GUWAHATI, Nov 17 � The number of weapons recovered from militants in counter-insurgency operations or surrendered by the ultras over the years prove the disturbing fact that a huge number of sophisticated weapons are being brought to Assam every year and there is urgent need for sealing the routes used by the militants and clandestine arms dealers to bring in such weapons to ensure improvement of the overall law and order situation.
According to an estimate by the Army, more than 5,200 weapons including sophisticated weapons like AK series rifles, rocket launchers etc were either recovered from the militants or surrendered by the ultras in the last nine years and it is an established fact that only a small portion of the weapons brought to the state could be recovered. As per records available, 570 weapons were recovered or surrendered in 2002, 900 in 2003, 750 in 2004, 450 in 2005, 300 in 2006, 500 in 2007, 640 in 2008, 530 in 2009 and around 580 weapons were recovered so far this year.
Highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that the militants are bringing in weapons from different sources and very rarely handmade weapons are being used by the militants. Sources said that easy availability of weapons in the clandestine arms markets in the South East Asian countries is a matter of serious concern for the overall security scenario of India. It is now an established fact that weapons are also available in Kachin area of Myanmar and in the areas bordering China and Myanmar from where the clandestine arms dealers are operating. Sources said that the Chinese Army is also offloading its old weapons as a part of modernization drive and those weapons are available with the clandestine arms dealers, who in turn, sell those to the militant groups.
Sources said that in a number of times, weapons manufactured in the Norinco factory of China were recovered from militants by the security forces. However, it is difficult to say whether any official of the Government of China was involved in such deals. But the Government of India has taken up the matter with China on several occasions. Sources also said that there were reasons to believe involvement of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah in such arms dealings as he frequented China and he was named as one of the accused by the Government Bangladesh in the 2004 arms haul case. It may be mentioned here that the National Investigating Agency (NIA) recently arrested a senior leader of the NSN (I-M), Anthony Shimrey in connection with a case relating to arms dealings and the NSCN leader also reportedly visited China on a number of times.
Security sources said that the militants use different routes to bring in weapons and only recently members of the anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) were arrested when they were bringing weapons from Dimapur. Earlier, the Indo-Bangla border through the Garo Hills area was a preferred route of the militants to bring in weapons through Bangladesh, but now security measures in the area have been intensified. The militants also used to bring in weapons through Mizoram and they also take advantage of the terrain along the border with Myanmar to sneak in weapons.
Meanwhile, police sources said that the weapons seized from the militants cannot be legally used by the police and security forces and those are kept in the armories. Sources said that the weapons are normally seized under the provisions of the Arms Act and those need to be produced in the Court during the trial period. However, after the cases are disposed off, the Courts may order destruction of such weapons. There was a time when the non prohibited weapons were auctioned to the persons having arms licences, but that has been stopped long back, sources added.
