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Agartala, Aug 12, 2011 : Police averted a sabotage attempt before Independence Day when they engaged a group of NLFT militants in an encounter in Dhalai district on Thursday afternoon.
According to police sources, a group of about nine to ten NLFT militants led by Athara Babu Halam was planning to plant explosives on National Highway 44 on or before Independence Day. The bid was foiled when Dhalai district police led by Additional SP Nagendra Debbarma acting on a tip off raided remote Khagendra Roaja para of Ambassa subdivision.
“We had specific information about militants’ movements in the area and accordingly we set three police parties accompanied by TSR and led by senior officials for a coordinated hunt. I was leading one group which came across the militants about 400 to 450 metres north of Khagendra Roaja para”, said Nagendra Debbarma over telephone.
He said as the combined police and TSR party were entering the area they saw a militant. When the raiding party challenged the militant, his comrades in arms hiding nearby jungle opened fire. The police-TSR combine immediately retaliated forcing the militants to flee.
“We then launched a massive search operation to hunt down the militants. But they managed to escape as the area was densely forested. We suspect there were nine to ten militants”, Debbarma said.
Police later came to know that the group was led by Athara Babu Halam a first generation NLFT militant responsible for several attacks including Kamalpur UBI robbery on November, 1995. He hails from Jamthung village of the district.
Another officer said that Athara babu led NLFT militants had planned to plant explosives on Assam Agartala national Highway -44 before Independence Day. But due to the police actions they are now on the run.
Of late, there is a sudden spurt of NLFT offensives in various parts of Dhalai district. Besides attempts are also on recruit youths from the tribal villages.
Sources said, the militants seemed to have become highly active before the Independence day celebration. And in view of the threat massive security arrangements were also made not only in Dhalai district but also in the entire state with intensified force deployment, tightened surveillance and bomb squads being pressed into service. Border vigil has also been stepped. Bordering areas Gandacherra, raishyabari and remote areas of Chhailengta and some parts of Khowai subdivision were put on round the clock surveillance.
In view of the sudden spate of cross border movements of the militants besides BSF in some locations TSR personnel were also deployed to guard the frontier, the officer added
Only on Thursday night TSR nabbed five tribal youths with country made fire arms from Murabari under Kalyanpur police station. The youths were from Gayanfangbari, police sources said.
“At least three NLFT groups are holed up in Bangladesh just across the border but in Dhalai district and they regularly sneak into Indian territory and move around in deep interiors of the district. One group is led by Athara babu, and the two others are by Bomtong a ka Ananda hari Jamatia and Lakshilung Halam. And all them are desperate to make a spectacular attack”, said a senior officer in Agartala. It is Lakshilung who had kidnapped eight villagers recently from deep interior of Dhalai district and took them in Bangladesh. They are still held captive.
The NLFT militants are now hell bent to extort money from the villagers as much as possible. And this season is suitable for their extortion bids.
At this time the militants can move freely in the deep forested land without much difficulty. While verdant foliage now grown in the wake of rains gives them required cover, the jhum fields spread in the hilly regions provide them food. In fact, unlike other times they do not need to enter into any village for food. They can get any vegetable and fruits from the jhum fields up in the hills and deep forest and survive on them without going near the villages- which are all virtually covered by security forces TSR or Assam Rifles. Besides in absence of villages and habitations in large tracts of hilly region in both sides of the border the NLFT hide outs –which are of course being constantly moved-remain untraced by the security forces of both the countries.
Agartala, Aug 12, 2011 : Police averted a sabotage attempt before Independence Day when they engaged a group of NLFT militants in an encounter in Dhalai district on Thursday afternoon.
According to police sources, a group of about nine to ten NLFT militants led by Athara Babu Halam was planning to plant explosives on National Highway 44 on or before Independence Day. The bid was foiled when Dhalai district police led by Additional SP Nagendra Debbarma acting on a tip off raided remote Khagendra Roaja para of Ambassa subdivision.
“We had specific information about militants’ movements in the area and accordingly we set three police parties accompanied by TSR and led by senior officials for a coordinated hunt. I was leading one group which came across the militants about 400 to 450 metres north of Khagendra Roaja para”, said Nagendra Debbarma over telephone.
He said as the combined police and TSR party were entering the area they saw a militant. When the raiding party challenged the militant, his comrades in arms hiding nearby jungle opened fire. The police-TSR combine immediately retaliated forcing the militants to flee.
“We then launched a massive search operation to hunt down the militants. But they managed to escape as the area was densely forested. We suspect there were nine to ten militants”, Debbarma said.
Police later came to know that the group was led by Athara Babu Halam a first generation NLFT militant responsible for several attacks including Kamalpur UBI robbery on November, 1995. He hails from Jamthung village of the district.
Another officer said that Athara babu led NLFT militants had planned to plant explosives on Assam Agartala national Highway -44 before Independence Day. But due to the police actions they are now on the run.
Of late, there is a sudden spurt of NLFT offensives in various parts of Dhalai district. Besides attempts are also on recruit youths from the tribal villages.
Sources said, the militants seemed to have become highly active before the Independence day celebration. And in view of the threat massive security arrangements were also made not only in Dhalai district but also in the entire state with intensified force deployment, tightened surveillance and bomb squads being pressed into service. Border vigil has also been stepped. Bordering areas Gandacherra, raishyabari and remote areas of Chhailengta and some parts of Khowai subdivision were put on round the clock surveillance.
In view of the sudden spate of cross border movements of the militants besides BSF in some locations TSR personnel were also deployed to guard the frontier, the officer added
Only on Thursday night TSR nabbed five tribal youths with country made fire arms from Murabari under Kalyanpur police station. The youths were from Gayanfangbari, police sources said.
“At least three NLFT groups are holed up in Bangladesh just across the border but in Dhalai district and they regularly sneak into Indian territory and move around in deep interiors of the district. One group is led by Athara babu, and the two others are by Bomtong a ka Ananda hari Jamatia and Lakshilung Halam. And all them are desperate to make a spectacular attack”, said a senior officer in Agartala. It is Lakshilung who had kidnapped eight villagers recently from deep interior of Dhalai district and took them in Bangladesh. They are still held captive.
The NLFT militants are now hell bent to extort money from the villagers as much as possible. And this season is suitable for their extortion bids.
At this time the militants can move freely in the deep forested land without much difficulty. While verdant foliage now grown in the wake of rains gives them required cover, the jhum fields spread in the hilly regions provide them food. In fact, unlike other times they do not need to enter into any village for food. They can get any vegetable and fruits from the jhum fields up in the hills and deep forest and survive on them without going near the villages- which are all virtually covered by security forces TSR or Assam Rifles. Besides in absence of villages and habitations in large tracts of hilly region in both sides of the border the NLFT hide outs –which are of course being constantly moved-remain untraced by the security forces of both the countries.
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