GOALPARA, Aug 14 � The 9th Sikh Light Infantry stationed at Army camp Damra, near Dudhnoi has been able to script a major success in wiping out the networks and also a number of transit camps which were used as operational bases in the area by some of the militants outfits i.e. Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), Rabha Viper Army (RVA), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB anti-talk) etc and has also been able to check many extortion drives that were carried out by these militant outfits.
Talking to this correspondent Lt Col L A Chauhan, commanding officer of the unit said that the operations began since March 2011 under �Operation Rhino� and after he took over the responsibilities as the CO his immediate priority was to strengthen the intelligence network in the area and to gather intimate knowledge of the topography and the tactics used by various militant groups and in this regard many security personnel belonging even to the Territorial Army along with others were deployed. He mentioned that since this was not a conventional warfare, the soldiers had to learn new tactics giving more importance in upholding human rights and conduct operation with minimum forces and with little collateral damages. He also said that after relentlessly working day and night their first notable success came when Sunil Rabha, comander-in-chief and Janki Rabha, general secretary of Rabha Viper Army (RVA) were apprehended from their hideouts after a search operation following hard intelligent inputs and with their arrest the coordination among the cadres of RVA was in disarray and their numbers started to dwindle.
He also said that the 9th Sikh Light Infantry stationed at Damra achieved a major success when the NDFB general secretary Dijen Dhigwra Narzary of the anti talk faction was killed along with his body guard following a gunfight. The army along with a team of Meghalaya police carried out, a pre dawn operation at Gure Simran village near Mendipathar and in the ensuing gun battle, the security personnel killed both the militants and one AK 47 rifle with two loaded magazines, a 7.62 mm rifle, one 9 mm magazine, one hand grenade, one IED, two wireless sets and two mobile phone sets were found from the house in which the slain militants were holed up. He mentioned that this operation was instrumental in bringing the NDFB (anti- talks) to the negotiating table and soften their stand. After this operation there was significant decrease in the militant activities and a total of 34 cadres belonging to various militant outfits i.e. GNLA, RVA 7 NDFB (anti-talk) were apprehended and some firearms of various makes with live ammunitions were also seized.
