Kokrajhar, Sept. 14: The National Democratic Front of Boroland-Progressive (NDFB-P) has demanded information of whereabouts of its members who went missing after Operation All Clear in Bhutan in 2003.
Speaking on the occasion of the outfit’s 26th martyrs day at Serfanguri Kumguri designated camp in Kokrajhar today, the judicial secretary of the outfit, B. Sudem, said as many as 36 leaders and cadres were still missing since the 2003 Operation All Clear in Bhutan.
“We have been demanding declaration of detailed information of the missing members but the governments are not taking any serious step,” he said, and urged both the India and Bhutan governments to provide detailed information about the missing leaders and cadres.
Sudem appealed to the different factions of the organisation to come back under an umbrella and stand united for the cause of Bodos.
The assistant publicity secretary, R. Daoka, said peace talks with the Centre were going in the right direction. The outfit was hopeful that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre would decide on the creation of a separate Bodoland.
In a media statement, the interim president of the NDFB (S), I.K. Songbijit, said, “From the beginning of the movement for a separate Bodoland, 80 per cent martyrs lost their lives by killing each other and only 20 per cent became martyrs in the hands of ‘the enemies’.”
The outfit also observed its 26th martyrs’ day. It has been observing the day every year on September 14 to mark the death of B. Bangburgwra, who became the first martyr of the outfit in 1988.
He said the NDFB split up because of differences in idea and ideology among the leaders of the outfit. After the break-up, the NDBF faced many critical problems.
“During the time of division many innocent people lost their lives in the internecine fighting. ‘The enemy’ increased their suppression because of our weakness and disunity. So, many innocent people and the NDFB cadres lost their lives in fake encounters,” he said.
Songbijit also blamed “the enemy” for arresting and killing the innocent people by branding them NDFB.
