India to launch offensive against rebels in north-east

Sat, 13 Nov 2010

New Delhi - India will launch a military offensive against tribal rebels responsible for killing 24 people in the north-eastern state of Assam, news reports said Saturday.

Federal Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram who visited the state Friday, directed security forces to confront the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) with a "strong hand."

"Security forces have been instructed to apprehend NDFB leaders and bring them to justice," Chidambaram was quoted as saying by the Times of India daily. "They deserve exemplary punishment."

There were at least 11 separate attacks over three days since Monday, mostly targeting Hindi-speaking migrants from the eastern state of Bihar, police said.

At least 15 people were injured, five critically.

The NDFB has been fighting for a separate homeland for the Bodo tribe in Assam since 1996.

Police said the group had earlier threatened to eliminate at least 20 Hindis to avenge the killing of a rebel commander by security forces in October.

The government has offered peace talks to NDFB chairman Ranjan Daimary, recently arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to India.

Militants aligned to Daimary on Thursday warned of fresh attacks.

India's volatile north-east is home to more than 200 ethnic groups and has been plagued by insurgency throughout the past half-century.

An estimated 50 militant groups operate in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya. Their demands range from greater autonomy within India to independent homelands.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353346,launch-offensive-rebels-north-east.html.