Guwahati: The outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Monday threatened to kill 20 or more people for every one of its cadres killed by security forces, a warning that has triggered security jitters in Assam.
"From today onwards, if any innocent NDFB cadres were killed by Indian forces in the name of fake encounter, the Boroland Army (armed wing of the NDFB) would take action against any Indian," B. Jwngkhang, deputy chief of the Boroland Army, said in an e-mailed statement received by IANS.
"One innocent Bodo would be equal to 20 Indian or maybe more and we don't care who they are, maybe Indian civilian or Indian forces," the statement said.
Security forces in the past three months have killed at least 20 NDFB cadres, besides arresting more than 15 militants in separate raids even as the tribal separatist group has continued with a series of kidnappings for money.
"And this (threat) would be anytime and any moment we are ready to strike. Remember this warning and be serious before killing any innocent Bodo people," the rebel statement warned the Assam government.
The threat comes less than 48 hours after Assam mourned the victims of the deadly serial explosions Oct 30, 2008, in which about 100 people were killed and about 500 injured.
The NDFB was blamed for the nine near-simultaneous explosions with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the serial blasts charge sheeting 19 people directly involved in the terror attack.
The 11 NDFB rebels arrested include chairman of the rebel group Ranjan Daimary, captured by Bangladesh in May and later handed over to India.
"We are taking the NDFB threat very seriously and hence a security alert was sounded across Assam," a senior Assam police official said.