GUWAHATI, July 28 - Recent recovery of huge cache of sophisticated weapons in different parts of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas has become a matter of serious concern for the police and security agencies as such recoveries proved beyond doubt that militant outfits did not deposit all their weapons while surrendering.
All four factions of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) signed peace pact with the Government of India, following which the militants surrendered weapons before Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in a formal function in Guwahati. But the recent recoveries proved that the militants did not surrender all their weapons.
Highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that as per inputs available, the sophisticated weapons recovered in the BTC area in recent times, belonged to different factions of the NDFB. Sources said that it is almost impossible to perfectly assess the number of weapons in possession of the militant groups and some members of the outfits take advantage of the situation and keep weapons.
Sources said , �we can make an assessment of the number of weapons on the basis of whatever inputs we have. But it is impossible to make a correct assessment and that is why, police has to go by the statements of the militants when they surrender.� However, sources admitted that the recent recoveries were very positive developments and all out efforts must be made by police and security agencies to seize illegal weapons and take strong action against anyone found to be in possession of such weapons.
Sources admitted that the possibility of surrendered militants selling the weapons that they kept with themselves to criminals or poachers cannot be ruled out and that is a matter of serious concern.
Security sources further said that the top leaders of the militant groups also often do not have exact record of the weapons in possession of the cadres.
�No militant group is so well organized that they would have proper record of the weapons. There have been cases where only the local units know the number of weapons the cadres have in one area,� sources pointed out. Giving an example, sources said that the top leaders of the NDFB may not know the exact number of weapons that one particular unit operating in a specific area has and only the local level field operative of the outfit would be aware of it.
