Newly formed United Muslim National Army suspected to have played a key role in the recent ethnic violence in Assam is likely to be linked to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. Vicky Nanjappa reports While top officials in India blamed local issues for the violence in Assam, the focus has now shifted to the role played by a little known outfit called the United Muslim Nationalist Army in triggering the clashes.
The UMNA has been accused of stirring up emotions and attacking the Bodos as a result of which the situation in the state went from bad to worse.
According to Intelligence Bureau officials, the UMNA adopted a standard operation wherein they stirred communal sentiments of Muslim migrants expecting that the blame would fall on the Bodos. Moreover, the decision by the Bodos to lay down arms and sit across the table for talks has not been exactly what their sponsors have been wanting.
The UMNA has behaved like a typical state-sponsored group and enticed passion among the people already in the conflict.
Sources say that the issue of land was an existent one. Indian agencies who were aware of this had been making attempts to resolve the crisis. Moreover, the rate of infiltration into Assam had declined and the issue at hand was concerning the old settlers in these areas.
IB officials say that outfits such as the UMNA receive funds from Pakistan and Bangladesh. They have also been collecting funds from the locals.
The UNMA
has fashioned itself on the lines of the Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam. The outfit decided to take up arms in June and vowed to fight the battle at Kokrajhar. Their target has been the Bodo people.