Assam attack may give fillip to Maoism in North East

The Centre has becomes wary of Maoists making new inroads among tea tribes adivasis following clashes after NDFB (S) led massacre in Assam that has resulted in 78 killings.

"We already had credible intelligence inputs to suggest that the Maoists trying to get active in the northeast, especially among the tea tribes adivasis whose stock comes from the tribal population of contiguous regions of Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The current clash bordering on ethnic identities gives them just the right atmosphere to penetrate tea tribes that have become scared and apprehensive," said government sources.

The Centre has shared these apprehensions again with the Assam government asking it to keep the state's intelligence apparatus on the lookout for such developments and start taking the adivasis in confidence through various social welfare steps.

Though no exact census figures are available, Assam houses about 80-90 lakh adivasis who were brought as indentured labour by the British tea planters from Santhal and Gond regions of central India in the 19th century. They later came to be known as tea tribes.

Another reason that has made the CPI (Maoist) to increase their area of operations, sources added, is the pressure that is being exerted on them by the security forces in the unchallenged territories in central India especially Bastar region.

"This is precisely the reason why they have spread their bases now in southern India in contiguous districts touching Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka," said an official.

An alert union home ministry has already moved a cabinet proposal to include them in the list of Maoist affected districts so that measures could be taken through central schemes like security related expenditure (SRE) and integrated action plan (IAP) to contain the situation.

Security officials say that ethnic clashes led misery and fear provides the right kind mix fodder to the Maoists to spread their sway among troubled communities which happens to be the tea tribe Adivasis in Assam.
"It is a wrong notion that the Maoists and ethnic identity movements cannot go together. They are rather go hand in hand and help insurgent groups like the CPI (Maoist) to reap rich dividends," said an official.

The agencies are keenly watching the activities AANLA (All Adivasis National Liberation Army) which they claim is and extended arm of the CPI (Maoist) and is working as a go in between with other north-eastern insurgent outfits for supply of arms and ammunition to the parent outfit.

According to security agencies ULFA had played a big role in the formation of AANLA and it has strategic linkages with insurgent outfits like NSCN-IM (National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah and Manipur based KRA (Kuki Revolutionary Army).