Top NDFB(S) militant nabbed responsible for massacaring adivasis in Assam

Guwahati/New Delhi: The Chief Recruiting Officer of militant outfit NDFB(S), who is believed to be the brain behind the December killings of Adivasis in Assam, was on Tuesday arrested along with seven others in a joint-operation by the army and the state police.

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Self-styled 2nd Lieutenant Enon Bargoyary alias Erkhang, Chief Recruiting Officer of NDFB(S), and self-styled platoon commander of Amteka area, Rinen Basumatary alias Majhi were apprehended by joint team of army troops of Red Horn Division and Assam Police along the jungles of Assam-Bhutan Border, in Chirang District.

Enon is also the militant group's Central Committee Member, army sources said.

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A senior army officer described him as number 3 in hierarchy within the militant organisation.

Enon was allegedly involved in recruiting and motivating NDFB(S) terrorists, including women cadres, and sending them to various camps outside the country, the sources said.

Read: Mastermind behind the Assam militant attacks identified

"Enon was very close to outfits SS Chairman I K Songbijit, SS Army Chief G Bedai and Dy Army Chief Batha. Enon is believed to be the brain behind the killing of Adivasis on December 14 in Kokrajhar District," the sources added.

Another key NDFB(S) member apprehended is Rinen of the outfit's 20th batch trained in Bhutan, who surrendered after Operation All Clear in 2003 but rejoined the group two years back.

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Four weapons, two AK rifles and two pistols, and large quantity of ammunition was recovered from the apprehended persons, the sources said.

The army has been carrying out operations in difficult and inaccessible forested areas of Kokrajhar and Chirang Districts which has forced NDFB(S) terrorists to flee from their safe hideouts and move to more vulnerable areas, where they are being apprehended or neutralised by the security forces.

IGP L R Bishnoi told PTI in Guwahati that the security forces had launched the operation on Monday night and arrested the eight in Amteka jungle area.

Besides the rifles and 219 rounds of ammunition, a hand grenade was also seized from the militants, he said.

Over 70 Adivasis were killed in Kokrajhar, Sintpur and Chirang districts on December 23, last year.

Altogether 12 NDFB-S insurgents, including a 'deputy commandant' and its central council member, were apprehended along with a huge quantity of arms and ammunition during a joint operation by police, SSB and CRPF in Manas reserve forest area in Chirang district on January 10, army sources said.

On the same day another NDFB-S 'platoon commander' Jailing alias Jagat Basumatary, who carried a reward of Rs five lakh on his head for his alleged 'direct involvement' in the December 23 massacre of adivasis at Pakhriguri area of Kokrajhar district, was killed in an encounter with the police and SSB near Khousibazar in the district.

On January 8, seven NDFB-S militants including its Kokrajhar platoon 'second-in-command' Mithinga and Khuren along with their four associates too were arrested from Serfanguri in Kokrajhar district for their alleged direct involvement in the killings.

Two more cadres of NDFB(S) Kokrajhar platoon – Genda Basumatary and Bullet were apprehended during the subsequent operation at Kolabari area also under Serfanguri police station that day.

The day before, an NDFB-S ultra identified as Jagadish Basumatary was arrested with a grenade by a joint team of Army and Assam Police from Dimajuli village under Bijni sub-division of Chirang district.

On January 6, eight kg explosives were recovered from two NDFB-Songbijit militants and two arms dealers were arrested with weapons in Kokrajhar district.