Guwahati: With the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), in a historic move, signing a suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and state government to abjure violence, come overground and join the peace process on Thursday, EastMojo has got access to exclusive details along with some rare photographs of the journey of the insurgent outfit supremo B Saoraigwra and his wife from their Myanmar base camp to Manipur to sign the peace process.
Speaking exclusively with EastMojo over phone from an undisclosed location, Saoraigwra elaborated his journey, which started on January 11 from his Myanmar base via Mandalay city and completed while entering India through Tamu in Manipur.
“After reaching Tamu, the entire team travelled by a private vehicle to reach Imphal. Later, we boarded an Air India flight from Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal to reach the national capital on January 12,” Saoraigwra said.
The NDFB-S supremo along with his wife Phungbili Basumatary and two senior representatives from North East Heritage Foundation travelled in a vehicle to reach India during the whole journey.
Sources confirmed that the men, who helped a crucial role to enter the peace process with the Centre are Bodo Rajkhungur Prithviraj Narayan Dev Mech, director of North East Heritage Foundation, and Thulunga Basumatary, an alumnus of IIT Madras and executive director of North East Heritage Foundation.
Amid the celebrations of Magh Bihu across the state, history was created in New Delhi after the Saoraigwra faction of the NDFB, one of the few major insurgent groups active in Assam, signed a suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and Assam government on Thursday.
The Saoraigwra unit of the NDFB, which is also popularly known as NDFB-S, has not surrendered, but entered into peace talks with the Centre with dignity and honour, sources confirmed.
EastMojo has got access to some of the photos of the entire journey of NDFB-S chief and his wife along with the two influential Bodo activists.
Sources further informed EastMojo that it was an initiative of Northeast Heritage Foundation which played a crucial role to bring the NDFB (S) to the negotiation table.
The initiative of the banned Saoraigwra faction of the NDFB to start peace process with the Centre assumes significance as the NDFB-S is considered to be the only remaining Bodo insurgent group active in the state.
It’s been reported that a group of nearly 50 members of the banned Saoraigwra faction of the NDFB, known as NDFB-S, reached India from Myanmar border via Nagaland.
