillusionment of the rank and file. The other factor is the weakening of the influence of militants on local people. The initial sympathy that the local people had for the militant cause has ebbed away. The rebels cannot operate without grassroots support. Finally, most of their leaders have veered towards the peace process. What is still disappointing is that peace talks are taking far too long to take off. That may be because hardliners among the militants still wield considerable clout in Assam.
