GUWAHATI, 7 October 2004 — Some of the guerrilla groups fighting Indian rule in the volatile northeast are operating out of Bangladesh, the Indian prime minister said yesterday, after an upsurge of separatist violence in the region.
“The fact that some insurgent groups can take shelter in Bangladesh has been a source of concern to us, and I have myself made representation to the leadership of Bangladesh at the highest level,” Manmohan Singh said.
“It is our hope and expectation that the territory of any neighboring friendly country will not be used to encourage insurgent activities which seek to destabilize our country,” he told reporters in Bombay, the country’s financial capital.
Dhaka has repeatedly dismissed Indian allegations that it hosted anti-India guerrilla camps, and relations have been strained in recent weeks. Manmohan’s comments came as New Delhi deployed more troops in the remote state of Arunachal Pradesh to stop attacks by guerrillas from neighboring states ahead of a state assembly election today.
The vote in Arunachal Pradesh will be followed by assembly elections in the huge western state of Maharashtra on Oct. 13, seen as a first test for the communist-backed national Congress government since it took power in May. “We are closely monitoring the borders with Assam and Nagaland so that militants cannot sneak in to disturb the polls,” Arunachal police Inspector General P.N. Agarwal said.
Assam and neighboring Nagaland state have been hit by violence since Saturday, with 81 people killed and 217 injured in some 21 incidents of bombings and shootings. Most victims have been civilians.
The northeast region is home to around two dozen militant and separatist groups with demands ranging from autonomy to secession.
Manmohan’s government, which has sent extra troops to the northeast, has faced fierce criticism over the spate of violence from its political opponents, who claim it does not have an effective policy on the northeast.
“It is not true to say that we do not have credible policy for northeast. We had anticipated that terrorists will do something on Oct. 2 and 3. But terrorists have the advantage,” Manmohan said.
Police have blamed the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) for the attacks and the two groups have claimed some of the bloodletting.
Both ULFA, NDFB and another two prominent groups are operating out of bases in Bangladesh, according to Indian intelligence.
India claims that there are about 195 militant camps including training bases in Bangladesh, which denies its territory is used by the insurgents.
Soldiers patrolled villages in the northeastern Indian state of Arunanchal Pradesh yesterday to stop attacks by insurgents from restive neighboring states ahead of a state assembly elections.
Arunachal Pradesh’s vote today will be followed by assembly elections in the huge western state of Maharashtra on Oct. 13, which is seen as a first test of the communist-backed national Congress government since it took power in May.
“We are closely monitoring the borders with Assam and Nagaland so that militants cannot sneak in to disturb the poll,” Arunanchal police Inspector General P.N. Agarwal said.
Arunachal Pradesh is a relatively peaceful state in the turbulent northeast region where dozens of separatist groups are fighting for greater autonomy, statehood or secession. Election officials have traveled to remote parts of Arunachal Pradesh on helicopters and elephant back, carrying electronic voting machines. Some 600,000 people are eligible to vote. “There are no roads in many parts of the state. We have to depend on elephants to ferry officials and equipment,” said state election official D.J. Bhattarcharya.
Analysts say the Congress party, which controls the 60-member Arunachal state legislature, has a slight edge over the main opposition, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Meanwhile, overnight slaughter of more villagers by rebels caused panic as the authorities launched a massive recruiting drive to bolster their anti-insurgency forces.
“The region is turning into a killing field and it is quite natural to be shaken by the violence,” said Apurba Das, a doctor in Assam’s main city of Guwahati, hours after heavily armed tribal separatists gunned down 10 villagers in the west of the state late Tuesday.
