One person was killed and three others injured when suspected United Liberation Front of Assam militants exploded a grenade at Gopal Bazar area in the outskirt of Nalbari town in Lower Assam area at around 1850 hours on Monday.

A team of police and paramilitary force personnel rushed to the spot immediately after the incident and the area was cordoned off. The suspected militants fled the scene after hurling the grenade.

Earlier in the day, the Army apprehended two hardcore ULFA militants from Kokrajhar in Western Assam and recovered a Japan-made revolver from their possession.

Meanwhile, a conglomerate of organisations considered 'soft' towards the militant group has chalked out a strategy to mount pressure on the government to revive the now botched peace process.

The People's Committee for Peace in Assam, an umbrella organisation of over a dozen organizations in the state is going to organise a massive public convention in the city on March 21, 22 and 23 next to hammer out a strategy to facilitate direct talks between the Indian government and the banned ULFA.

The PCPIA has informed that besides representative of its constituent organizations from all over the state, two tribal militant groups, Dima Halam Daogah and United People's Democratic Solidarity, which are in truce and engaged in a long-drawn peace are expected to participate in the convention.

The Dimasa tribal militant outfit, the DHD and Karbi tribal militant outfit, the UPDS have been in truce with the Indian government since the year 2002. However, actual peace talks with both the militant groups were yet to be started while the talks have been by and large confined to extension of truce with both the groups. That has led to disillusionment in the rank and file of both the groups.

Taking advantage of the fluid situation, the anti-peace process factions of the DHD and UPDS are gaining strength in both the hill districts of the state putting the peace process in a spot.

The PCPIA, which is seen by security agencies as a conglomerate of sympathiser organisations of the banned ULFA, has been demanding direct talks between the ULFA and the Centre for finding a final solution to the vexed ULFA insurgency problem in the state.

The PCPIA advocates release of five ULFA central committee leaders from the jail to pave the way for direct talks with the outfit in tune with similar demands from the militant group.

However, the banned ULFA's failure to give a commitment in black and white to the Centre to come forward for direct talks has been the major impediment in release of the senior leaders of the outfit from jail.