A powerful tribal rebel group in India ’s turbulent northeast will be disbanded this weekend, with some 2,500 militants surrendering before the authorities in Assam. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said all the militants belonging to the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) would lay down weapons on Saturday in the western district of Kokrajhar. The decision to disband the militant BLT follows a peace pact signed in February between the rebel leadership and New Delhi.
| Yow! Didja see that surprise meter needle jump! That sucker pegged! And all this time, I thought... you know. |
The BLT, unlike other guerrilla groups in Assam , was not fighting for secession but a homeland for the ethnic Bodo tribe within the Indian union.
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The peace accord would provide more autonomy for the tribal Bodos who constitute about 1.6 million of Assam ’s 26 million people. The BLT was formed in 1996 and its cadres were known for their expertise in explosives, having blown up several trains. At least 2,000 people lost their lives in the BLT’s violent campaign for statehood. The former BLT rebels are now worried over threats from another rival militant group — the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). The NDFB, waging a bush war for an independent tribal homeland for the Bodos since the past two decades, has been targeting BLT cadres for signing a peace accord with the government. |