On September 22, 2011, Security Forces (SFs) raided and destroyed a Karbi Peoples Liberation Tiger (KPLT) base camp in Hujunglangso Rongkhin village under Bokajan police station of the Karbi Anglong district. The camp was the operational office of Nilip Inghi, 'general secretary' of KPLT, who, along with his close cadres, was present at the time of attack. However, they managed to escape unhurt, taking advantages of darkness.
Earlier, in a joint operation, state police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troops, on August 10, 2011, shot dead an unidentified KPLT militant during an encounter at Kuli Gaon under Bokajan police station.
KPLT was, in fact, formed only on January 8, 2011, and came under SF pressure almost immediately.
Six KPLT militants have been killed and another eight have been arrested since the group's creation. Some of the significant operations against KPLT include:
August 26, 2011: SFs arrested a top KPLT militant, identified as Amar Rongpi, from Diphu in Karbi Anglong district.
July 12, 2011: SFs killed two KPLT militants, including 'commander-in-chief' Angpang Engti and his bodyguard Ading Rangpi and injured another militant, at Upper Deihori Rangpi Kro village in Karbi Anglong district.
March 28, 2011: SFs killed one KPLT militant in the Koilamati locality under Bokajan police station in Karbi Anglong district.
March 5, 2011: A KPLT cadre, identified as Andrew Terang, was killed in an encounter with the SFs at Samelangso under the Dokmoka police station in Karbi Anglong district.
February 13, 2011: SFs shot dead an unidentified KPLT militant in Bokajan sub-division in Karbi Anglong district.
KPLT was earlier the Karbi Anglong North Cachar Hills Liberation Front - Anti Talks (KLNLF-A), which had been formed on September 17, 2010. Several SF operations had targeted the KLNF-A as well, including:
December 29, 2010: SFs neutralized a KLNLF-A camp south of Dalamara in Karbi Anglong district and recovered some arms and ammunition.
October 9, 2010: One unidentified KLNLF-A militant was killed during an encounter with the Assam Police and the Army at a hill top near Tarabasa of Uttarbarbil Outpost under Howraghat police station of Karbi Anglong district.
September 25, 2010: An unidentified KLNLF-A militant was shot dead in a joint operation by the Assam Police and Army at Napak Ghat under Dakmuka police station in Karbi Anglong district.
The KPLT is believed to have split towards the middle of 2011, when some of its members formed a new group, the Karbi National Protection Force (KNPF). This new outfit also faced the SFs' brunt:
October 15, 2011: SFs arrested four KNPF militants, including 'vice president' Mongal SingTokbi, at Diphu in Karbi Anglong district.
October 16-17, 2011: A youth, identified as James M. Sangma, was abducted by KNPF at Guwahati. However he was rescued by the Police on October 17 from Diphu in Karbi Anlong district. The SFs also arrested two KNPF militants, identified as Sanjib Teli and Grading Mara, in connection with the case, from Diphu. The rescue and the arrests were made on the basis of statements by KNPF cadres arrested on October 15.
October 17, 2011: One KNPF militant, identified as Sanjay Taro, was arrested by SFs in Borjan area in Golaghat district.
Seven KNPF militants have been arrested so far.
KPLT, formed with an objective of carving an Autonomous Karbi State (AKS) out of Assam, is headed by Jing Hanse, deputy 'commander-in-chief' and Nilip Enghi, the 'general secretary-cum publicity in-charge' of the group. The KPLT, has its base in Dima Hasao district of Assam and parts of Arunachal Pradesh, and has pledged to fight until the AKS is formed.
The KLNLF-A was a breakaway faction of the Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF), which had laid down arms on February 11, 2010. The KLNLF, in turn, was earlier known as United People's Democratic Solidarity-Anti Talks (UPDS-AT). The UPDS had been formed in March 1999 with the merger of two terrorist outfits in the Karbi Anglong district - KNV and Karbi People's Front (KPF). Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) had been floated in the eighties with the objective of using violent means to secure a separate state of Karbi Anglong. KPF was formed in 1994. Since 1995, KNV and KPF had targeted the Citizens Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC), an umbrella organsatioin of non-Karbi people, including the Marwaris, Biharis, Nepalis and Bengalis, in Assam. The 'war' against 'outsiders' started in earnest in March 1999, when KNV and KPF merged to form UPDS. The UPDS later raised the demand for a Karbi Anglong Territorial Council (KATC).
UPDS signed a cease-fire agreement for one year with the union government on May 23, 2002. This led to a split in the UPDS with one faction deciding to continue with its subversive activities while the other commenced negotiations with the government. On May 16, 2004, the UPDS-Anti-Talks rechristened itself KLNLF, and called its armed wing the Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Resistance Force.
The UPDS held six rounds of peace talks with the state and union government representatives between 2002 and 2006, but on September 11, 2006, announced a suspension of talks. However, it said that it would continue with the cease-fire. Later, on December 23, 2010, the Union government agreed in principle to the UPDS demand for an 'upgraded' KATC with more powers than the existing Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC). On October 18, 2011, UPDS agreed to sign a peace agreement with the Centre and Assam government on three conditions. Firstly, the demand for statehood to be pressed in a democratic and peaceful manner; secondly, whenever the State Re-organization Commission (SRC) or any commission to examine the statehood demands of various organisations is constituted by the government of India, the Karbi Anglong demand for statehood shall also be included as one of the terms of reference; the third condition was that, immediately after concluding this settlement, the present KAAC would be dissolved to make way for the UPDS to lay down arms, and its nominees would form an interim body to manage and supervise a substantive re-organization of the KATA within the framework of the amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Some of the key points of the proposed agreement that was scheduled to be signed on October 24, 2011, include: