AGARTALA, Sept 3 � In the wake of intense pressure from security agencies in neighbouring Bangladesh, North East insurgent groups like ULFA, NSCN (IM), NSCN (K) and UNLF have started shifting their bases towards Myanmar.
The latest development has been confirmed by Intelligence Bureau (IB) during the four-day long conference of DGs and IGs at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi that was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.
In the meeting, it was revealed that though several North East outfits including NSCN (IM), NDFB, DHD (N), DHD (J), UPDS, UPF and ANVC are engaged in the peace talks with the Centre, they have started moving towards Myanmar to avoid the heat piled by the security agencies in Bangladesh.
The 1,650 km Indo-Myanmar border has become volatile in view of the trans-border movement of NE insurgents, said DGP Pranay Sahay here on Friday while briefing the media on the outcome of the DGs/IGs conference that ended on August 28.
As per the estimation, as many as 40 battalions of BSF troops will be engaged to man the Indo-Myanmar border, the DG said adding that the Centre had already taken up the issue with the neighbouring country.
Sahay said three hideouts of the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) were dismantled by Bangladesh security agencies recently. However, there is no confirmation that ULFA is on the process of shifting its base from Bangladesh to China, the DGP said.
He said that the issue related to funding to terrorist groups also came up in the discussion in the conference. �Some DGPs had demanded to give power to the State police authority to check the contribution to the underground outfits�, he said.
On the ISI module in the North East, the DGP said that there was a discussion on it but nothing specific. �Threat perception from ISI module is real in North East�, he said.
Sahay said that there was significant improvement in containing insurgency in the North East over the past three years.
While, 1,561 militancy incidents were reported in the North East during 2008, the number of incidents came down to 1,297 in the last year and only 464 such cases were recorded in the region in 2010, till March. However, there were some untoward incidents in Manipur and Nagaland.
The DGP further added that an anti-terrorist and counter- insurgency school will be set up in Tripura to impart training of security forces. �The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has already sanctioned Rs 1.50 crore to set up the school. However, the MHA was urged to allocate Rs 3 crore to establish the school�, he said.
