GUWAHATI, Feb 18 � Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will review the law-and-order situation in Assam at a high-level meeting with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and other senior officials at the Raj Bhawan tomorrow. Senior officials of the Home Ministry will also attend the meeting.
Official sources told The Assam Tribune that though no fixed agenda for the meeting has been finalized, one of the main issues likely to be discussed is the attempts by the Maoist rebel groups to establish roots in the State in the wake of jumping of bail by arrested Maoist rebels including Aditya Bora, who was arrested from a Maoist camp in an area bordering Orissa and Jharkhand. The Government of India has already issued a warning to the State Government to keep a close watch on the situation to prevent Maoists from establishing strong roots in Assam.
Sources said that the recent activities of the hardline faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) headed by Paresh Baruah would also be discussed as according to reports, the outfit launched a recruitment drive to increase its strength and at least a hundred new recruits are now undergoing training in the bases of the ULFA in Myanmar. The extortion drive launched by the outfit has also become a matter of concern.
On its part, the Assam Government is likely to request the Home Minister to provide additional forces to deal with the situation. Sources said that the State had around 97 companies of Central Forces and around 30 of those were withdrawn from the Sate for the Assembly elections in five States. The State Government would request the Home Minister at least to restore the strength of the Central forces.
The issue of starting the possibility of talks with the Ranjan Daimary faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) is likely to be discussed as the Centre�s interlocutor PC Haldar has already met Daimary in jail a few times, but the Government is yet to take a decision on suspension of operations against the outfit.
Chidambaram today visited Tripura and after spending the night at the Raj Bhawan, he will review the situation of Assam before leaving for Meghalaya tomorrow.
