Militancy disrupts vital train services in Assam

Renewed belligerence shown by Black Widow or Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa faction) militants has brought vital train services to a grinding halt in the strife-torn North Cachar Hill district of Assam.

The passenger train service through the hill district has already remained suspended since last month following a series attacks on trains by the ultras. The Northeast Frontier Railway now has decided to suspend all goods train services in Lumding-Badarpur route passing through the insurgency ravaged hill district following Friday's attack on a goods train by militants that left 12 persons including security personnel injured.

Before that Black Widow militants carried out a series of attacks on goods trains during last couple of weeks despite deployment of over 8000 security personnel including Assam Police, paramilitary forces and Army personnel in the district.

The goods train service through Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section is vital to maintain steady supply of essential commodities to South Assam districts and the neighbouring states of Mizoram and Tripura.

Over 200 militants from Black Widow outfit have been running riot in the hill district affecting construction of a broad gauge railway track and stalling work on the 150 kilometer stretch of East West Corridor of National Highway Authority in the North Cachar Hill.

The four prominent contractors--Gammon India,Valecha Engineering, TBL and Continental Engineering Corporation -- engaged by the NHAI to construct the four-lane highway have threatened to pull out citing lack of security against constant threat from militants. The work of the project has remained stalled for over a year now.

In the latest incident of abduction of employees of contractors engaged by the NHAI, suspected Black Widow militants abducted three employees of a private construction company on May 18 last. The abducted employees K P Dattarai, Prasanta Kumar Behera and Banikanta Kalita of Inter Continental Technocraft Limited have remained untraced since then. The private company was engaged as a supervisor consultant.