Zero tolerance

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he government is chasing the Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) till the end. Every effort the security force personnel invested has not gone wasted so far in this pursuit. Over hundred NDFB(S) cadres and their associates have already been arrested from various locations of the region. The security force personnel are still pursuing them. Now, the well-cornered Bodo militants must be realizing their December 23 mistake. But it is too late. Though the Adivisi leaders are not impressed by this ‘security success’ the government is already on its way to finish the NDFB(S).One strategy of the government has been that it wants to send a very strong message to other underground organizations operating in the Northeast region that it is employing zero tolerance policy to militant related violence. These Bodo militants are very much demoralized now. Almost all the top leaders have been arrested. The remaining ones are likely to be nabbed soon as the hunt of the security force on them is well coordinated. It appears that these Bodo militants have realized the futility of hiding in vast Assam jungle tract. They attempted to escape but the government intelligence proved better than theirs. Few days ago three top NDFB(S) militants were arrested from a location in Kohima jointly by Nagaland police and NIA. They have been identified as Ajoi Basumatary, Dilip Basumatary and Khamrei Basumatary. Ajoi is said to be the self-styled Commander of 3rd Battalion of NDFB (S) while Dilip is a dreaded ‘terrorist’ and the outfit’s self-styled “Forest Secretary, according to NIA. Three days after the Kohima arrest, 11 NDFB(S) cadres were nabbed by the security forces in joint operations from the forested areas of Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. One of the cadres Bikunas Narzary aka Birlangbai is the self-styled “commanding officer” of the 13th Battalion of the outfit.