The separatist group Black Widow has agreed to lay down its illegal weapons and shift to designated camps on September 15, following an ultimatum from the Union Home Ministry. SAGNIK DUTTA provides a primer on the militant group:

•What is Black Widow?

It is a Naga militant group demanding that a separate state for the Dimasa tribes of Assam be carved out from the North Cachar hills district. ‘Black Widow’ is the name given to the Jewel Garlossa faction of the Dima Halam Daogah, or DHD(J). The group has around 300 members.

•How did it come into being?

Following the surrender of the Dimasa National Security Force (an outfit formed to safeguard the interests of the Dimasa tribe residing mostly in the North Cachar district of Assam), Dilip Nunisa and Garlossa broke away from the parent body to float the DHD in 1995 which demanded a separate “Dimaraji” state. The DHD(J) (Black Widow) was formed by Jewel Garlossa, the former commander-in-chief of the DHD, after the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement between the Government of India and DHD in January, 2004. The Black Widow insisted on carrying on the secessionist agenda for separate statehood, which its parent body had given up following a mutually agreeable settlement with the government.

•Who funds the activities of the Black Widow?

The Justice R.K. Manisena Singh Commission’s report into the misappropriation of funds in the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council showed how NREGS funds were diverted to the rebel group by state agencies. The rebel group also deducted a fixed amount from the income of government employees in the North Cachar area as tax, and contractors working on government projects were often forced to give up 40 per cent of the available funds. It also mentioned that the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) paid Rs 2 crore to the DHD(J) for helping it win the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council elections in December 2007. Public funds of the Council were at the disposal of the militants due to a nexus between the ASDC-BJP and the Black Widow. The Black Widow cadres reportedly received arms and training from NSCN (I-M) which in turn helped the NSCN(I-M) maintain considerable clout and influence in the North Cachar Hills district, a part of its ‘Greater Nagaland’ project.

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