Paneri/Tezpur (Assam): At least 10 militants of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), who had sneaked into Assam after being hounded out of Bhutan in the flushing-out operations in that country, are waiting to surrender before the civil administration, sources said today (Dec 19, 2003).

The ultras, who are carrying firearms, had contacted mediators at Paneri and Tezpur along the Indo- Bhutan border to surrender before the civil administration rather than the Indian Army.

After crossing deep forests in the Himalayan kingdom to surreptitiously enter Assam at Paneri, the group is being lead by a senior cadre identified as "Dowkha" and are presently sheltering in a village under Paneri police station in Darrang district, the sources said.

The insurgents are apprehensive of approaching the nearby Army camps carrying their firearms as they fear they may be mistaken to be attacking the Defence set-up.

In view of the high-security situation at the border, they also feared that they could be mistaken to have sneaked into the country to hit soft targets.

Few other such NDFB groups who had slipped into Assam from Bhutan were also awaiting to surrender before the local civil administration, sources added.

PTI

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