Daimary now making calls to his commanders for restraint

GUWAHATI - Ranjan Daimary, terror mastermind and the main accused in the Oct 30, 2008 serial bombings in Assam that killed about 100 people, is now talking of peace and frequently telephoning his commanders in the jungles not to carry out any more violent strikes in the state.

Daimary, handed over by Bangladesh to Indian authorities and now in the custody of the Assam Police, is assisting the authorities by way of telephone calls to his trusted commanders and cadres not to launch any strikes that could lead to casualties.

“Daimary in the last few days has been talking to his boys (cadres and commanders) over telephone and making an ardent request not to indulge in violence,” Subodh Daimary, elder brother of the arrested chairman of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), told IANS.

Subodh met his younger brother Ranjan Daimary at the Assam Police Special Branch headquarters for close to an hour Saturday after a court allowed him permission for a meeting.

A senior police official also corroborated Subodh’s statement.

“In fact, he himself wanted to communicate to his cadres about the need for restraint at this point in time with a general feeling that with his arrest there could be a backlash with the second-rung leaders indulging in large-scale violence,” the official said, requesting not to be named.

Rejecting reports that police investigators were ill-treating Daimary, Subodh said he was doing fine.

“He looks alright and in good spirits with the authorities treating him well,” Subodh, who was accompanied by his wife, said.

Meanwhile, the 50-year-old terrorist is said to have already confessed to the wave of bombings before police interrogators during intense grilling.

“I never thought the magnitude of the bombings would be so devastating. I regret and repent now for that horrific incident,” Daimary told police.

The NDFB chairman was arrested May 1 after he was handed over by Bangladesh to Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officials at the Dawki border post in Meghalaya.

“We triggered the blasts to make our presence felt and also aimed at showing our strength to the central government,” Daimary told the interrogators.

The NDFB leader said they never thought their plan of triggering nine near- simultaneous explosions would materialise.

“It was because of inefficiency on the part of the police that we succeeded in our plans,” Daimary said.

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

The plan for the serial explosions was hatched in Bangladesh in July 2008 with some trusted cadres sent to all the blast sites to carry out a field study before executing the terror blueprint.