GUWAHATI, Aug 23 � The possibility of fundamentalist elements trying to take advantage of the violence in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) area cannot be ruled out, while, the sooner those who returned to Assam from other parts of the country return to rejoin their jobs is better for the State, said highly placed police sources.
Police sources told The Assam Tribune that fundamentalist forces have been trying to establish roots in Assam for quite some time but on most occasions, such attempts were foiled because of timely receipt of information. Sources said that the last time a large number of Harkat ul Mujaheedin activists were arrested in Assam was in the late 1990s but since then, the activities of such outfits were not seen in the State. However, no one knows whether sleeper cells of such groups are operating from Assam.
Sources said that according to information available, a few boys from Assam are now working as members of militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba(LET) and other such pan Islamic militant groups in other parts of the country but they have not come to Assam for a long time. But there is every possibility of such forces taking advantage of the situation cannot be ruled out and police and security forces are keeping a close watch on the situation.
On the other hand, the police is trying to prepare a detailed list of all those who have returned to Assam from other parts of the country following disturbance in BTAD areas. Sources said that most of the youths came back after Pakistan launched hate campaign through internet, which created widespread rumours all over the country.
Sources said that according to information available, around 30,000 youths came back to the North East and at least 20,000 of them are from Assam. As the youths, who are aggrieved, have fanned out to different parts of the state, there is possibility of fresh disturbance in different parts of Assam and the sooner they return to their workplaces is better for the state.
