[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he reason why Adivasi leaders are not impressed by the success of security force personnel in arresting nearly 100 Bodo militants hail from the Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and their associates involving in the pre-Christmas massacre of 81 Adivasis is sound and good. This expression by the Adivasi leaders has questioned the integrity of various security agencies. The Adivasi leaders termed the success of the security as ‘too late.’Here, the views of the Adivasi leaders would mean that the security agencies could have prevented or at least minimized the scale of violence of the December 23 incident of Assam if they were sincere to their duties. In less than a month’s time of the incident nearly 100 people including the NDFB(S) cadres and their associates were arrested from various locations. Raphael Kujur, president of the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) told a Guwahati based newspaper that the arrests of nearly 100 people involved in the massacre of 81 Adivasis means that the “security agencies knew where these people (now arrested) were hiding and had these security agencies done this earlier, precious lives could have been saved.”
Fifty NDFB(S) cadres, 33 linkmen and 16 ‘office-bearers’ have been arrested so far. Among them are the three NDFB(S) leaders arrested by the joint force of Nagaland police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Self-styled commander Ajoi Basumatary, the outfit’s “forest secretary” Dilip Basumatary and “deputy commander” Khamrei Basumatary were arrested from a location in Kohima last week.
If the government intelligence agencies did not have any information about the plans of the Bodo militant outfit days ahead of the December 23 incident the efficiency of the former is in question. In case they knew and had played their parts then the administration should be held responsible for this large scale massacre of the Adivasis. Whichever way, it is always the government agencies to be blamed.
