South Asia Terrorism Portal

INDIA

Assam: DNLA: Uncertain Ceasefire
Giriraj Bhattacharjee
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
 

On December 6, 2021, Security Forces (SFs) recovered the bodies of two civilians, Ramen Hagjer and Amar Goswami, from a Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA)-designated camp in the Kasmaipur area under the Maibang sub-division of Dima Hasao District. Nine others, including five DNLA militants, who were injured, were rescued by SFs from near the site where the body was recovered.

The killed and injured civilians were picked up on December 5 by DNLA militants, allegedly for stealing and selling parts of an abandoned excavator in the area. The injured DNLA militants were new recruits who tried to escape from the camp and were ‘punished’ by their seniors, according to villagers. One of the injured nine died later.

On December 7, five DNLA militants, including ‘deputy chairman’ Juddychan Haflongbar aka America, ‘general secretary’ Pritamjit Jidung aka Galao, Dafaljit Langthasa aka Dawraja, Nobojit Phonglo aka Naga Hoja, and Notunjoy Nunisa, were arrested in connection with the incident.

This is the first DNLA-linked incident reported since September 7, 2021, when the group declared a unilateral ceasefire “as a goodwill gesture and a positive response to the call for peace” by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Later, on September 24, 2021, the ‘chairman’ of DNLA, Edika Diphusa aka Kharmindao Dimasa, his deputy Juddychan Haflongbar, and ‘general secretary’ Prithamjit Jidongsa aka Galao Dimasa, had come overground. However, their present whereabouts are not known.

Again, on November 13, 46 DNLA cadres led by ‘commander in chief’ Mushrang aka Naiding Dimasa came overground before Debolal Garlosa, the CEM of Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council, and Hiren Nath, Additional Director General of Police-Special Branch, at Khepre in Dima Hasao District. Naiding Dimasa stated, “More than 300 others will come overground soon once the ceasefire camp is ready.”

Further, on December 23, 2021, 67 DNLA militants laid down their arms in a ‘returning to mainstream’ ceremony held at Dhansiripar in Karbi Anglong District. DNLA militants deposited two AK 47 rifles, nine pistols, nine locally made guns and over 300 cartridges. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP-Special Branch) Hiren Nath stated, "A few members had laid down their arms earlier and a few were there to surrender. They have surrendered today. Their issues will be taken up and they would be rehabilitated.”

In between, on October 28, 2021, an agreement for a six-month-long ceasefire was signed between the Union and State Government, on the one hand, and DNLA, on the other.

Subsequently, one designated camp each for DNLA militants was set up at Umrangso and Maibang in Dima Hasao District, one in Karbi Anglong, and one along the Dima Hasao-Cachar District boundary.

DNLA was formed on April 15, 2019, with the purported aim of establishing a sovereign and independent Dimasa nation. Presently, the Dimasa ethnic group inhabits parts of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, Cachar, Hojai, and Nagaon Districts in Assam, as well as parts of Nagaland.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal, since its formation and till the September 7 declaration of ceasefire, the group was responsible for eight killings (all civilians), and all reported in 2021. The DNLA-linked killings include:

May 19, 2021: DNLA militants killed Sanjoy Ronghang, a priest, in the Dhansiri Police outpost area of Karbi Anglong District.

January 27, 2021: DNLA militants killed two persons in a firing incident, again in the Dhansiri area of Karbi Anglong District.

On the other hand, since its formation, DNLA had lost 36 cadres (11 killed, 12 arrested and 13 surrendered) before the declaration of the ceasefire. In a major setback, on May 23, 2021, the Assam Police and Assam Rifles, in a joint operation, killed eight DNLA militants in an encounter in the Dhansiri area of Karbi Anglong District. One Assam Rifles trooper was injured in the encounter. Other prominent losses faced by the outfit included:

On December 21, 2020, 13 DNLA militants surrendered before the then Chief Minister Sarbananada Sonowal in a ceremony held in Guwahati.

On January 29, 2020, Assam Police arrested DNLA’s ‘Army Chief’ Minom Phonglosa aka Gazaw Dimasa from Karbi Anglong District.

Clearly, DNLA has been facing the heat from SFs and was looking for an escape route. The unilateral ceasefire was the outcome of increasing pressure on the group.

The December 5-7, incidents demonstrate that the group, though officially under ceasefire, remains active on the ground. More so, the involvement of ‘deputy chairman’ Juddychan Haflongbar, who officially surrendered on September 24, suggests that the commitment to the unilateral ceasefire declared by the group is uncertain, or disputed within the group.

The Government needs to learn the lessons of previous long-drawn ‘peace processes’ with various militant groups, which have resulted in willful violations of ceasefire rules, particularly the menace of extortion, abduction, and other forms of criminal intimidation by surrendered cadres. All efforts to avoid protracted negotiations with the group should be made.

INDIA

Jharkhand: JJMP Decimated
Deepak Kumar Nayak
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On December 15, 2021, Police arrested seven cadres of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), from Khajuri village under the Panki Police Station area in Palamu District. Among those arrested was Praveen Lohra, brother of JJMP ‘chief’ Pappu Lohra. All the arrestees were involved in recces, providing information about Police movements, and economic activities in the area, which they reported to the ‘commander.’ Following this, ‘levy’ (extortion amount) was collected from the targets for the organization.

On October, 21, 2021, two JJMP cadres, identified as Dhirender Kumar and Sonu Korwa, were arrested near the Hutar Colliery in Latehar District. Dhirender and Sonu admitted to be working for Manohar Parhaiya’s JJMP squad. Police recovered two country made pistols, five rounds of ammunition and one cell phone from their possession.

On October 19, 2021, Latehar and Manika Police arrested three JJMP cadres, identified as Vinay Singh Chero, Vishwanath Oraon, and Sujit Oraon, and recovered ammunition and a Scooty, in Latehar District. Vinay Singh was identified as a ‘sub zonal commander’ with 22 cases registered against him, and who who was involved in arranging funds for the outfit. He extracted money from the Ramgarh and Chatra Districts. Vishwanath was an ‘area commander’, and Sujit, a cadre. Police recovered 200 live cartridges, levy receipt books, six cell phones, four diaries and one Scooty. Latehar, Superintendent of Police, Anjani Anjan disclosed that the trio has been involved in the encounter on September 28, 2021, in which a Deputy Commandant of Jharkhand Jaguars, and a cadre of the JJMP, were killed during a combing operation in the Saliya Forest area of Latehar District.

According to data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 14 JJMP cadres have been arrested in the current year, thus far (data till December 26, 2021). There was no such arrest in 2020. Since its formation in 2005, at least 52 JJMP cadres have been arrested.

11 JJMP cadres have been killed during this period: five by Security Forces (SFs) and five in factional clashes. One JJMP cadre was lynched by civilians. Of the 11 killed, four were killed in the current year:  two by SFs and two in factional clashes.

On the other hand, JJMP cadres have killed six civilians and a lone trooper since 2005. The last civilian killing was reported on March 12, 2021, when JJMP cadres shot dead a supervisor of a private firm near Bareini More in Latehar District, after he lodged a Police complaint against them for extortion. The last SF killing was reported on September 28, 2021, when a Deputy Commandant of Jharkhand Jaguars was killed in an exchange of fire between the SFs and JJPM cadres during a combing operation in the Saliya Forest area in Latehar District. One JJMP cadre was also killed in the encounter.

The JJMP came into existence in 2005 when Sanjay Yadav aka Manjit ji, a CPI-Maoist renegade ‘area commander’, started his own gang. According to a February 6, 2011, media report, the created a 50-member strong cadre base, trained in operating sophisticated weapons. Speaking to media persons at his training camp on February 5, 2011, Manjitji, who styled himself as the ‘zonal commander’ of JJMP, declared, “We have formed this outfit as we do not agree with the ideology of the Maoist organisations operating in the state.”

The data, however, indicates that JJMP was not able to establish a significant presence in the State, even as it suffered several losses at the hands of the SFs. Moreover, internal rifts further weakened the group.

Most recently, on October 31, 2021, the body of Sukar Oraon, ‘chief’ of JJMP in Gumla, was found in Lawadag village under the Ghaghra Police Station of Gumla District. Oraon’s bullet-ridden body was found in his bed under a tree, where he was sleeping. Police recovered around a dozen spent cartridges and INR 3,200 in cash. JJMP cadres had set up a temporary camp in the forest area of Lawadag. It is likely that Oraon was killed by his men following a dispute over the distribution of ‘levy’. Oraon had been active in Gumla District for the preceding nine years and had expanded JJMP’s base in the District. But he is said to have never shared ‘levy’ money with his team.

Soon after, on November 29, 2021, seven JJMP cadres rebelled and formed the Jharkhand Jan Sangram Senani (JJSS). JJSS has two ‘chiefs’: Diwakar aka Bahura and Amar Oraon. At present, there are 17 armed cadres in JJSS, reportedly armed with AK-47s, INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifles, pistols and Light Machine Guns (LMGs). Diwakar and Amar fled with many sophisticated weapons after killing Sukar, a resident of Pali village under Senha Police Station in Lohardaga District. Sukar fled with a cache of sophisticated weapons from the CPI-Maoist in 2012, and was heading JJSS operations in the Gumla District. Sukar had collected a large amount of ‘levy’ from the area in nine years, and did not share the money collected with anyone in the organization.

Harassed by JJMP, unconfirmed media reports claim that JJSS has now started expanding its organization. JJSS cadres are establishing contact with unemployed youth in the villages in the Gumla, Chainpur and Ghaghra Blocks. 

Earlier in the year, Shankar Ram aka Saurabh, along with few others, formed the Jharkhand Kranti Morcha (JKM), after splitting away from JJMP. On December 14, 2021, seven JKM cadres, including Shankar Ram, who was the ‘supremo’, were arrested by the Police in Latehar District. Shankar Ram was arrested along with Zarina Khatoon aka Haseena Khatoon aka Haseena from Patki Forest under Sadar Police Station limits, with loaded pistols, live bullets, Naxal [Left Wing Extremist, LWE] posters and mobile phones. Following their disclosure five similarly armed cadres of the organization were arrested from Kope village under the Manika Police Station limits of the district.

There are around 19 LWE groups operating in Jharkhand, prominently including the CPI-Maoist, People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) and JJMP. Recent developments, however, indicated that JJMP has been weakened considerably, and could well be entirely contained by sustained and continuous operational pressure.

SRI LANKA

PTF for 'One Country, One Law' begins public consultation in Central Province: The Presidential Task Force (PTF) for 'One Country, One Law' on December 25 commenced public consultations in the Central Province. Religious leaders, NGOs, professionals and the public who visited the Matale District Secretariat on December 25 and the Kandy District Secretariat on December 26 expressed their views and opinions before the PTF. PTF Chairman Ven. Daily News, December 27, 2021.