Kokrajhar SP breaks silence on 'new Bodo militant group'. Here's what he said

KOKRAJHAR: Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police (SP) Rakesh Roushan today said that the police force is "fully aware" about the murmurs about the emergence of a new armed insurgent outfit in the Bodo-dominated area of Assam.

 

Asked about the rumours of a new outfit in the strife-torn region, Roushan said: "We have also received this news. We are verifying this and if we find any information, we shall share with the public."

 

"Security arrangements are full-proof...we are recovering a vast number of arms and ammunition. We are also building a rapport with the public and area domination is going on. Checking is going on. We are here for the public and it is our intention to ensure that the peace is not disturbed," Roushan added.

 

Earlier today, IGP (Kokrajhar) informed that M Batha, the former National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) bomb-expert, has returned to the jungles with 30 of his close aides. All the cadres are expected to be carrying one or more sophisticated weapons.

 

ALSO READ: Assam DGP: Not only Batha, other ‘elements’ too planning a return to jungles

 

After spending 25 years as an armed rebel, operating from the dense jungles of Myanmar and Bangladesh, M Batha returned to India in 2020 to take part in the peace talks.

 

A native of Daloabari village in Kokrajhar district, Batha joined the rebel outfit in 1996 and underwent training in Bhutan. Batha was known as the bomb expert for his bomb-making and planting skills.

 

However, reports soon emerged that the rebel had returned to the jungles following the elections in the region, won by the BJP-UPPL-GSP combine.

 

Thirty-four years after it was formed with the aim of carving out a separate Bodoland state from Assam, all the four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) disbanded themselves on March 10 of 2020, two months after the signing of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) treaty last year.