Northeast terror not Delhi’s priority: WikiLeaks

NEW DELHI/LONDON - Terror activities in India’s northeast are not a priority for the government as civilian deaths due to terrorism in the region have fallen in recent years, says a leaked US embassy cable.

The cable dated April 18, 2006 released by WikiLeaks and posted in the Guardian says terrorism in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya “consists of many groups that are small in number compared to other terrorist organisations in India, and their reach does not extend out of the region”.

Some of the groups maintain bases in Bangladesh, the cable says, quoting the Indian government and media reports.

“Civilian deaths due to terrorism in the northeast have been declining in recent years, according to Indian government data and a leading independent Indian terrorism expert.

“This variant of Indian terrorism, like Naxalism, attracts little attention from Delhi,” it said.