Altogether 1040 members of five militant outfits operating in undivided Karbi Anglong district in Assam laid down arms here on Tuesday evening, two days ahead of signing a peace accord in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah. Shah is scheduled to visit the poll-bound state on February 25.
This is the third major “mainstreaming” of rebels since 2020. Altogether 1,615 members from three National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) factions had laid down arms in January 2020, three days after the signing of the tripartite Bodo Accord. This was followed by laying down of arms by 64 rebels belonging to four outfits, the big catch being Ulfa(I)’s deputy commander-in-chief Drishti Rajkhowa.