Golaghat, Feb 3: A fear psychosis is prevailing in the sensitive areas of 'A', 'B', 'C', and 'D' sectors of the Assam-Nagaland border in Dhansiri and Golaghat subdivisions in Golaghat district, with the Nagas increasing their domination in all the sectors and the neutral force deployed in the border areas doing nothing in favour of the border people for their security. The people are having to spend sleepless nights.

Meanwhile, the NSCN's plan to attack Uriumghat police station, Lefani police battalion camp and Chadalanshu border security camp was unearthed by the CID of Assam police. The Assam police department two was ready to counter the attack. But it is interesting to note that the present SDPO, Dhansiri subdivision has remained absent from his duty for two months. The vexed border problem of Assam and Nagaland has caused great trouble among the border people due to the negligence and apathy of both the state governments, alleged the conscious people.

The Nagaland government had already established two sub-divisions on Assam's soil and thousands of hectares of Land had been encroached upon. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland has been increasing its domination in the areas in such a why that even the neutral force and border police personnel have failed to take proper steps against it. As a result the extremist Group of Nagaland has become bold enough to threaten the border people and it has been indulging in extortion of money and collective of tax from the non-Naga people in the bordering areas since 1989.

Guwahati, Feb 6: Seven stations in the Lumding-Badarpur section under the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) are unmanned at present because of militant threats, Railway Board chairman V. K. Agarwal said here today.

The law and order situation in the state has been "deteriorating day-by-day" and largescale extortions from railway staff in the hills have resulted in railway personnel fleeing the seven stations.

The railways have apprised the Union home ministry of the matter and the Centre has asked the state government to post at least two units of paramilitary force at each of the 18 stations in the hill section, he said.

Extortions were holding up work at a number of places, he said. Contractors and engineers are also being abducted by extremist outfits for ransom, he added.The railways have deployed one company of Railway Protection Force at New Jalpaiguri in view of increasing extremist activities in the region. He said the recent blast at the station underlined the need for more vigilance to protect life and public property.

Besides the fear psychosis, insurgency has resulted in the loss of earning for the railways, he said. Over the first nine months of 1999-2000, there had been three blasts and six sabotages, he said.

The threat perception had led to the cancellation of night trains in Assam between August 12, 1999 and December 27, 1999 and again from January 1, 2000, to January 30, he said.

Bandhs and rail blockades called by various organisations are also taking their toll on the morale of railway employees, Agarwal informed. He said over the first nine months of 1999-2000 employees have received 177 threatening calls over telephone as compared to 153 calls in the corresponding period the previous year. "These had disrupted running of trains and affected loading and unloading of goods," he said.

Agarwal said the Railway Board has approved of an additional service to Chennai from Guwahati twice a week. "With this there will be six south-bound trains a week from here," he said. As far as setting up of the Rangiya division was concerned, he said eight divisions have been sanctioned in the country and Rangiya was one of them.

He added that the survey for the fourth bridge over Brahmaputra at Bogibeel was on. "The NEC had earlier said it would be a road bridge, but we protested. Now it is going to be a road-cum-rail bridge," Agarwal said.

Haflong, Feb 10: Karimganj district in the Barak Valley of the State has become a hotbed of terrorist activities resulting in tension among the people. Various insurgent outfits of the North East are using the border district to cross over to Bangladesh where several insurgent training camps are being run by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) at Sylhet and Moulavi Bazar. The people of the district are now feeling insecure about the increasing terrorist activities which have been borne out by several instances in the recent weeks. Apart from using Karimganj as the transit point, the terrorists are also using the district as a safe sanctuary.

During the past few months, the security forces have apprehended several ultras, mostly from buses and trucks plying on National Highway 440. On the last Republic Day, men of the Border Security Forces (BSF) challenged a boat with eight people on board on the Kushiara river near Bakarshal village during the late night. The boat was ferrying its passengers to Bangladesh and the BSF had to resort to firing which led to the death of two persons. The others escaped. The victims were later identified, by a relative, as Zamal Ahmed (25) and Abdul Ahmed (26), both from Hojai in Nagaon District, who were on their way to attend a meeting at Dhaka.

According to some conscious people whom this correspondent met recently, cases of daring dacoities have seen a spurt over the last couple of years. The people say that the dacoities are the handiwork of the ISI which is targeting the eminent people of the area irrespective of their material wealth and torturing their victims as well. The intention is to create a fear psychosis among the people, particularly those belonging to the Hindu community, so as to force them to abandon their homesteads leaving the anti-nationals to carry on their activities unhampered, the people feel.

A local vernacular daily recently reported that a man from South Karimganj, named Liakat Ali, was arrested by the Bangladesh police at Moulavi Bazar along with a pistol. The man is suspected to be an ISI agent. The daily reported that Ali, during interrogation, stated that six more Muslim youths from Achimganj and Nilam Bazar area of Karimganj district had also come to Bangladesh with him for training from the ISI. Several more had crossed over or were waiting to do so under Ali's guidance.