ADIVASI NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY (AANLA)

ADIVASI NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY (AANLA)

The All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) was formed in 2004 in the Singhashan hills of Karbi Anglong under the leadership of Nirmal Tirkey, alias David Tirkey, with the aim of protecting the interests of the people belonging to the Adivasi community and to put pressure on the government to grant the status of Scheduled Tribes to the Adivasi community in Assam. The General Secretary of the outfit is Richard Tirkey.

AANLA is now believed to have cadre strength of less than a hundred, mostly in Karbi Anglong, Golaghat and Jorhat districts. It also has presence in the eastern tea-growing districts of Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia, riding on the Adivasi sentiments over the issue of scheduled tribe (ST) status to the community.

AANLA leader Nirmal Tirkey was arrested on December 7, 2008 in Jharkhand. On February 1, 2009, its 20 top leaders, including its chief commander Sanjay Lakra alias Biren Gaur, surrendered before the Army. On May 14, 2009, Richard Tirkey was arrested from Bokajan in Karbi Anglong district. Weapons available with them include AK series Rifles, carbines, pistols, .38 revolvers, grenade launchers, SLRs etc. Some of its cadres are trained to assemble Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and the outfit is believed to be in possession of sophisticated explosive material also.

AANLA started its terror run by kidnapping wealthy members from within the community, including businessmen and relatives of some Zila Parishad members and an executive member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council. It has been involved in a few bomb blasts, including a blast carried on in the Rajdhani express on December 13, 2007. The outfit is also believed to be behind the street riots that took place in Beltola area in Guwahati on November 24, 2007 during an Adivasi protest march.

During the initial days after its formation, the AANLA received patronage from the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA), active in Karbi Anglong district. Later, the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCM-IM) had taken AANLA under its wings.

The police in Assam say there is a written agreement between the AANLA and the NSCN-IM about carrying out joint operations against security forces if need be, and about not carrying out extortion in each others’ areas of influence without prior notice.