Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) - Terrorist Group of Assam

Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) - a militant organisation of the Karbi tribe of Assam, was floated in the eighties with the objective of using violent means to secure a separate State of Karbi Anglong. KNV activists had been trained by National Socialist Council of Nagaland -Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM). After signing a cease-fire agreement with the Central government in August 1997, the NSCN-IM has discontinued this assistance to the KNV. KNV has been described as a rag-tag force of less than 50 militants. In early 2000, this outfit merged with another Karbi militant group - Karbi People's Front (KPF) forming a new platform called the United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS). In April 2000, the KNV unleashed a violent campaign in Assam's hill district, Karbi Anglong, killing as many as 28 non-tribals in three separate incidents. Reports suggest that the militant outfit has also been extorting taxes with impurity. In order to tackle the situation, the Assam government is considering banning KNV, KPF and UPDS. The army is also planning a military operation against the Karbi militants in selective areas of the hill district.