Chidambaram orders 'all-out' ops against NDFB

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday instructed the security forces operating against insurgents in Assam to go 'all out' to nab the leaders and cadres of the anti-talks faction of Bodo tribe terror group National Democratic Front of Bodoland that had killed 24 innocent civilians in Assam on November 8.

Chairing a security review meeting with senior army, state police and para-military force officials in presence of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in a Border Security Force base near Guwahati airport, Chidambaram said that the Centre had taken serious view of the killing of innocent civilians by the NDFB faction and stern action should be taken against the perpetrators of the violence.

In a statement issued by the Union home ministry after the security review meeting, the home minister said that the chief of the NDFB faction Ranjan Daimary, who is now in jail, seemed unwilling to control the criminal acts of the outfit.

Condemning the killings, the home minister termed the NDFB faction an unlawful association and warned of stern action against it as per the law.

"Only way forward for this group is talks. The Centre and government of Assam will hold talks with any group or any fraction that abjures violence and not with the ones that went on carrying out criminal acts," the home minister stated.

"Aspirations of Bodos have been met substantially by creation of the Bodoland Territorial Council which is, a splendid model of self governance. NDFB is a group which is not satisfied with the BTC, it has put forward some demands outside the purview of the Constitution of India. Recently NDFB has split into two factions. The anti-talks faction is responsible for the latest killing of innocent civilians. Another faction is engaged in peace talks with the government of India," the statement said.

Chidambaram on Friday also urged CM Tarun Gogoi to provide adequate compensation to the families of the victims of the NDFB violence.