National Democratic Front of Bodoland

Objectives

NDFB claims to represent the Bodo people, who form around 10% of Assam's population. The main grievances of the group are the under-development in the region and the influx of immigrants. It aims to address these issues by seceding from India, and establishing a sovereign Bodoland. The NDFB constitution, adopted on 10 March 1998, lists its objectives as the following:

Liberate Bodoland from the Indian expansionism and occupation;

Free the Bodo nation from the colonialist exploitation, oppression and domination;

Establish a Democratic Socialist Society to promote Liberty, Equality and Fraternity; and

Uphold the integrity and sovereignty of Bodoland.

The promotion of the Roman script for the Bodo language is also a significant demand of NDFB. The group's members are mostly Christians, and are opposed to the use of Devanagari script for the Bodo language.NDFB has involved many attacks and religious conversion because of christianity.

History

The Bodos are an ethno-linguistic community native to the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam state of India. In the mid-1980s, Bodo politicians, alleging discrimination against Bodos in Assam, intensified their campaign for the creation of Bodo-majority Bodoland. While majority of the Bodos envisaged Bodoland as an autonomous territory or state within India, a small section demanded complete sovereignty. NDFB was formed by secessionst Bodos on 3 October 1986 as the Bodo Security Force (BdSF), under the leadership of Ranjan Daimary, in Odla Khasibari village (near Udalguri). BdSF carried out several violent attacks against non-Bodo civilians. On 12 December 1992, it attacked the 7th Assam Police Battalion headquarters at Choraikhola in Kokrajahar District, and decamped with 160 self-loading Rifles(SLR) and 5 Light Machine Guns(LMG).

The Bodoland movement was mainly led by the political organisations All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and Bodo Peoples' Action Committee (BPAC). In 1993, these two groups signed the Bodo Accord with Indian government, agreeing to the formation of Bodoland Autonomous Council within Assam. BdSF opposed this Accord. Shortly after the Accord, the Assam State Government refused to hand over 2,750 villages to the proposed Council, arguing that Bodos formed less than 50% of the population in these villages. Following this, the BdSF was renamed to National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) on 25 November 1994. The NDFB then launched an ethnic cleansing campaign, attacking non-Bodo communities in these villages. During the 1996 Assam Legislative Assembly elections, it killed hundreds of Santhal, Munda and Oraon adivasis (tribals), whose ancestors had been brought to Assam as tea labourers during British Raj. In response, the tribals formed Adivasi Cobra Force, their own militant group.

In the mid-1990s, NDFB also faced a rival within the Bodo community, in form of Bodo Liberation Tigers Force (BLTF). The BLTF had evolved from an older militant group called the Bodo Volunteer Force. It considered NDFB's secessionist agenda unrealistic and unattainable, and focused on establishment of an autonomous Bodo territory within India. After 1996, the two groups clashed violently for supremacy. BLTF allied with Bengali Tiger Force to protect Bengalis from NDFB attacks, and also supported Indian security forces against NDFB. The conflicts between Christian-dominated NDFB and Hindu-dominated BLTF polarised the Bodoland movement along religious lines. In 2003, BLTF surrendered en masse in return for the establishment of the Bodoland Territorial Council.

NDFB had established 12 camps on the Bhutan-Assam border. During 2003-2004, the Royal Bhutan Army destroyed these camps as part of its Operation All Clear. NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary was offered amnesty by the Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in December 2003, but rejected the offer. On 8 October 2004, the NDFB announced a 6-month long unilateral ceasefire, that came into effect on 15 October. However, the Government continued its operations against the group. On 15 April 2005, NDFB extended the ceasefire. The Government released its general secretary Govinda Basumatary to open a channel of communication with the organisation's Bangladesh-based leadership. This resulted in a ceasefire agreement between NDFB and the Government on 25 May 2005. The agreement stated that the NDFB agree to cease hostile action against security forces and civilians. In return, the security forces would not carry out operations against the group's members. The agreement also stipulated that NDFB members would disarm and live in camps protected by the military for a year, and would refrain from assisting other militant groups. The pact came into force on 1 June 2005. However, certain factions of NDFB continued militancy. In May 2006, five members of the security forces were abducted and killed by suspected NDFB members in Assam's Udalguri District. The group also continued to clash with cadres of the ex-BLTF (Bodo Liberation Tiger Force). On June 5, 2006, two former BLTF cadres were killed by NDFB militants in the Karbi Anglong District, and one former member of the disbanded group was lynched by suspected NDFB militants in Golaghat District on June 3, 2007.

In 2008, the group split into two after Ranjan Daimary's name appeared in the 2008 Assam bombings case. NDFB(P), the pro-talks factions led by B Sungthagra supported peace talks with the governments. NDFB(R), led by Daimary, refused to give up militancy. In December 2008, the NDFB(P) indicated its plans to indirectly or directly participate the Lok Sabha elections. In 2012, I K Songbijit, the chief of the NDFB(R) faction's "Bodoland Army", announced the formation of a nine-member "interim national council", resulting in a split. NDFB(S), the faction led by Songibijit, is now the most dreaded faction.

Organisation

In 2010, NDFB had an estimated 1,500 members. Before December 2003, its armed wing Bodoland Army had around 3500 members, most of whom were based in the 12 camps located in southern Bhutan. However, after the Royal Bhutan Army's operations against NDFB, a large number of its members either surrendered or were arrested. Before the 2005 ceasefire, it had 2000 members, who were mainly based in the NDFB camps in Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as temporary camps in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Factions

The main factions of the group include:

NDFB(R)

The faction led by Ranjan Daimari, the founder and leader of the former united NDFB.

NDFB(P)

The Progressive faction, formed in 2008, and led by Dhirendra Boro @ B. Sungthagra

NDFB(S)

An offshoot of NDFB(R), led by IK Songbijit. It is believed to have around 2270 cadres, and is managed by a 9-member "national council".

Until 2012, NDFB(P) was also called the Pro-Talks Faction or NDFB(PTF). The Anti-Talks Faction, which later split into NDFB(R) and NDFB(S) was called NDFB(ATF).

Links with other organisations

NDFB has had links with other militant organisations including United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC), the Myanmar-based Chin National Liberation Army and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K).

Leaders

NDFB(R)

Ranjan Daimary alias D.R. Nabla: The founder of NDFB, the Chairman of the former united organisation, and now the chief of NDFB(R) faction

NDFB(P)

B. Sungthagra alias Dhiren Boro: Former Vice President of the united NDFB. He had been arrested in Gangtok on 1 January 2003, and released in 2008. He was elected as the outfit's President at a meeting in Serfanguri on 15 December 2008, leading to a split in the group.

B Swmkhwr alias Govinda Basumatary: Former General Secretary of the united NDFB. He had been arrested on 25 November 2002, and released later.

NDFB(S)

Ingti Kathar Songbijit: The leader of NDFB(S). A Karbi by birth. He was elevated to the post of "army commander" of NDFB(R) in 2009, and formed an interim council in 2012, leading to a split.

B Saoraigwra, General Secretary

C Rwikha, military Secretary

Ranjit Basumatary, Spokesperson

Former united NDFB

B. Sanjarang, publicity secretary

B. Benga, Speaker

Nileswar Basumatary alias B J Jabda, Finance secretary: He had surrendered to the Assam Police in Guwahati on 17 March 2004, and was released later

Bijoy Boro, Deputy commander-in-chief: He was arrested in Bangkok during July 2004, and later deported to India, where he was put in the custody of the Assam Police

B Irakdao, Publicity secretary: Missing since the Bhutanese military operations in December 2003

B Udang alias Udang K R Brahma, Head of NDFB's "Central Headquarters": Handed over to the Indian authorities by Bhutan on 5 June 2004

Activities

NDFB has carried out bombings, kidnappings and murders in Assam. The Assam Government has accused it of launching an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Adivasis and Muslim settlers in the region.

The group primarily operates in the region to the north and north-west of the Brahmaputra river. It is active in the Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Darrang, Barpeta, Dhubri, Nalbari and Sonitpur Districts of Assam. It has also been active in the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya. It has used the neighbouring Bhutan as a refuge, crossing the border in the Manas National Park area. In December 2003, the Royal Bhutan Army initiated a crackdown on the group's activities in Bhutan.

Between 1992 and 2001, the violence involving NDFB resulted in the deaths of 167 security forces personnel and over 1200 civilians:

| 2014 | 86 | 2 |- In 2014, May and December attacks attributed to NDFB(S) resulted in over 100 deaths.

Attacks attributed to NDFB

The attacks attributed to the NDFB include (SATP):

|–januyary-9-2017 12 bsf militants kill by ndfb kokrajhar[dist] ultapani.