Even as the Army on Friday intensified its counter-insurgency operations against the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit), the exodus of panic-stricken Bodo and Adivasi people continued unabated.

Government sources in New Delhi said that the border with Bhutan — where NDFB(S) is believed to have bases — has been sealed.

So far over a lakh people have fled their villages. Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner Thaneswar Malakar told The Hindu that 74,912 people had taken shelter in 77 relief camps in the district. In Chirang district, 14,920 refugees had taken shelter in 11 relief camps, 9,650 people were in nine relief camps in Sonitpur district and 8,105 people were in five relief camps in Udalguri. Sporadic incidents were reported during a 12-hour bandh called by the All-Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Union, the All-Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam and several other organisations to protest the massacre of Adivasi villagers. Trucks and other vehicles were torched, stones were pelted on buses and tyres were burnt on highways and city roads.

Police have put the death toll in the attacks by NDFB (S) on Adivasi villages on Tuesday night and in the retaliatory attacks on Bodo villages at 75. The strategy group of the Unified Command Structure of the Army, the Assam Police and the Central Paramilitary Forces met at the official residence of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Emerging from the meeting, Director General of Police Khagen Sarma said the crackdown on NDFB (S) had begun.

PTI adds from Delhi

Indo-Bhutan border guarding force, SSB has rushed 2,000 of its personnel to Assam in the wake of the mass killings and escalation in violence by the militants of banned outfit NDFB(S).

“We have sent 20 fresh companies to these areas. They have reported at the base in Assam and we are trying to enhance and better the border guarding task along this area,” Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Chief B D Sharma said here on Friday.

He said the paramilitary force already has nine battalions for border guarding duties along the Indo—Bhutan border in Assam and these fresh units would supplement the existing personnel.

Source: TH