Over 1,600 NDFB activists lay down arms

Guwahati:Over 1,600 members of various factions of the separatist organisation National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) laid down arms before Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal here on Thursday.

State Finance Minister and Convenor of North-East Democratic Alliance Himanta Biswa Sarma and top police officers were present at the programme held at Guwahati Medical College Hospital auditorium here.

One by one, the NDFB leaders and cadres handed over their arms to Sonowal and Biswa Sarma, thus formally renouncing violence.

The arms surrender came two days after the Centre and the Assam government inked a peace agreement with representatives of Bodo organisations, attempting to put an end to the decades-old Bodo insurgency based on the demand for carving out a separate state out of Assam.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced the surrender plan of the Bodo militants while briefing mediapersons about the accord.

Altogether 1,615 cadres of the three NDFB factions -- NDFB (Progressive), NDFB (Ranjan Daimary) and NDFB (Songbijit) -- deposited their arms at the ceremony.

They laid down 178 arms and over 4,500 ammunition.