ASSAM: THREE KPLT CADRES APPREHENDED

Extortion attempt failed in Karbi Anglong

Inflicting a severe blow on insurgency and extortion, the Khatkhati police, in a major crackdown, arrested three KPLT cadres for orchestrating a notorious bid to extort money from a business establishments along Assam-Nagaland border here on Tuesday.

The arrested trio has been identified as Langso Dera, Rock Kathar and Archim Timing. The trio allegedly served a demand note to a fuel station owner seeking Rs 1 lakh on behalf of Karbi People's Liberation Tigers (KPLT). However, they were arrested while coming to fetch the exacting amount late Tuesday evening. The trio are reportedly cadres of KPLT and are supposed to remain confined in their designated camp at 5 Mile, Diphu.

It may be noted that, KPLT has entered into a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the government back in 2016. Ever since the cadres moved into the designated camps, violation of ceasefire ground rules have been seen as a major cause of concern in the present day Karbi Anglong.

Over the years, reports of the cadres living in the designated camps flouting ceasefire norms and engaging themselves in harassing common men in the pretext of seeking voluntary donations/charity keeps surfacing from time to time. It needs to be mentioned that three other KPLT cadres were arrested by Khatkhati police in connection with a similar extortion attempt in April last year.

Extortion has turned into a thriving business in the hill district of Karbi for some insurgents to spin money using terror tactics and exhibiting the cause for demand of a separate state comprising the hill district of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.

Despite the sustained counter insurgency operation, the newly cropped up militants and the cadres living in the designated camps pose a serious threat to the life of common man in the district. What remains to be seen is how the government and the Ceasefire Monitoring agency bring in stricter laws to contain activities of the outfits under ceasefire agreement. While the answers are elusive, the bitter facts remain.