After a two-day brainstorming session of Assam Maha Sanmilan organised by Asam Sahitya Sabha, the largest organisation of litterateurs in the region, declared that Assam was an integral part of India and asked the militant organisations to drop the idea of getting separated from the mainland India.
Top litterateurs, intellectuals, students and youth leaders attending the session also called upon the government of India to provide safe passage to militant leaders and announce a date for unconditional talks with militants.
The conclave also exhorted upon the central government to ensure protection of human rights of innocent citizens by security forces while carrying out operations against militants. However, there was no clear-cut stand on human rights violation perpetrated by the militants through their act of terror.
The conclave's declaration of Assam's integration to India came a day after the banned ULFA stated that it would consider proposals for talks from the government of India only when the offer was routed through the People's Consultative Group constituted by it in September 2005.
The PCG, a group of negotiators comprising senior journalists, advocates, human rights activists, writers and a couple of businessmen known to be close to the
top brass of ULFA leaders, lost its relevance after its initiative to facilitate direct talks between the ULFA and the government of India failed to fructify last year.
Apart from the ULFA, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, which is now in truce with the government of India, also demands sovereignty for Bodo tribe living in Assam.
According to an intelligence source, the government of India at this juncture is in no mood to engage in dialogue with the banned ULFA which has murdered the Executive Director (North East) of the Food Corporation of India after holding him as hostage for over 70 days since his abduction of April 17, 2006.
Right now the brief for police and security forces is clear: to go all out against the banned militant groups.
