It's 3.30 AM and Sanjyukta Parashar, Superintendent of Police in Sonitpur district of Assam, readies her jawans for a patrol inside the deep jungles. Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, Parashar leads the charge.
The scene of action is Maldang area, 80 km north of Tezpur, the district headquarters of Sonitpur. Assam Police commandos and members of the CoBRA battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) accompany her on the patrol.
Mail Today accompanied the patrol to the Maldang area, where the police party was headed just two days after the attack on an Army convoy in Manipur which killed 18 men. Parashar and her team tasted success in Maldang just last month by arresting four militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Songbijit (NDFB-S).
The thick forests in the region are hostile territory. It's not working only against Bodo militants but also the tough terrain and wild animals. "There have been instances when we encountered elephants. We have no option but to retreat or wait for hours before moving on," says a troop, who has been part of many operations against the militants.
While the high humidity saps energy when the sun is out, heavy rain makes operations here a challenge as the troops brave fast, chest-high currents. As the troops are crossing the river, Parashar signals with her hand and screams "chhota kadam, chhota kadam", asking them to take short steps that will make it easier to walk in the water.
Parashar, an IPS officer of the 2006 batch, has been leading the anti-Bodo militant operations in the area for the past 15 months.
By gunning down 16 militants and arresting 64 in the past few months, besides making impressive recoveries of arms and ammunition, she has instilled fear among the outlawed Bodos. After the crackdown, the insurgents struck back in December 2014 when they targeted civilians and killed 62 people in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar. "This was an act of desperation by the NDFB(S) cadre after the crackdown in all districts affected by NDFB insurgency," she says.
Crackdowns
It's not just Sonitpur. A major crackdown has been carried out in the past few months across all areas of the state where NDFB was active. While 11 NDFB militants have been killed in the past five months, 348 cadre and linkmen have been arrested. In 2014, the number of arrests was only 175 and the figure in 2013 was 172. The onslaught has been carried out by the forces in Kokrajhar, Udalgiri, Baksa and Chirang in a coordinated manner. The reserve forest area is a fertile ground for Bodo militants while it is a tough task for the forces to conduct operations in the unfriendly territory.
While the state cannot set up any infrastructure inside the jungles since it is a reserved area, the locals have encroached upon the land and set up their dwellings here. The militants exploit these villagers, who are at their mercy.
Walking in heavy rain, the police party stops at a house to inquire about one of the NDFB cadre who was arrested some time back. Informed that he has received bail, the SP signals to her troops to get him out, but finds out that he is not home after questioning the family members.
While the recent crackdown has pushed the militants back but the forces are aware that they are nearby and can launch a strike any time. A policeman, who has been part of anti-NDFB operations for the past eight years, says: "We know they are here. We can't let our guard down." Another young officer, who has also been part of army operations since he has a good information network, says: "It's difficult for us to be ahead of them. They always have information about our movements through the local population, who they threaten.... If the element of surprise is not there, an operation is bound to fail." The policemen say they have picked up the tricks of the trade from the militants over the years to outsmart them. "The tactics were not part of our training, but we have learnt it on the ground," one of them says.
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