Despite security force, Tea and Terror coexist. Tea planters are still paying ultras secretly according to Indian army and police. Shib Shankar Chatterjee explores in this exclusive report.

Eti Koli Duti Paat(that is, two leaves and a bud), the strain of this popular song is resonating in the blue hills and the red rivers, and the valleys of Eastern Indian State, Assam’s Tea-Gardens or Tea-Estates. Hitherto known for its scenic beauty, oil and mineral deposits also, the northeastern hilly-river state is slowly carving out a niche for itself as a producer of quality tea in the world. At the vanguard of this movement are tea-estates that have been exporting its produce for the long years. However, today, the famous brand ‘Assam Tea’ loses its own ‘taste’ due to ‘unexpected weather’! [Download Tables at the bottom of this page for more data on Assam Tea]

Women tea labourers are plucking tea-leaves from a tea garden [Photo by Shib Shankar Chatterjee]

The North-East India, specially, the State Assam is still now a heaven of extremism. There are militants in each and every length and breadth of the said region, which has brought corrosion in all spheres of social, political and economic life of this region. There are more than 100 numbers of extremist organizations in this Eastern part of India and their hiding huts lie in and around the tea gardens or tea-estates.

“In 1980s, the noted militant group, outlawed so called ‘Assamese extremist’, the United Libera­tion Front of Asam (ULFA), in 1990s, the so called ‘Tribal extremist’ and the ‘Adibashi extremist’, the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and Adibashi Cobra Militant Force (ACMA) and in 2000s Dima Halom Daoga (DHD), United People Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) et cetera extorted millions of rupees from major tea companies in Eastern Indian State, Assam to fund their militant activities”, uttered the officials of the Indian Assam State Intelligence Bureau (IASIB).

Women tea labourers are plucking tea-leaves from a tea garden [Photo by Shib Shankar Chatterjee]

“In fact, since 1986, the situation turned critical for the tea-estates of Assam state, when the outfits started eyeing on the tea-gardens for easy money to raise their fund of the organisations and late 1980s to 1990s was the worst period for the ‘green-gold’ (that is, Assam-tea) of India.

At least in the world of tea, which appears by the crash of tea prices in India than any anything else – both Indian Assam State Police officials as well as leaders of militant groups say that major corporate groups are still paying protection money to banned organizations”, claimed an official of TATA Tea.

“….. the ULFA is dominated in Eastern-Assam tea-gardens and the NDFB and ACMA are infested in the tea-estates of Western-Assam and Central-Assam, while others small groups like DHD, UPDS, KLNLF et cetera in Southern-Assam respectively. In fact, their hunting grounds are 50% (per cent) to 60% (per cent) of the Assam tea-estate or tea-garden areas on the Northern and Southern banks of the mighty hilly red river, Brahma­putra in Assam, because, this is the most ‘easiest way’ to collect money for their respective organizations to buy basically arms and ammunitions to fight against the Union of India. And in this ‘matter’, from a tea-planter to Government officials (including forces) are entangled …..”, said a spokesperson of the Tea Association of India (TAI).

“We the inhabitants and the workers of these gardens are very much frightened with the activities of these outfits, which not only terrorise us in different ways but also put obstacles to the extension of tea-garden areas and in the collection of Government revenue. Therefore, we are badly in need of sufficient securities to get rid of these people”, claimed the tea-garden owners and the workers of Labour Unions (that is, Mazdur Sangha) of tea gardens of Assam.

According to the people and the officials of the state ma­chinery department, that is, State Government Police or Home Depart­ment, these outlawed militants have made these tea gardens and other industrial units of these regions, their vital points of extortion for the last 15 years to 20 years. The State Government also alleged that the major tea groups of company like TATA Tea, Williamson Magor, Rossell Industries, Assam Frontier and Assam Company, Goodricke, et cetera were regularly paying ‘protection tax’ to the aforesaid extremist groups of Assam.

“This is not a new case and once again proves that there is a nexus between tea companies and the extremists groups in Assam. Not only that there were as many as more than 14 numbers to 15 numbers such group in Northeast India, whose bases lie in and around tea-estates.

All the said factors have long made the tea industry a favourite target of cash-seeking militants. Tea companies and owners declare that they are paying a heavy price for buying peace and security forcibly”, expresses the officials of the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IIB).

“Seeing this, the others groups of extremists of Northeast India, specially, in the States like Tripura, Nagaland and West Bengal have also jumped into this profitable venture, ripping off crores from the tea-industry. Between 1989 to 2005, more than 20 numbers to 25 numbers of tea-garden person and worker were killed and more than 40 numbers to 50 numbers of tea-estate person and worker were kidnapped”, reeled off statistics by the Indian Home Affairs Department.   

In this connection, it may also be noted here that the idea of having a Tea Protection Force (TPF) against the extremist groups was mooted by the erstwhile late Hiteshwar Saikia - led Congress (I) Government to bail out the tea-planters from being extorted. Therefore, being disgusted with this, the tea-industry of Assam had decided to raise its ‘own-force’ and the State Government agreed to this.

“The tea-industry of Assam had been demanding a special security protection force since the year 1990, when the  ‘tea-magnate’ Surendra Paul, brother of Lord Swaraj Paul of England was assassinated near Tinsukia district of Assam and the managers an their families of Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL), including TATA Tea personnel were airlifted in the face of persistent threats from the outlawed militants of Assam.

Not only that NDFB attacked a tea club in the state, Assam’s Sonitpur district and opened fired indiscriminately to create terror. As a result, at that time, a number of tea-clubs were closed down fearing attacks by the extremists. Even, mass exodus of tea-executives were happened”, said a prominent planter of the State Assam’s Dibrugarh district. HLL in keeping with the global policy of its parent body, Unilever, of not paying terrorists, did not pay.

Indeed, the above outfit groups emphasized, “Indians living in the State, Assam, would have to pay tax, and it is mandatory to all”.

However, the idea of a protection force still did not take off. But, when the outlawed militants had been attacking the tea-estates of Assam and carrying out different types of atrocities like abduction, threatening, killing the tea-garden’s officials and looting or plundering and extorting money from the tea-estates et cetera (See Table III & IV).and the Government failed to provide full proof security to the tea-gardens, the pressure was coming from the tea-gardens of Assam again and again upon State Government for rendering proper secu­rity to them. Then the State Government, Assam took decision to raise the Indian Assam State Tea Protection Force  (IASTPF) to combat the un­healthy situation in the tea gardens of Assam. And as a result of that, in the early 1994, a compromise ‘deal’ was struck in which the State Government decided to provide the security personnel to the teagardens of Assam. It was also decided that the burden of expenditure incurred in connection with the security force would have to be borne by the State Government.

But, the Indian Tea Association (ITA) refunded the all expenditure, which was incurred by the state machinery for imparting training to the IASTPF person­nel  (that is, the tea-industry agreed to bear the cost of their training and upkeep), which is today an additional burden for the tea-estates of Assam (this force was created by drawing men from State Home Guard Force). At the outset, Rs. 07-08 crores to Rs.  10-15 crores were spent on weapons, uniforms and communication gadgets.

“IASTPF is a voluntary organisation and we can take in only volunteers. But, for rendering training and better security to the tea-planters, the Indian Army is deployed for imparting training to them for last a couple of months,” claimed a higher officials, Direc­tor General of Home Guards and Civil Defence.  

He also expressed, “The IASTPF jawans are directly under the headquar­ters of State Home Guards Department and rendered active service for 04 year. They are now released and new young and energetic youths are recruited into the force”.

Few years ago, there are 450 numbers to 500 numbers newly appointed  (IASTPF) personnel and they are deployed in 13 more ‘sensitive’ tea-gardens in Central-Assam to ensure ‘security’ of tea captains in North-East India. The 06th batch of this force are soon sent to far-still tea-gardens after completion their training course, disclosed the sources of the Indian Home Guards and Civil Defence (IHGCD) at the head quarters.

Private security force guarding the executives during their supervision of the tea-estate [Photo by Shib Shankar Chatterjee]

On the other hand, IHGCD sources also re­vealed, the newly recruits are being trained at the 04th Indian Assam State Police Battalion (IASPBn) headquarters at Kahilipara of Guwahati in the State, Assam, in the use of modern high-calibre sophisticated arms and ammunitions in addition to traditional weapons as well as commando warfare so that they can effectively thwart rebel raids.

The IHGCD sources also revealed that after the completion of their course, the first batch of the ‘new’ force had been already deployed in the more ‘vulnerable tea-garden areas’ of Darrang, Nagaon, Jorhat, Sivsagar, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Dhubri and Sonitpur districts of Assam respectively in the month of February, 1995.  Although, presently, there are 02,020 numbers of IASTPSF personnel in 95 numbers of teagarden in the state of Assam.

With the induction of the 06th batch, their number will increase up to 02,480 numbers. According to the ATPF, at present, the organisation also has nearly 09,000 numbers of Indian Home Guard (IHG) personnel, 456 Indian Border Wing Home Guard (IBWHG) volun­teers, and 02,400 numbers of Indian Assam State Special Reserve Force (IASSRF) personnel.

The monthly salaries of IASTPF personnel are however paid by tea-companies, as known from the tea-industry sources. The sources also disclosed that this cost has compelled them to increase (deploying the IASTPF) Rs. 00.50 (paisa) for each kilogramme of tea.

In fact, no tea-estate or tea-planter of Assam feels fully safe despite the employment of the Indian Assam State Tea Plantations Security Force (IASTPSF) or Indian Assam State Tea Plantation Task Force (IASTPTF).  It was formed in the year 1994.  This force has specially given birth to protect tea-estate personnel from kill­ings, abductions, threats and from extortions et cetera. Drawing men for IHGs created this force. About 01,200 to 01,300 personnel were deployed in 60 to 66 tea gardens located in more dangerous and vulnerable places.

Currently, nearly 85 to 90 tea gardens have under IASTPSF protection. It may be noted here that, the Indian Tea Security Force (ITSF) was the result of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the Assam Government and the ITA as per the Government Home Guards Act. The first batch of security men was deployed in the month February, 1994.  The entire expense of this force is required to be borne by the tea-estate.

“Most of the tea-executives become easy targets of the extremists groups due to the tea-estates are located at isolated places. Though the number of above such incidents has come down of late, the outfits are still targeting the tea-garden-persons for easy and quick money. However, for years the tea industry has been the only milky-cow for the terrorists groups. Not only that the terrorist groups even very much aware that it is becoming difficult for them to kidnap tea-executives and keeping kidnapped planters in safe places, yet finding no other means, the militant groups are kidnapping the tea-officials”, admitted the officials of the Indian Assam State Police Force (IASPF).

The tea industry may have turned over a new leaf, producing the cup that cheers with renewed vigour and forgetting the travails of insurgency, time-to-time. However, it still harbours a grudge against the IASPF.

Every time, a tea-executive is abducted, the IASPF launch a ‘massive combing operation’ has been launched to trace the hostage. Days, months and sometimes-even years after the kidnap, IASPF would maintain that the ‘intensive search operation’ is ‘still on’. On every occasion, before the IASPF close in on the hostage, the outfits would ‘set free’ their captive. At what cost the militants became ‘soft’ towards their hostages has remained a mystery. The IASPF cannot trace or rescue any of the tea-executive despite their ‘intensive combing operations’.

Nearly all the hostages said they have been released on either ‘humanitarian ground’ or ‘compassionate ground’. Even, the hostage also showed off the gamosa (the symbol of gratitude, brotherhood and friendship), the extremists have given them as parting gifts. 

Today, no tea-estate or tea-planter of Assam, even, Tripura and West Bengal feels completely safe despite the Indian Tea Plantations Security Force  (ITPSF)’s existence. The militants continue to extort and that is the irony of the situation.

Author is former BBC, The Statesman, The Times of India & Hindustan Times Contributor of  Northeast India/The writer specialises in Northeast Affairs.