GUWAHATI, Jan 1: Karbi hamlets in many parts of Karbi Anglong district are facing serious threat from unabated encroachment by illegal migrants. But the authorities are yet to wake up to the problem.

A recent incident at a Karbi hamlet in Lankajan area under Diphu Legislative Assembly constituency is a reflection of the simmering tension prevailing between indigenous Karbi people and illegal migrants trying to encroach upon their land. About 200 Karbi inhabitants of the hamlet had to flee for life when a large group of illegal migrants armed with sharp weapons and firearms let loose a reign of terror in the village in a cold December night. The villagers were robbed of their belongings. Even two women including a Class IV student and a pregnant woman was allegedly raped by the miscreants during the raid in the Karbi hamlet.

The General Secretary of the Karbi Students Association (KSA), Longsing Tokbi while talking to The Assam Tribune accused the district administration of remaining a mute spectator to the incident despite memoranda submitted by the KSA, ASDC and CPI-ML requesting action against the illegal migrant miscreants involved in the incident.

On the other hand the miscreants kidnapped a local ASDC leader, the gaonburha of the hamlet and seven other people during the raid and later handed them to Nagaon Police, who in turn arrested them on charges of harbouring militants, the KSA leader alleged.

He further informed that no step had been initiated by the administration to provide security to about 200 terror-striken villagers, who had fled their village after being attacked by the miscreants. They are now being sheltered by Karbi people in neighbouring villages.

The KSA alleged that the illegal immigrants were trying to grab land of Karbi villagers by scaring them away. These illegal migrants, who are now settling down at the bordering areas of the hill district, were forced to flee Kokrajhar areas by Bodos during the 1996 riots in the district.

This is not an isolated case in the hill district. In many other parts of the district illegal migrants from Nagaon district areas are trying to grab land in the hill district thereby creating an atmosphere of tension among the indigenous Karbi people.

NATUN BOROLA (Barpeta), Jan 3: It was his decision of not bowing down to the diktats of the militants that cost him his life. Sri Ratneswar Sharma, the correspondent of The Assam Tribune and Dainik Asam for almost a decade from Jalah, was gunned down on the afternoon of New Year's eve by two members of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in broad daylight but even in his death he kept the flag of press freedom flying.

It was just another afternoon on December 31 and Sri Sharma, 79, was about to return home in Natun Borola for lunch after seeing off the conclusion of the examinations at the Anandoram Barooa Sanskrit 'Tol'. It was in front of the 'Tol' that the two alleged killers Nageswar Kalita and Norottam Medhi, shot down the renowned Sanskrit scholar after calling him out saying that they wanted to speak to him.

The erstwhile freedom fighter just had no chance. Two bullets were pumped into his temple and Sri Sharma died on the spot. Even as the rest of the world celebrated the coming of the new millennium, the entire area was plunged into grief. The popularity of the man is evident from the fact that even a child, staying several kilometres from the home of Sri Sharma, knows him by name. This is because he had spent an entire lifetime working for the welfare of his people and teaching several generations. In fact, his two alleged killers were also his students at one time.

Sri Sharma was killed apparently because of his steadfast refusal to file news reports that suited the plans of the militants. The issue at stake was the camp of the security forces that was set up in the vicinity of the slain teacher and journalist's village near Pathsala. Two years ago, the Border Security Force (BSF) set up the camp disrupting the activities of the militants who enjoyed a free run in the area before.

Villagers say that the area was once witness to rampant militant activity with militants forcibly seeking shelter in reluctant homes by brandishing their guns. That the village, though not far from the Highway in distance but difficult to access due to the bad condition of the roads, was not regularly patrolled earlier also made it a virtual heaven for the militants. The setting up of the BSF camp had upset the militant applecart and they wanted Sharma to pressurise the authorities to ensure the shifting of the camp. It was Sri Sharma's outright rejection of the militants' demand that finally led to his killing. The kind-hearted man was killed just three days after the BSF vacated the camp for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). It was taking advantage of the CRPF's relative unfamiliarity with the area that the militants decided to strike.

More than three days after his gruesome killing, Sri Sharma's widow, Bhubaneswari Devi, 70, sits cowered in a small room silently grieving the loss. Sri Sharma's four sons and daughter have all come to the village to face the tragedy together. The Sharma home is still crowded by a horde of relatives and friends who have come from far and near to share the family's grief.

"My brother never thought ill of anyone and it is difficult to comprehend why he had to die such a violent death," says one of the slain journalist's brothers, Arobindo Sharma. Ratneswar Sharma, despite his age, was a fit man. Though suffering from mild high blood pressure, he had sharp eyesight and was a stickler on discipline. He took classes without fail and was a multi-faceted teacher capable of teaching Sanskrit, English and social sciences. "He was never late for work and put even the young teachers to shame in this regard," says Sri Lakhinarayan Goswami, who identifies himself as Sri Sharma's 'co-worker.'

Sri Sharma was an MA in Sanskrit, which he completed while teaching, a profession in which he was involved from a very young age. During the height of the Quit India movement, Sri Sharma was jailed for sometime in 1942 because of his active involvement in he freedom struggle. He started his teaching career in town but returned to his village to work for his co-villagers. Relatives say that while returning, Sri Sharma had reasoned that he loved working for the children of his village more than money.

GUWAHATI, Jan 8: Despite strict vigil at the security forces, the Adivasi Cobra Force, a militant outfit has reportedly intensified its activities in different parts of Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon districts.

The outfit, which was constituted during the 'Kokrajhar riot' to protect the identity of the Adivasi people is understood to have collected funds from various sources to carry out its 'armed struggle'.

According to official sources although the militant group was formed in 1992 somewhere in Kokrajhar district, it was maintaining a low profile due to lack of cadres. But, from the last year the Cobra Force has been collecting funds and recruiting youths in several parts of lower Assam, the sources added.

The sources informed that the insurgent group has started mobilising the Adivasi people particularly in the Tea gardens areas for launching a armed struggle to protect their identity.

The militant group has reportedly collected funds from the people having 'soft corner' towards the organisation and the funds are mainly used for providing training to the newly-recruited cadres. The sources, however maintained that most of the cadres of the organisation are being trained along the Kokrajhar border by its senior cadres.

'The outfit does not have any foreign links, but it is trying to establish contacts with the frontal militant groups of the North East to have sophicated guerrilla training on foreign soil, the sources informed.

Commenting on the strength of the army wing of the Cobra Force, they revealed that at present it has 150 armed cadres and they are used for raising funds and to expand the activities of the organisation. 'Supal Murmu and Guru Murmu of Kokrajhar district are the self-styled commander in chief (C-in-C) and the president respectively. The other senior members of the organisation are -- Chuka Soren (general secretary), Pyarelal Soren (publicity secretary) and Hopna Soren, is the vice president, the sources said adding that Supal Murmu, the self-styled C-in-C is monitoring the army wing and fund collection while the president is entrusted with the responsibility to expand the activities of the organisation.

Giving details about the arsenal power of the militant group, they disclosed that according to the arrested members, it has only 50 weapons including SLRs and 303, which were mostly snatched from the State police and the Government Railway Police (GRP).

'They (arrested militants) also revealed that during 1996, the outfit tried to bring a huge consignment of arms and ammunition from a top militant group of Bihar across the West Bengal border, but the consignment wasconfiseated by police there,' the sources informed.