GUWAHATI, Aug 24 - The all-out crackdown launched by the police and security forces against the Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) following the killing of more than 70 persons by the outfit on December 23 has left the outfit high and dry. But a group of around 25 militants headed by hardcore member G Bidai are still at large.
Highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that so far more than 180 hardcore members of the outfit and 280 couriers and sympathisers have been arrested since the operation was launched. Altogether, 15 hardcore members of the outfit were killed in the operations. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is still monitoring the operations and all the forces operating on the ground have to send weekly reports of their progress.
Sources said that 25 militants headed by Bidai are still inside Assam and they are hiding in thick jungles near the Manas National Park. The group narrowly escaped on May 7 when the forces busted their camp and since then the group is on the run. According to information available with the security agencies, the group managed to sneak into Bhutan on July 2 and stayed in that country for a month or so before returning back to the State. To avoid arrest, the group has split into two parts. One part is headed by Bidai, while the other is by the commander of the third battalion of the outfit.
Security sources said that the forces recently managed to arrest two hardcore members of the group � B Birdao alias Bipin Brahma and Philip Basumatary � and both of them are sick and are now admitted to the Gauhati Medical College Hospital. However, security agencies managed to get some vital information about the outfit from the arrested militants. The arrested militants told the security agencies that the ultras were facing severe shortage of food and medicines as a number of their couriers were arrested and they have to stay under the open sky. Several members including senior member Dwisrang are sick. But the group has a number of sophisticated weapons including AK series rifles and they are using solar panels to charge their phones. They are mostly using mobile phones of Bhutan.
