GUWAHATI, July 2 � Though a number of militant outfits of Assam have signed ceasefire agreements with the State and Central governments to solve their problems through talks, several new outfits have cropped up in the last few years. The most disturbing aspect is that a majority of the new outfits are splinter groups of the outfits which are either talking with the government or have signed peace pacts.
Highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that at least 14 militant groups are under ceasefire agreements with the government and talks with these outfits are on. Prominent among the outfits under ceasefire agreement with the government include the pro-talk faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), two factions of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) etc. But at the same time, splinter groups of the outfits under ceasefire agreements, are still active. New outfits are also active in the State and according to an estimate, there are at least 14 such militant groups.
Sources pointed out that within this year alone, two senior police officers � one Superintendent of Police and one Additional Superintendent of Police � were killed by militants and in both the incidents, members of splinter groups of the militant outfits which are negotiating with the Government, were involved.
Security sources revealed that among the splinter groups, the Songbijit faction of the NDFB and the ULFA (Independent) are the most prominent ones. But the disturbing fact is that in recent times a number of new outfits cropped up in the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao. Among the new militant outfits, UPLA was formed in February last year, the United Karbi People�s Front was formed in October last year, the Naga Rengma Hill Protection Force was formed in January last year, the United Dimasa Kachari Liberation Front came into existence in November last year, the Dima Jagi Nyso Army was formed in October, 2012, the Karbi National Liberation Army was floated on September 6 last year and the United People�s Liberation Front was formed on January 4 last year.
Sources said that the UPLA, which was involved in the killing of Hamren SP Nityananda Goswami, was formed with 27 members and 17 of them were former members of the United People�s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), which signed a peace pact with the Government. Moreover, the outfit was using the weapons of the UPDS, which proved that the outfit did not deposit all its weapons while signing the peace pact with the Government.
