GUWAHATI, April 5 � Though the first phase of the elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly passed off peacefully, the threat from the militants is far from over and re-deployment of the forces started from today to the areas going to the polls for the second phase.
Highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that several areas of the state including the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) are considered vulnerable for the second phase of the polls, while, extra precautions have been taken to prevent infiltration of anti-national elements through the international border.
Sources said that the anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) is active in the areas bordering Bhutan and within the past one month, the militants ambushed Border Security Force (BSF) and SSB personnel in the international border area. Sources revealed that SSB personnel has been entrusted with the responsibility of guarding the border with Bhutan, while, recently Army and BSF personnel have been deployed for area domination to restrict the movement of the militants. However, a group of NDFB men headed by Bidai, the head of the western command of the anti-talk faction of the NDFB, are reportedly moving around in the area and the group may try to launch such attacks on security personnel whenever they get a chance, sources added.
Though there is no intelligence input about attempts by the NDFB to indulge in election related violence, such a possibility cannot be ruled out, particularly in the BTC area.
On the other hand, the possibility of the hardliners in the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) trying to indulge in violence cannot be ruled out. The ULFA already showed its presence by triggering off an IED blast in the Rajiv Bhawan. According to information available with the security forces, after most of the leaders of the 709 battalion of the outfit joined the pro-talk faction, hardcore militant Drishti Rajkhowa has been given the responsibility of indulging in acts of violence in lower Assam and Guwahati.
Meanwhile, security along the Assam-Bangladesh border has been intensified to prevent any anti-national element from sneaking into the state from the neighbouring country. Security sources said that additional manpower of the Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed along the border, while, officers of the BSF are regularly visiting the border to closely monitor the situation on the ground.
However, the chars along the border in Dhubri district remains an area of concern as BSF does not have permanent posts in all such chars and there is very little presence of the state administration in those areas.
