Assam Director General of Police G.M. Srivastav told reporters on March 14 that that insurgent organisations operating in Assam, including the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), had business stakes to the tune of Rs. 860 crore in various businesses in Bangladesh. The DGP noted that they were also investing in tea gardens and the garment industry in Bangladesh. Srivastav also pointed out that most of the insurgent organisations from Northeast India get their training in Pakistan and Afghanistan and then operate from Bangladesh and charged that the Pakistani ISI was “one of the major funding sources for the militant groups operating in the region1 …”

Media reports quoting West Bengal police has reported that the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) has opened a new wing specially to create unrest in the Northeast India and districts of West Bengal bordering Bangladesh. The wing is reportedly named as Tanzeen-e-Mohammedi2.

• 1. “ULFA investing in Bangla tea, textile sectors: DGP,” Assam Tribune, March 15, 2009, at http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=mar1509/at02
• 2. “Lashkar-e-Toiba has opened a new wing to create unrest in Northeast,” South Asia Terrorism Portal, March 9, 2009, at http://satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news3.asp?date3=2009%2F3%2F9#11