15 paramilitary companies rushed for flush-out operation in Assam

Guwahati, Aug 13 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal will be visting Assam tomorrow even as the Centre today rushed 15 additional companies of paramilitary forces for a massive flush-out operation in the state.

Official sources said Mr Jaiswal would review the law and order situation in the state during a high-level meeting in the state capital. He is also expected to visit Karbi Anglong.

The Centre has already rushed 15 companies of CRFP for a flush out operation in the trouble-torn Karbi Anglong district where militants have mowed down 29 Hindi-speaking people in the last six days.

A Unified Command meeting chaired by the Chief Minister in presence of a Home Ministry team during the day chalked out a blueprint for the operation. The top brass of the police, Army, CPRF and BSF were present at the meeting.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told reporters after the meeting that the attacks on Hindi-speaking people were carried out jointly by the ULFA and KLNLF.

'The hilly terrains and densely forested areas have helped the rebels to carry out the attacks,' Mr Gogoi said, admitting that it was difficult to contain the attacks given that the Hindi-speaking people had settled in the secluded places in the district.

Reacting to BJP president Rajnath Singh's criticism, the Chief Minister said such criticism against the government has only compounded the problem and is unlikely to solve anything.

The recent massacres in the Karbi hills is reportedly carried out by the Karbi Longri Nationalist Liberation Front (KLNLF), the anti-talks faction of the United People's Democratic Solidarity and the ULFA.

Backed by the ULFA, the KLNLF has set up more than six camps in Bokajan and Howraghat region of the district and are equipped with sophisticated weapons supplied by the NSCN(IM), Army sources said.

The hilly terrains and densely forested areas of the district have given a free run to the rebels who are fighting for economic and political independence of the areas in the twin districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills.

Hundreds of panic-stricken Hindi-speaking people have fled the state even as authorities gathered migrant workers into government-run shelters after the string of rebel attacks.

A government spokesman said two relief camps have been set up to shelter migrant workers, besides shifting more than 100 other families to safer areas to foil attempts by militants to target Hindi-speaking people in eastern region.

Combing operations were on in the areas believed to be hideouts of the militants.

Two KLNLF rebels were gunned down by police during an operation at Bokajan. Arms and explosives were recovered from the slain militants.

UNI