GUWAHATI, June 26 � A group of around 30 hardcore members of the Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), headed by vice chairman of the outfit G Bidai, are constantly on the run after a narrow escape from the Ultanapi Reserved Forest last month. Meanwhile, the outfit is facing a severe financial crunch after the fund flow has been squeezed and the debt burden for running the camps in Myanmar crossed the Rs 1 crore mark.
Highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that around 35 persons, headed by Bidai, and including 10 to 12 hardcore members of the outfit have been staying together following sustained operations by the police and security forces. But so far, five of them, including the PA to Bidai, have escaped. Three of them, M Aongai, Jangdao and Errenon
escaped when they were sent to collect ration on May 26, while two others, Mergwm and another cadre escaped yesterday.
The group is moving around in the jungles of the Assam-Bhutan border areas and on several occasions, they had narrow escapes as the forces are close on their heels. During the operations, several persons, engaged as couriers by the group, have been nabbed by the forces and this has affected ration supply to the group.
There have been reports that the group has even resorted to killing deer in the Manas National Park for food. �The forces are close on the heels of the militants as nabbing the senior members will finish off the outfit. But it is a cat-and-mouse game and so far the militants have been lucky,� sources added.
