After launching its arms wing in Assam, the Maoists are said to have been eyeing to strengthen their hold on chicken neck, a stretch of about 22 km area which connects Assam and Northeast to West Bengal and rest of the country.
Disclosing that political wing of the outfit was trying to rope in various frontal organisations in Western Assam’s Bodo-dominated areas, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that some of the Maoist leaders had also approached a powerful students organisation of Bodos. However, meeting with student leaders could not materialise. Security sources said that they succeeded in establishing contacts with some former militants.
Suspecting that presence of more than 3,000 illegal sophisticated weapons into the hands of ex-militants was attracting the Maoist attention, security sources said that Bodo Liberation Tiger, which was disbanded after signing of the Bodo accord in 2003, was converted into a “private militia” of Bodo leaders.
Informing that off late there were reports of dispute and infighting among those controlling the militia of ex-Bodo rebels, security sources feared that Maoists might try to take advantage of the situation in grabbing the weapons. Security sources did not rule out possibility of these arms moving to Maoists for some allurement.