JORHAT/GUWAHATI: A day after Ulfa entered into a 'substantive round' of talks with the Centre by spelling out its 'charter of demands', security forces on Saturday sounded an alarm that a gang of 15 rebels belonging to the outfit's pro-sovereignty faction that has sneaked into upper Assam and is planning to strike in the state ahead of Independence Day.
According to sources, the rebels have infiltrated into Sivasagar through Arunachal Pradesh from their camps in Myanmar and are at present somewhere in the Charaideu area. "They have been sent to upper Assam by the Ulfa's elusive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah to carry out subversive activities in the five upper Assam district of Jorhat, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. This was revealed during interrogation of a hardened Ulfa militant, Gana Tipomia, who was arrested recently," a source said.
Tipomia, a "corporal" of the Ulfa's anti-talks group, was caught at Charaideu in the Charaipung area along the Assam-Arunachal boundary. "He was arrested during a special operation by police on the basis of some specific information. However, the other militants, who had taken shelter in the area, managed to flee," superintendent of police (Sivasagar) Akhilesh Kumar Singh said. "During interrogation, Tipomia said a 15-member Ulfa team has been sent to Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia by Baruah to carry out subversive activities in the run-up to Independence day celebrations.
Tipomia also admitted that he, along with the other militants, had received special arms training in Myanmar," he added. In the meantime, police have launched a special operation along the inter-state border areas following intelligence inputs about the presence of Ulfa militants there. "Since Thursday, we are carrying out search operations in over six villages along the state's boundaries with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. We have received inputs that the rebels are in these areas and are planning to strike any moment," the SP said. On Thursday, police arrested an Ulfa rebel at Majuli in Jorhat district. "He too was planning attacks ahead of August 15," Singh said.
Security forces on Monday found an IED on a Nazira-bound passenger bus at Maibela in Sivasagar district. Police claim that Baruah has sent the rebels to strike in upper Assam comes despite the outfit's foreign secretary, Sashadhar Choudhury, expressing hope that the Ulfa military boss would too join the peace talks soon. Rubbishing 'statement' that denounced talks by Baruah's faction, Choudhury said: "We don't recognize those who are issuing such statements in Baruah's name or on his behalf.
We believe and hope he (Baruah) will join talks sooner or later." Chowdhury's remarks came after the group's meeting with Union home minister P Chidambaram, who promised the Ulfa delegation, led by Arabinda Rajkhowa, to resolve all the issues "within the framework of Indian constitution". Ulfa leaders too hoped to find meaningful solution through amendments in the Constitution without pressing for 'independence' from India. In the meantime, the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS), a human rights group, said the charter of demands submitted by the Rajkhowa group to the Centre was a weak document. "It should have sought more political and economical rights for the indigenous people of the state. The demands in the list can be achieved through a democratic movement only. It didn't need an armed movement to ask for these demands," MASS secretary general Aditya Lahkar said.
The organization has been raising its voice for the victims of the armed conflict in Assam for a long period. Similarly, People's Consultative Group (PCG) member Lachit Bordoloi asked the Ulfa doves to take forward the peace process in a strategic way to fulfill the demands of the state's people. "The charter of demand has tried to cover the core issues. If Ulfa fails to take forward the talks in a smart and strategic way, the Centre may once again try to divert the issues. Assam may be left empty handed like before," he felt. PCG, which comprises nine personalities from different fields of society, was formed by Ulfa in 2005 to facilitate talks with the Centre.
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