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ULFA refutes using 'hired hands' to trigger blast

September 15, 2012 23:36 IST

The anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom on Saturday flayed Assam's Parliamentary Secretary (home department) Bhupen Borah for the latter's comment castigating the militant group for using 'hired criminals' to trigger bomb/grenade blasts in the state.

The parliamentary secretary in the wake of several grenade explosions triggered in the state by suspected militants belonging to the anti-talks faction of the ULFA in the last few days, commented that the ULFA was using hired criminals at the rate of Rs 500 to trigger grenade blasts in the state as the outfit did not have sufficient cadres now to carry out such operations.

The comment has evoked a sharp reaction from the ULFA faction which, in a statement e-mailed to the media, said that comment of the ruling Congress politician was not only ridiculous but also in contradiction to the Congress government's claim to have facilitated widespread development in the state.

"If a hand can be hired to trigger blast by paying mere Rs500, then the Congress government in Assam which claims to usher in an era of development, must resign."

The ULFA faction stated that Bhupen Borah made such comment as a 'publicity stunt' to further his aspiration to get home ministry portfolio in Assam.

Meanwhile, Assam police has been put on high alert following intelligence inputs that ULFA (anti-talks) faction was out to trigger blasts in Guwahati city.

The anti-talks faction of the outfit after keeping a low profile for over a year has once again started creating trouble basically to negate the impression that the on-going peace process involving the pro-talks faction of the ULFA and the Government of India was going to solve the three decades old insurgency problem in Assam.

The pro-talks faction led by Arabinda Rajkowa comprises of most of the senior most and founder leaders of the outfit barring Paresh Barua, the fugitive commander in chief of the anti-talks faction of the ULFA, who is suspected to be sheltering in Myanmar.

K Anurag in Guwahati