A top United Liberation Front of Asom insurgent was killed on Friday in an encounter with the army in upper Assam's Tinsukia district along the Arunachal Pradesh border and ULFA accused the the pro-talk outfit for the killing.
The peace talks process with top United Liberation Front of Asom leaders has started, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Monday but ruled out that the state's sovereignty would be on the agenda. "The process for talks has started but no breakthrough achieved. However, the government is optimistic," Gogoi told reporters in Guwahati.The issue of 'sovereignity of Assam', however, would never be on the agenda for talks, he said.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday claimed that over 300-odd cadres, belonging to the banned United Liberation Front of Asom and the anti-peace talks faction of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland, were hiding in Bangladesh. He claimed that at least ten top ranking leaders of the ULFA had taken refuge in the neighbouring country and were operating from there.'ULFA chief Paresh Barua and NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary keep shifting their locations,'Gogoi said
The arrest of top United Liberation Front of Assam leaders and their eagerness for talks raised hopes of a negotiated settlement to the decades-long insurgency problem in Assam, which witnessed a relatively peaceful year.
Tanti was one of the most-wanted ULFA militants and was involved in a large number of bomb explosion incidents in Tinsukia district as well as the infamous assassination of Hindi-speaking people in Dibrugarh district in January this year.
There is a vertical split in the proscribed outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam with its hardliner faction led by fugitive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah forming a new 'central committee' by dropping its eight top leaders including its Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, who is now engaged in peace talks with the government.
Haque, wanted in several cases in Assam and North Bengal was also in-charge of the outfit's foreign affairs department
Three persons were injured in a low intensity blast that took place inside the Congress head office in Guwahati, on Monday evening. A grenade was thrown into the office on GS Road in Tarun Nagar in the heart of Assam's capital.
After a series of meetings, Sarma told reporters that BJP's Assam legislature party is likely to meet in Guwahati on Sunday and all questions related to the next government will be answered there.
The members were arrested on Monday for threatening people and obstructing the land demarcation process in Thoubal district.
The Assam government on Wednesday in principle decided to take the initiative to initiate dialogue with top leaders of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam, even without the participation of the outfit's commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, who is yet to be arrested."The Assam Cabinet, in a meeting held today, in principle decided to initiate dialogue with the ULFA, whose top leaders are now in jail," Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi told media personnel.
The United Liberation Front of Assam (anti-talks faction) on Wednesday claimed that it has executed its self-styled 'assistant finance secretary and the commander (operation) of eastern command' captain Partha Asom on charges of treason after conducting a trial.
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.
The peace initiative hit an apparently irresolvable stalemate, thanks to adamant postures adopted by both the ULFA and the government of India.
In the operations, besides ULFA, troops are also hitting sanctuaries and bases of outfits like National Democratic front of Bodoland and Manipur-based Kangleipak National Liberation Front.
Surveillance has been mounted all over Assam apprehending terror strikes by the outlawed anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam led by its fugitive commander in chief Paresh Barua in and around the outfit's raising day on April 7 next.
A top official in Assam Police informed that two ULFA militants were engaged in an encounter by a joint team of the army and police at Halikuchi on the bank of a river in Rangiya sub-division of Kamrup district on Thursday afternoon. Pranjal Deka was killed in the exchange of fire while the other militant managed to flee by crossing the river.
Jagat had joined the militant organisation in 1999 and was involved in several extremist operations in Upper Assam, besides receiving training as a paramedic.
The ULFA leadership has been demanding the release from jail of five of its top leaders as one of the conditions for facilitating peace talks with the government.
They appear to have divergent views on the outfit's demand for 'sovereignty', with some of them softening their stand on the 27-year-old 'core demand'.
Party general secretary Arun Singh told a press conference that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will contest from Majuli and minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari, constituencies these two top BJP state leaders currently represent in the 126-member assembly.
The Border Security Force has handed over the two top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Assam, who were picked up from the Indo-Bangla border in Tripura, to the Assam police, which has begun interrogating them.
Top United Liberation Front of Asom leaders on Friday met Home Minister P Chidambaram and presented the outfit's 'charter of demands', setting the ball rolling for peace talks with the government to bring about a lasting solution to Assam's three-decade old insurgency problem.
In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance which managed only 24 seats.
Release of top ULFA leaders figures in Centre-PCG talks
Borsaikia, commander of a company of the 28th battalion of the outfit, was one of the most-wanted ULFA leaders.
With several top United Liberation Front of Asom leaders deported to India from Bangladesh, the Centre is treading cautiously on holding deliberations with the outlawed outfit as it does not want to repeat the 1992 experience when five of the militant leaders, released for talks, used the opportunity to go underground and regroup.
The operation was carried out by a special commando team of Manipur police in coordination with Assam police.
Pranati Deka had entered the country from Bangladesh by crossing the Brahmaputra River in a boat and was travelling to Mankachar in Dhubri district (in Assam) when she was nabbed along with her accomplice.
Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma added to the mystery by declaring only that the next CM would be from the BJP, without naming Sarbananda Sonowal, the CM of the outgoing government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and its two Assam allies -- the Asom Gana Parishad and the United People's Party Liberal -- on Wednesday 'almost finalised' their seat-sharing pact for the Assam assembly polls and a formal announcement will be made in a day or two, sources said.
A joint team of police and the army shot dead a sergeant major Madan Koch of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom at Kathalbari in West Garo Hills of Meghalaya on Sunday.
A decision on the next chief minister in Assam is yet to be taken though two days have passed since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance won the assembly election and the state chief of the saffron party said on Tuesday that either incumbent Sarbananda Sonowal or senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will head the next government.
Assam's new Director General of Police, Khagen Sarma on Friday said that Pakistan's spy agency Inter Services intelligence and other external forces are behind United Liberation Front of Asom (anti-talks) faction leader Paresh Baruah's efforts to form a common force comprising all northeastern insurgent groups to fight Indian security forces
'The Kuki-Zo are aware of this rich resource in their areas and feel the Meitei push for ST status is because of this reason'.
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