Assam blast: NDFB founder Ranjan Daimary gets lifer, what you should know about him

Guwahati, Jan 30: A special CBI court on Wednesday sentenced National Democratic Front of Bodoland Founder Ranjan Daimary and nine others in connection with the 2008 Assam serial blasts case.

The blast had claimed 88 lives. The others to be sentenced included George Bodo, B Tharai, Raju Sarkar, Anchai Bodo, Indra Brahma, Loko Basumatary, Khargeswar Basumatary, Ajay Basumatary and Rajen Goyary.

The conviction is a welcome news for the security agencies for whom Daimary has been a menace. It was in the year 1986 that the Bodo Security Force was founded. This group went on to rename itself as NDFB.

Soon, the group became notorious for killings, extortions and terror attacks. The Indian agencies stepped up the heat on the outfit, following which it retorted to Bhutan. However there is faced stiff counter insurgency operations by the Indian Army and the Royal Bhutan Army in the early 2000s.

In October 2008, the group carried out the Assam serial blasts. This led to the division of the group into NDFB (Progressive) and NDFB (RD), which was headed by Daimary. The progressive faction began talks with the government of India in 2009.

In 2010, Daimary was arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to India. He was granted bail in 2013. He has been in peace talks with India since then.

In 2012 the outfit was further divided with Kathar Songbijit walking out of the group to form the NDFB (S). This faction was behind the massacre of 66 adivasis in Assam in December 2014.