| National Democratic Front of Boroland | |
|---|---|
 National flag of Boroland used by NDFB | |
| Founder | Ranjan Daimary aka D.R. Nabla |
| President | B. Saoraigwra |
| Vice-President cum Army Chief | G. Bidai[1] |
| General Secretary | B.R. Ferrenga |
| Dates of operation | 3 October 1986–2020[2] |
| Split to | NDFB – D.R. Nabla Faction, NDFB – Progressive Faction, |
| Allegiance | United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia[3] |
| Group(s) | National Council (Political Wing), Boroland Army (Armed Wing) |
| Motives | Establishment of a sovereign Boroland |
| Headquarters | Myanmar |
| Active regions | Assam, India |
| Ideology | Boro nationalism Marxism Democratic socialism Revolutionary socialism |
| Opponents | Government of India Government of Assam al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent |
| Battles and wars | Insurgency in Northeast India |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Government of India[4] |
The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) was an armed separatist outfit which sought to obtain a sovereign Boroland for the Bodo people.[5] It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Government of India.[6]
NDFB traces its origin to Bodo Security Force, a militant group formed in 1986. The current name was adopted in 1994, after the group rejected Bodo Accord signed between the Government of India and ABSU-BPAC. The group has carried out several attacks in Assam, targeting non-Bodo civilians as well as the security forces. In particular, it has targeted Santhal, Munda and Oraon adivasis (tribals), whose ancestors had been brought to Assam as tea labourers during British Raj. Its involvement in attacks on Adivasis during Bodo-Adivasi ethnic clash during the 1996 Assam Legislative Assembly elections led to the formation of Adivasi Cobra Force, a rival militant group. After 1996, NDFB was also involved in conflicts with the militant group Bodo Liberation Tigers Force (which surrendered in 2003). Since 2000, NDFB has increasingly targeted Bangladeshi migrants in what it claims to be the Boro territory.
During the 1990s, NDFB established 12 camps on the Bhutan-Assam border. After suffering major reverses during Royal Bhutan Army's Operation All Clear, NDFB signed a ceasefire with the Indian authorities in May 2005.
This was followed by a split in the group: NDFB (P), the progressive faction supported peace talks with the government, while the faction led by Nabla opposed the talks. In 2012, following the arrest of their chairman, NDFB of Nabla faction split further, leading to the formation of another new faction, which was led by a non-Bodo I. K. Songbijit as an interim president of the interim council. This faction continued to indulge in militancy, and has been blamed by the government for May and December 2014 attacks.
The general assembly of the outfit held on 14 and 15 April 2015 vowed to revamp their national struggle and declared that the former interim national council of NDFB led by Songbijit is dissolved and a new national council was formed to fight for the liberation of sovereign, independent Boroland.[7]
The NDFB signed a peace treaty with the government in 2020 and disbanded itself.[2]
- ^ "Catch me if you can: Bidai". Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ a b "After 34 yrs of armed struggle, NDFB finally disbands itself | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Bodo insurgent group NDFB(S) joins hands with UNLFW". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Banned Organisations |". Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "NDFB (S) eyes Bodoland sovereignty". 14 September 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ "Banned Organisations". Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ "NDFB-S forms new council". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 March 2018.