Top Bodo men surrender

GUWAHATI, JAN 1: The outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), one of the two Bodo armed rebel groups whose activities have ...

GUWAHATI, JAN 1: The outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), one of the two Bodo armed rebel groups whose activities have been adding to the woes of the Assam government, today received a major blow with 36 top cadres, laying down arms and returning to the mainstream.

The group, led by the self-styled Lieutenant, Hebal Mushahary alias Hafeza, who is also member of the Central Committee of the Outlawed Organisation, laid down their arms and took oath to abide by the Constitution of India in a function attended by Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta at Dispur.

Those who surrendered included five second lieutenants, three lieutenants, five sergeant majors , one lieutenant colonel, four corporals, four sergeants, and fourteen cadres.

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Welcoming the youths to the mainstream, Chief Minister Mahanta said that this was a beginning of a turning point for militancy in the State, and with the Centre’s proposed package for rehabilitation of militant youths on its way, more and more youths arewaiting to lay down arms and shun violence.

"The New Year is expected to be an year of peace in the State, and will see a downswing in insurgent activities," Mahanta told The Indian Express soon after the ceremony, which the government refuted to term as a surrender ceremony.

"This is not surrender. This is the beginning of militant youths shunning the path of violence and returning to mainstream," State Home Secretary, Mrinal Kumar Baruah, added. Mahanta on the other hand said the State government was also getting feelers from several top ULFA leaders to give up the path of secession. He however refused to divulge further.

Meanwhile, talking to media-persons, S S Lieutenant Hebal Mushahary said the process of the group’s giving up arms had begun about two months ago. State IGP (Operations), G M Shrivastava, too corroborated this. Interestingly, while the two earlier batches of ULFA and Bodo rebels who had surrendered were motivated by the Army, today’s surrender was worked out exclusively bythe Assam Police.