More than 20 members of the National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB), a five-month-old extremist group, surrendered in northern Assam’s Udalguri district on Thursday.
The extremists who laid down their arms at the Lalpani police station included NLFB chief M. Batha alias Binod Mushahary and top leaders B. Bidai and B. Birkhang.
The extremists, who had been hiding in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh, surrendered in the presence of Bodoland Territorial Council chief Pramod Boro, Assam’s Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika, Chief Minister’s political advisor Jayanta Malla Baruah and Special DGP (Law and Order) G.P. Singh.
“We welcome them again to the mainstream. The remaining cadres will surrender soon,” Mr. Boro said.
₹10 lakh reward
Mr. Batha’s surrender came days after the National Investigation Agency had announced a ₹10 lakh reward for his capture. He and his followers were among 1,615 extremists who had surrendered in January 2020 after the signing of the third Bodo Peace Accord between the Centre and four factions of the disbanded National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
But Mr. Batha and his associates, apparently unhappy with the accord, went back to the jungles and floated the NLFB. The security forces came to know about this group after the recovery of a large cache of arms in February.
