Guwahati, March 14 (PTI): Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Monday said 274 cases registered against 427 erstwhile cadre of the militant group National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) have been withdrawn.
Addressing the Assam assembly on the first day of the budget session, Mukhi also said that a total of 4,203 cadre of various groups have been rehabilitated under the Bodo Accord.
"The State Level Committee for withdrawal of cases (non-heinous) under trial against NDFB cadre after thorough review has withdrawn 274 cases against 427 former NDFB cadre," he added.
A "proactive implementation of the Bodo Accord has led to the rehabilitation of 4,203 surrendered cadre with financial assistance of INR 168.12 crore, the governor said.
In July last year, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced that non-heinous crime cases against the surrendered NDFB cadre would be disposed of soon and all the cases pending with National Investigation Agency (NIA) would be transferred to the police.
Mukhi said that a new outfit United Liberation of Bodoland (ULB) was formed in September last year, but all its cadre surrendered within days due to proactive actions of the police.
"Similarly, self-styled chairman of Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) along with its deputy commander in chief and others surrendered and a ceasefire agreement with the Government of Assam was signed on October 20, 2021 for a period of six months," he added.
Intensive anti-insurgency measures also resulted in the surrender of the leader and 164 other cadre of the National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB), the governor said.
"One senior Maoist cadre too surrendered on September 28, 2021. All these go on to prove that tribal militancy has come to a full stop in the state," he added.
On January 27, 2020, All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), United Bodo People's Organisation (UBPO) and all the factions of the NDFB had signed a peace accord with the government.
Following the agreement, which was the third in the Bodoland region, a total of 1,615 cadre from all the factions of NDFB had surrendered on January 30, 2020 and deposited their arms and ammunition.
According to the peace accord, criminal cases against the members of NDFB for non-heinous crimes would be withdrawn by the Assam government as per the law.
During the signing of the agreement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said Bodo insurgency, which continued for several decades, had claimed over 4,000 lives in the region.