Guwahati: Assam Police and security forces have got hold of total 344 illegal weapons from extremists as well as miscreants from the troubled Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTAD) areas in Assam during the period from 2012 to July, 2014.
Availability of illegal weapons in the insurgency-ravaged Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTAD) areas in Assam has been one of major cause for occurrence of spells of ethnic violence there involving the Bodo tribe and other communities.
Assam government on Monday informed the state Assembly that 289 weapons were recovered from various extremists organisations active in the BTAD areas while 55 weapons were recovered from miscreants in the area during the same period. The seized weapons included many sophisticated weapons including AK series assault rifle.
Informing the House Cabinet minister Rakibul Hussain who made statement on behalf of the chief minister and home minister Tarun Gogoi, said police and other forces engaged in containing violence and insurgency in the BTAD areas have been instructed to try their best to seize illegal weapons allegedly available in the area.
The BTAD areas witnessed seven spells of major ethnic violence since 2001 to 2014 that left hundreds dead and property worth crores of rupees damaged. A worse spell of ethnic violence in the BTC areas in the year 2012 left about 100 dead and over four lakh homeless. This year at least 46 persons have been killed in violence in the area so far.
The minister informed that total 5826 FIRs were lodged in respect of ethnic violence in 2012 in the BTAD areas. After amalgamation of 2232 FIRs, total FIRs were reduced to 3594. Of these 72 chargesheets and 1888 FIRs were filed in the court. As on date 1627 cases are under investigation of Assam Police while seven other cases were handed over to the CBI. The CBI has so far filed chargesheets in respect of four cases.
Total 53 FIRs were filed in respect of ethnic violence that occurred so far this year. Out of these 51 FIRs were later amalgamated to one case. Thus there are total three cases which were handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). No chargesheet has been filed so far while 12 persons have so far been arrested in respect of the killings and other acts of violence in the BTAD area this year.
The BTAD is ruled by Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), a Bodo tribe political party that was formed by former militants of the now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) after signing of Bodo Peace Accord in 2003.
