Assam militant group chief held in Bangalore

October 3rd, 2009 GUWAHATI - An influential tribal separatist group in Assam Saturday for the first time openly admitted to using Bangladesh as a base to carry out their hit-and-run guerrilla strikes in the region, a rebel leader said. He urged the neighbouring country to help them.

October 2nd, 2009 HAFLONG - About 360 tribal separatists Friday surrendered in India's restive northeastern state of Assam raising hopes of an end to long years of violent insurgency in the region, officials said. A government spokesperson said 359 militants of the outlawed Jewel Garlosa faction of the Dima Haolam Daogah (DHD-J), more popularly known as the Black Widow, surrendered before authorities and deposited a huge cache of weapons and explosives at a public ceremony at Haflong, the district headquarters of the North Cachar Hills district in southern Assam.

September 13th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Hopes for an end to long years of violent bush war brightened in Assam with an influential tribal separatist group deciding to surrender en masse and hold peace talks with New Delhi, officials said here Monday. A police spokesperson said some 350 cadres and leaders of the outlawed Jewel Garlosa faction of the Dima Haolam Daogah (DHD-J), more popularly known as the Black Widow, have decided to surrender and join the peace process.

September 5th, 2009 GUWAHATI - A top separatist bomber and close associate of Paresh Baruah, commander-in-chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Assam Saturday, officials said. A police spokesperson said Prannoy Roy alias Pranab was killed in a joint raid by police and army personnel at Kalipukhuri village in Kokrajhar district, about 230 km west of Assams main city of Guwahati.

September 1st, 2009 GUWAHATI - The central government Tuesday rejected a unilateral ceasefire offered by the Black Widow separatist group in Assam and instead gave an ultimatum to the rebel group to surrender within 15 days and then begin peace talks. "It was decided to give an ultimatum to the Black Widow, asking them to surrender and lay down arms by Sep 15 and stay in designated camps and then only we would hold peace talks with them," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.

August 15th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Thousands of people across the northeast Saturday defied a shutdown called by separatists and celebrated India's Independence Day, officials said. "It is heartening to see people attending Independence Day functions despite calls by some militant groups to boycott the celebrations," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said after unfurling the national flag here.

August 14th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Security forces seized a huge haul of arms and explosives, including 45 kg of RDX, from separate raids in Assam Friday as an alert was sounded across the state ahead of Independence Day. A police spokesperson said security forces stumbled upon a large cache of weapons and explosives in eastern Assam's Sadiya town, about 600 km east of the state's main city Guwahati.

August 13th, 2009 GUWAHATI - A group of women militant bombers have managed to sneak into Assam's main city of Guwahati to strike terror ahead of Independence Day, officials said Thursday. Women explosives experts from both the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) have entered Guwahati over the past few days with a definite plan to carry out bombings in the city.

July 26th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Southern India has become the new destination for separatist groups from the northeast with intelligence inputs that rebel leaders from the region were taking shelter in cities down south, especially Bangalore, following intense pressure from security forces, a senior police official said. Leaders of outlawed militant groups from Assam like the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) have made some south Indian cities their new bases.

June 16th, 2009 GUWAHATI - At least 12 people, including eight children, were killed and a cluster of huts set ablaze Tuesday by tribal separatists in India's restive northeastern state of Assam, officials said. A police spokesperson said heavily armed militants belonging to the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) group attacked Misadui village in North Cachar Hills district, about 320 km south of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

June 15th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Thirty-six-year-old separatist leader Jewel Garlossa's name evokes a sense of fear and panic in Assam's North Cachar Hills district, but the notorious guerrilla fighter has more to him than meets the eye - a passion for beautiful women, gyms and beauty salons. Leader of the outlawed Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) or more popularly known as the Black Widow, Jewel was arrested by a special Assam Police team from Bangalore last week along with two of his aides.

June 11th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Three separatist militants were killed in Assam and a large cache of arms recovered in separate gunbattles with the army in the restive northeastern state, police said here Thursday. A police spokesman said that a National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militant was gunned down in an encounter Thursday as the soldiers continued anti-insurgency operation in different parts of Assam.

June 9th, 2009 GUWAHATI - At least 40 houses belonging to Dimasa tribals have been burnt down in strife-torn North Cachar Hills district in southern Assam by unidentified militants, police said here Tuesday. No casualties have been reported.

May 28th, 2009 GUWAHATI/AGARTALA - The central government has asked the Assam government to step up security along the Lumding-Badarpur rail section in the North Cachar Hills district after repeated attacks by militants on trains. A five-member central government team arrived in Assam Tuesday to review the security situation after frequent attacks by Dima Haolam Daogah or the Black Widow group.

March 8th, 2009 BANGALORE - Forty foreigners, four of them women, were arrested along with their 60 Indian friends early Sunday near Bangalore while they were partying at a farmhouse, where liquor was being served without a licence, police said. Majority of the foreigners arrested are students and their nationality was being checked, police said.