New Delhi/Guwahati: In what appears to be a major failure to act promptly on specific intelligence, the Centre and Assam government both had specific intelligence inputs of terror plans of NDFB(S) of possible massacre, lobbying of grenades and plans to “kill adivasis and santhals” in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar to deteriorate the law and order situation in the state.

The inputs were generated both by the SIB and the special branch of Assam police, but it appeared that the wherewithal on the ground was lacking to act on the intelligence causing the delay.

Top sources in Delhi said the state unit of Intelligence Bureau and special branch of Assam police shared the intelligence inputs Tuesday afternoon but it appeared that adequate preventive steps and security measures in remote villages of Sonipur could not be put in place owing to lack of infrastructure, poor or nil connectivity by roads, which resulted in the heavy casualties.

Meanwhile, at a high-level meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh, it was decided to go for an all-out offensive against NDFB militants jointly by the police, paramilitary forces and the Army. This will be the first major operation planned under the Modi government in the Northeast.

PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday sanctioned ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to each of the seriously injured. An amount of Rs 86 lakh is being released to the state government from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), a PMO statement said. The Union Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday also paid homage to victims of the “cowardly” attacks on civilians by militant groups in Assam.

Intelligence sources said there were inputs about the local commanders on NDFB(S) calling upon their cadres to carry out this strike and the call was intercepted by the agencies. It was on Tuesday afternoon, the district headquarters were alerted and forces were asked to remain on high alert to foil such designs. However, it was the vastness and remoteness of the areas , the NDFB cadres were able to carry out the strike, the sources said.

Describing the killings of adivasi villagers as “an act of terror’’, home minister Rajnath Singh said: “This was an act of terror and we will deal with it accordingly.” MoS for home Kiren Rijiju said the incidents were part of “synchronised attacks” on adivasi people planned at multiple places as the two violence-hit districts are at least 300 km apart. He conceded that there were intelligence inputs about possible attacks by NDFB but the forces could not reach on time.

Death toll rose to 78 on Thursday in attacks by NDFB(S) and retaliatory violence in lower Assam with Adivasis setting afire houses of Bodos as the backlash to the Tuesday massacre continued for the second day.

In worst affected Sonitpur district six more bodies were recovered this morning from Maitalu Basti under Zinzia police station bordering Arunachal Pradesh taking the toll in attacks by NDFB(S) to 43 in the district and overall toll to 71, a police spokesman said.

Three adivasis were killed in police firing during protests against the carnage yesterday.

In Kokrajhar, the other severely affected district, retaliatory violence by adivasis claimed the lives of four Bodos at Manikpur and Dimapur areas.

25 people were killed by militants in Kokrajhar and three in Chirang district.

Fresh incidents of violence have been reported this morning from Gossaigaon area in Kokrajhar where several houses of Bodos have been set ablaze by adivasis despite the indefinite curfew clamped in the entire district, he said.

Curfew has been also imposed in the affected areas of Sonitpur and Chirang districts along with parts of Dhubri and Baksa districts as precautionary measure, he added.

Union Minister of Home Rajnath Singh accompanied by his deputy Kiren Rijiju today visited Bishwanath Chariali in Sonitpur district to review the prevailing situation and also held talks with different political and social organisations.

They had reached here last night and held meeting with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.