New Delhi, May 15 :
Against the backdrop of an increasing terror activity along the India-Pakistan border, intelligence inputs suggest that terrorist organisations are regrouping along India’s eastern frontier in Bangladesh.
The Tripura United National Front (TUNF) is the latest northeast-based insurgent outfit started operating from Bangladesh. Officials aware of the development told ETV Bharat on Thursday that the outfit is presently operating from two bases in Bangladesh, including New Zopui Jhum Hut areas in Sajek Hill ranges and Kachalong Reserve Forest areas of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) close to India’s border of Tripura and Mizoram.
Alert sounded along India-Bangladesh and India-Myanmar border
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also sounded a high alert along the India-Bangladesh and India-Myanmar border. “A high alert has been sounded along the India-Bangladesh and India-Myanmar border,” said Rajendra Kumar, secretary, border management, in the MHA.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Kumar said that similar to the India-Pakistan border, the Centre treats the border with Bangladesh and Myanmar as very sensitive.
Rise of TUNF
The TUNF in its letterhead, a copy of which is in possession of ETV Bharat, claims that the outfit was formed in 2019. However, recent interrogations of at least three arrested members of the outfit namely Yangpu Reang, Salpa Reang and Goniram Reang, have revealed that the organisation was formed in Bangladesh’s CHT area towards the end of 2024, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.
What has worried the security agencies in India is the fact that Bangladesh’s defence intelligence agency, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) is providing consistent support to the outfit.
Members of TUNF
Investigation revealed that the Tripura United National Front is an offshoot of the Tripura Hambagra Ta Army (THBTA). In fact, it was the Bangladesh Army that helped raise of THBTA. Its objective was to establish a Riang state in North Tripura. The member of the group belongs to erstwhile National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) cadres, who refused to surrender after the group signed a peace accord with the government of India last year.
Connection with ISI
The top leaders of the outfit including Yangpu Reang, the self-styled commander of the outfit was with regular touch with the Bangladesh army officials and Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI). A security official aware of the development said that a ISI delegation led by Major General Shahid Amir Afsar met with the leaders of several insurgent outfits of the northeastern States presently based in Bangladesh including TUNF, United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA-Independent).
Anti-India activities
Bangladesh was a hotbed of anti-India activities during the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government especially between late 90’s till 2007. It was in 2008, Indian government handed over a list of 117 active terror camps based on Bangladesh soil to the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government after which a massive operation had been launched in Bangladesh against all terror camps. Such operations resulted either in the elimination or surrender of several northeast-based insurgent leaders.
Around 30 top leaders of different insurgent outfits from northeast including ULFA, KLO and several others were arrested and handed over to the Indian government between 2009-2014.
The resurgence
After the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government dislodged in August last year, several Islamist terror groups including Al-Qaeda linked Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Jamaat-ul-Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (JAFHS) and others have become active.
Immediately after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took charge, several top terror leaders were either escaped from jail or released including ABT chief Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani, JAFHS founder Shamim Mahfuz released from jail. The Ansarullah Bangla Team’s India operation head Ikramul Haque alias Abu Talha and several others escaped from jail.
As per intelligence inputs available with security agencies, Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) have been trying to explore the Bangladesh option to export terror in India.
Arrest of Bangladeshi jehadi group members from West Bengal
The Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal police has recently arrested two men associated with the banned terrorist group Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Nalhati and Murarai in Birbhum district. The arrested terrorists have been identified as Ajmol Hossain and Saheb Ali Khan. Interrogation revealed that the duo were involved in propagating the ideology of the Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh and carrying out terrorist attacks in different places of the country.
Tough challenge for India
Renowned security expert Brigadier BK Khanna (Retd) admitted that dislodge of Sheikh Hasina government from Bangladesh has become a major turning point as far as increasing anti-India activities from across the border is concerned. “India’s relation with Bangladesh was stronger when Sheikh Hasina was ruling the country. Now, with the formation of a caretaker government, we have several challenges,” said Khanna.
He said that the activities of Jihad and Islamic terrorists organisations will also increase in Bangladesh. “Taking the help of such terror organisations, ISI and other terrorist groups might try to create a major disturbance in India’s northeast,” he added.
