In what has set the alarm bells ringing for Northeastern states, the Eastern Regional Bureau, a command of Maoists has been entrusted with the additional responsibility of intensifying activities of the outfit in the northeastern states, particularly militancy-infested Assam.
Disclosing that the eastern bureau command is headed by Prasanta Bose alias Kishanda, an authoritative home ministry source told this newspaper on Monday that outfit has also succeeded in roping in people from Assam to execute their plan in the state.
Though, refusing to divulge his identity, he said that security agencies have been able to identify one of Maoist activists who hails from western Assam. The eastern regional command has been asked to prepare action teams, intelligence wing, tech teams, supply mechanism, medical teams and communication teams to carry forward their operations. Informing that security agencies are yet to get the conclusive evidence to assert the involvement of Maoists in recent Gyaneswari Express derailment, he said that security forces have got some information on involvement of the Peoples Committee against Police Atrocities, an outfit alleged to have been floated by Maoists in West Bengal. Indicating that Maoist threat was looming large on Northeastern states, he pointed out that tea tribes and flood-hit farmers of northern and western Assam could be the target group for Maoists who are in habit of spreading their terror links by winning over the support of people on some genuine issues.
Referring the instances of North Bihar where Maoists entered by mobilising flood-hit farmers, he said that giving additional responsibility of Northeast to the Eastern Regional Bureau, a command of Maoists, which was controlling the Maoists activities in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal so far, indicates their growing interest in the region.
He also admitted that availability of sophisticated arms and ammunitions into the hands of Northeast rebel groups was one of the reasons behind the growing interest of Maoists in militancy-infested Assam and other north-eastern states.