Massacre mastermind may have fled from Assam

NDFB-Songbijit leader G Bidai, who allegedly engineered the massacre of 81 persons last December in Assam, may have fled to neighbouring states or countries, a senior Army officer said here today.
"Indications are there that Bidai has gone out to neighbouring states or countries. Contradictory inputs are there about his whereabouts," Army's Red Horns Division GoC Maj Gen C P Mohanty said.
Bidai is second in command of NDFB(S) after the faction chief I K Songbijit.
"Major NDFB(S) leader in Sonitpur district, Soha, and others like Madan are also on the run. Only a handful of the cadres are with Songbijit as most of his cadres have fled," he said interacting with reporters here.

On the operations against the NDFB-S, the officer said, "We have moved northward around the Bhutan foothills where they were operating. We have got their senior leaders. Once their top leaders are arrested, there will be a vacuum".
"We have also gone to the jungle areas. We are recovering their sophisticated arms, including AK-47 and 56 rifles and M-16 rifles," Mohanty said.
"Our people on the ground are giving useful information on the terrorists. Whenever we receive information about militant trouble or ethnic threat we rush to the area," the GoC said.
On the presence of Islamic extremists in Assam, Gen Mohanty said it would be premature to talk about it and not much activity was seen.