From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Maoists have a design to strike deep roots in certain vulnerable parts of the North-East especially in the states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
Security sources informed that, Maoists made inroad into Manipur around the year 2008 with the help and cooperation from the outlawed People’s Liberation Army (PLA). After that they have made further inroads into the region by setting up network of cadres in different parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Maoists have already set up active cells in five districts of Assam namely, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Golaghat. Several Maoists cadres were killed in encounter with security forces in Sadiya area of eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district last year when surveillance against Maoists activities was mounted in Assam following intelligence inputs.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case in July 2001 and started investigation into Maoists activities in the Northeast in view of increasing activities of Maoists in the region. The NIA filed the first charge-sheet in the special Court here on May 21, 2012 and an additional chargesheet was filed on December 19 bringing to light many facts about Maoists operation in the region.
The NIA’s investigating team arrested PLA leader Ibotombi
Singh on May 2 this year for having close links with Maoists while a senior Maoist cadre Pallab Borbora alias Prafulla was arrested from Merapani area in Golaghat district bordering Nagaland. Three more Maoists cadres were also arrested by NIA in Assam this year.
The arrest of senior Maoists leader from Jharkhand, Anandji from a hotel in Tezpur town of North Assam earlier this month bears significance about Maoists’ growing interests in this troubled region.
Security sources informed that Anandji had come to Assam mainly for arranging procurement of weapons besides consolidating the base in North Assam. He was supposed to meet Assam-based Maoists leader Aditya Bora and another senior Maoists cadre Tingraj Orang somewhere along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary. But the meeting did not take place because of Anandji’s arrest on the day after his arrival in Tezpur.
The Maoists have a plan to set up a training base in some remote and inaccessible area in Tinsukia district early next year. Though the arrest of Anandji served a blow to the plan, the Maoists have not discarded it yet.
Maoists had already signed a deal with the PLA for arms supply and in lieu of it the red brigade promised to supply ammonium nitrate to use it as an explosive.
Sources informed that PLA had sent its trainer to Jharkhand to Maoists cadres on use of sophisticated weapons. Two such training camps were organised during September-November, 2012– the first one was held during September 11 to November 20, 2012 and the second one was held during October 7 to November 10 same year.