Guwahati, Dec 16: Red alert has been sounded in Assam in the wake of Bhutan Army launching an offensive against militants from India's North East taking shelter in that country. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today told newspersons here that the state police and the army had been put on alert to prevent any bid by ULFA and NDFB militants to sneak into India from Bhutan, where they were under pressure from the Bhutanese army.
However, the Chief Minister stated that his government had no information on details like casualty figures, camps targeted and the Bhutanese army's action against the ULFA, the NDFB and the KLO militants.
''Since it involves a foreign country. The state government will hardly get to know about details of the operation. The only brief from the Union government for us is to take care of the state so that the ultras can't sneak in,'' he informed.
Mr Gogoi, while welcoming the ''bold action'' taken by the Bhutan government, termed it as very positive development as far as counter-insurgency operations within Assam were concerned.
He pointed out that his government, along with the other state governments in the North-East, have been stressing on the need for closure of militants camps in Bhutan, which have been used by the ultras to launch hit-and-run strikes within the region.
Mr Gogoi said apprehending infiltration bid by militants from Bhutan, the Assam government has taken steps to gear up vigil along the Indo-Bhutan border from Kokrajhar to Sonitpur districts.
He said all police stations located in the vicinity of the Indo-Bhutan border had been alerted in the wake of Bhutanese army action against the ULFA, the NDFB and the KLO militants within the Himalayan kingdom. The three outfits have over 20 camps within that country.
Bureau Report