NDFB chief Daimary sent to 12 days police custody

GUWAHATI - Ranjan Daimary, chief of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the prime accused in the October 2008 serial bombings in Assam, was Sunday remanded to 12 days in police custody by a court here.

Daimary was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Guwahati at 4.45 p.m. under heavy security with the police seeking 14 days police remand.

“The court granted 12 days police remand and now we shall continue with our interrogations,” a senior Assam police official said.

Dressed in a blue T-shirt, Daimary was ringed by a posse of security personnel who escorted him to the court, although no lawyers appeared on his behalf.

The NDFB chairman was arrested Saturday after he was handed over by Bangladesh to India’s Border Security Force (BSF) officials at the Dawki outpost in Meghalaya. He was later handed over to Assam Police officials.

Nine serial explosions rocked Assam Oct 30, 2008 - three each in Guwahati and Kokrajhar, two in Barpeta Road, and one in Bongaigaon.

Nearly 100 people were killed and about 800 injured in the string of deadly explosions blamed on the NDFB, the mastermind being their leader Daimary. The NDFB is a rebel group formed in 1986 for carving out an independent homeland for the Bodo tribes people in Assam.

Such is the anger in Assam that even frontline criminal lawyers are reluctant to take up Daimary’s case.

“My conscience does not allow me to take up Daimary’s case as I saw many of my colleagues killed in the blast at the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court on Oct 30, 2008,” said well known lawyer Nekibur Zaman.

Zaman has pleaded cases of several top militant leaders of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the past.

Meanwhile, a handful of tribal Bodo supporters shouted slogans of “Long Live NDFB”, “Long Live Ranjan Daimary”, prompting police to arrest at least 10 of them from among the crowd.