Black Widow chief’s arrest brings peace hope

By Bijay Sankar Bora

GUWAHATI, June 7: Arrest of Jewel Garlosa, the most wanted “commander-in-chief” of Dimasa tribe militant group Dima Halam Daogah (J), popularly referred as Black Widow, in Bangalore by the Assam police in a special operation recently, has raised hopes for restoration of peace in insurgency-ravaged hill districts in Assam though several senior leaders of the outfit are still at large, along with over 200 cadres.

A college dropout and a resident of Haflong town in North Cachar Hill district of Assam, Mihir Barman, alias Jewel Garlosa, first floated Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) in 1994, along with Dimasa tribe ideologue Bejoy Neidung, to fight for a separate Dimasa Homeland (Dimaraji). Garlosa went to Bangladesh for training in 1996. He was arrested in 1997. He went underground on being released on bail in 1998.

In January 2004, reeling under intense pressure from security forces, a faction of DHD, led by Dilip Nunisa, signed ceasefire pact with the government of India. But Garlosa opposed the pact and split the DHD to float the breakaway DHD (J) or Black Widow with his diehard followers.

The name Black Widow was chosen by Garlosa for the outfit to avenge death of 28 Dimasa tribesmen killed by rival Hmar tribal militants on March 31, 2003, at remote Chekartham and Megnathal villages in south Assam’s Cachar district. He had vowed to strike back on behalf of widows of those slain Dimasa tribesmen.

Garlosa-led Black Widow outfit has let loose a reign of terror in North Cachar Hill district, Borail hill range and part of Karbi Anglong hill district of Assam since 2004. It has been involved in killings of hundreds of people, including security forces and political leaders, besides abduction and rampant extortion. According to GM Srivastava, Director General of the Assam police, Garlosa masterminded killing of about 200 persons.

The Assam police believes that Black Widow outfit is in possession of a huge amount of money as well as the biggest armoury among all the militant groups in Assam. Naga rebel group NSCN-IM is accused by the Assam police of helping Black Widow cadres in training and in procurement of weapons. The outfit possesses a large number of AK series assault rifles, grenade launchers, small arms, grenades and explosives. The group has over 200 well armed and well-trained cadres.

It has sourced its huge coffer of money through unabated extortion from businessmen, contractors, politicos and government servants in hill areas that are governed by elected tribal Autonomous Hill District Councils facilitated by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

The Black Widow had thrown spanner in all development works in hill areas, including work on the East West Corridor project of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and a railway gauge conversion project.

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