GUWAHATI, Dec 26 � With the activities of the Assam based militant groups on the wane, the threat from the foreign based jehadi groups has increased in the State and there is urgent need for improving surveillance in the areas considered vulnerable, particularly the char areas located near the Indo-Bangla border.
Highly placed police sources told The Assam Tribune that there have been instances of the elements of jehadi groups trying to create disturbance in Assam and though the groups have not yet been able to go for large scale recruitments in the State, a few boys from the State have been trained in Pakistan by dreaded militant group Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT).
Sources admitted that earlier, the jehadi elements backed by Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) helped the militant groups of the State to indulge in acts of violence including blasts instead of risking their own people. There have been instances when the jehadi groups including the ISI directly or indirectly providing explosives like RDX, programmable time device (PTD) switches etc to the militant groups of Assam to trigger off explosions. But with the militant groups of Assam facing problems, the jehadi groups would be forced to send their own people to carry out acts of violence.
Police said that in the last couple of years, the jehadi groups, who mostly work under one umbrella, tried to indulge in acts of violence in Assam on several occasions, but the attempts were foiled because of timely receipt of intelligence inputs. Sources revealed that about a month back, the LeT hatched a plan to trigger off a car bomb explosion in Tezpur, but the attempt was foiled because of timely receipt of intelligence input. The police and intelligence agencies also managed to obtain the names of the militants engaged for carrying out the explosion. Though they could not be arrested, the input helped in foiling the attempt, sources added.
Sources revealed that a youth from Rangiya, who was trained in Pakistan by the LeT was the main person engaged by the jehadi groups for carrying out the car bomb explosion. The youth has been away from home for the past nine years. Several other youths from Assam received training in LeT camps in Pakistan, sources added. But at the same time, sources admitted that the jehadi groups have not yet been able to recruit large number of youths from Assam as of now.
Sources further said that the groups like the MULFA and MULTA have almost become defunct after a large number of cadres were arrested by police and security forces and it would not be easy for the jehadi groups to revive such outfits.
Commenting on the vulnerable areas, sources admitted that there is need for increasing vigil in the char areas along the border with Bangladesh as any anti-India element can take shelter in such areas after sneaking into India from the neighbouring country before fanning out to other parts of the State. The surveillance in the char areas has been increased in recent times and police and security agencies are receiving good inputs from those areas, but there is need for more surveillance with establishment of police stations to show the presence of the administration in such areas, sources admitted.
