Unidentified Terrorists Attack Indian Army Convoy In Northeast

An Indian Army party was fired upon by unidentified terrorists while on an area domination patrol on Monday. As per the updates, this attack took place at 9:20 am on the Pengri-Digboi road in Assam’s Tinsukia district, near Baraphathar in Meghalaya. About 20-30 rounds were fired on the Indian party’s mine-protected vehicle Cassiper. The Army responded with firepower but the terrorists escaped into the surroundings.

As of now, additional troops, specialised equipment, human intelligence, and tracker dogs have been deployed to locate the terrorists. The Indian Army's 18 Garhwal Rifles and Assam Police are conducting joint operations and examination of recovered items, defence sources stated.

Since Independence, the Northeast has always been a challenge for India’s Central Government, Armed Forces, and state administrations. The region’s history is synonymous with violence and bloodshed. The Indian Government and the various terrorist organisations do conduct dialogues from time to time, but the region as a whole is enveloped in an uneasy peace situation.

In Assam, ethnoreligious tensions emerged from an influx of Bangladeshi refugees, following the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. This is also one key factor for militancy in the state. Two terrorist organisations which operate in Assam and the region have been banned under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967. These are, the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) and (Khaplang).

Compared to its neighbouring states, Meghalaya does not have much of a law and issue order. But it does have active terrorist groups, which are also not at the scale of Assam. 

As of December 2017, Meghalaya has eight active terrorist/insurgent/extremist groups – Achik National Liberation Army, Achick Songa An’pachakgipa Kotok, Achik National Liberation Co-operative Army, Achik Tiger Force, Achik National United Force, Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council and Liberation of Achik Elite Force, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.