Manipur-based ultras extort money from Mizo villagers

M
nipur-based militants collected over Rs two lakh from 18 villages on the Mizoram-Manipur border through extortion this year, the Mizoram assembly was told on Monday.

The money amounting to Rs 2,49,400 was collected by the Hmar People's Convention (Democrats) through extortion notes, state Home minister R Lalzirliana said in a written reply to a query from Lalthansanga of the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC).

Lalzirliana said that criminal cases have been registered against the insurgents in Vairengte, Sakawrdai, Ngopa, Bairabi and Saitual Police Stations.

He said many village council presidents handed over the money collected from the villagers at the rate of Rs 200 from government employee and Rs 100 per household to the HPC-D leadership in Manipur's Thingpuikual village on September 10.

The police in some areas seized extortion notes and registered cases against the militants, he added.

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IRB jawan killed in drunken brawl with ITBP personnel

A
jawan of India Reserve Battalion (IRB) was killed after a drunken brawl with ITBP personnel at Seppa in Arunachal Pradesh on Diwali day on Saturday, police sources said today.

ITBP and IRB jawans had a clash in a hotel there over drinks on that day in which several IRB jawans were thrashed by ITBP personnel, they said.

After sometime, IRB jawans went to ITBP personnel posted near the strong room where EVMs were kept after October 13 assembly poll to settle scores.

On seeing IRB jawans rushing towards them, one ITBP jawan opened fire in which the IRB jawan was killed, police said.

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Huge cache of arms and explosives seized in Sadiya

T
INSUKIA: A joint team of army and police found a huge cahe of arms and ammunition worth several lakhs in Sadiya sub-division of Tinsukia
district on Monday.

Packed in a polythene bag, the weapons were hidden under the ground at Deopaani and Amarpur Reserve forests. Sadiya, a small township situated in the easternmost district of the state bordering Arunachal Pradesh, was Ulfa's mainland until a couple of years ago.

The seizure includes two rifles, a grenade launcher (lathod), a carbine machine gun, six pistols, two grenades, detonators, radio sets and 30 kg of explosives besides several incriminating documents.

The incident comes at a time when peace was returning to the insurgency-hit Tinsukia district ever since Ulfa's "A" and "C" companies declared a unilateral ceasefire in 2008. Security forces are also worried in the wake of intelligence reports of movement of Ulfa cadres in the Sadiya-Chapakhowa belt of the district over the last couple of months.

Brigadier Ranbir Singh, the commander of Laipuli-based 181 Mountain Brigade said, "Ulfa is trying to make inroads into Upper Assam's Tinsukia district to disrupt peace after the outfit's "A" and "C" company declared ceasefire." He added that security forces are ready to thwart any attempt by Ulfa to strike back.

"According to reports, Ulfa's 28th battalion is trying to regroup. It has made several attempts to recruit unemployed youths from Tinsukia and Dibrugarh district. It is learnt that weapons have been sneaked in so that new cadres need not worry about arms when they enter the district to carry put subversive activities," the Brigadier said. He added that the seized arms and ammunition could have been used to carry out a series of major attacks.

Colonel Ashok Mishra of the Dah Division said, "Army and police had launched a joint operation three days ago. They got vital clues on Sunday night which led to the seizure of arms in Sadiya the next day."

Jiten Dutta, a leader of the outfit's pro-talks faction, said the seized weapons did not belong to them and they knew nothing about it.

In the beginning of 2009, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh Police had seized arms and ammunition amounting to Rs 50 lakh. But unlike last time, the weapons found on Monday do not belong to the ceasefire group raising concerns of Ulfa planning to stage a comeback by carrying out strikes in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh distircts.

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