The United Liberation Front of Asom is trying to re-group, after it suffered a setback recently when a faction of the banned extremist outfit broke away to participate in peace talks with the Centre.Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has stated that though the law and order situation in the state is currently under control, the government has information about the anti-talks faction of the banned ULFA, led by commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, trying to regroup.
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.
Raising anti-ULFA slogans, the protestors went through several busy streets.
The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom has been triggering blasts in Assam with uniform regularity setting off seven explosive devices, including five in Guwahati this month, killing nine persons and injuring 100 others.
Nitish Kumar conveyed his concern over the attacks to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday night, sources in his secretariat said on Thursday.
In a statement e-mailed to the media by the central publicity wing of the ULFA, the outfit has accused its breakaway faction of hatching a conspiracy against the ULFA leadership in the name of mobilizing public opinion for unconditional talks between the ULFA top-brass and the Indian government.
Bhutan has dismissed the reports of presence of permanent camps of the Indian militant groups on its territory but said it can't rule out occasional incursions by the terrorists in the country.
The bandh passed off peacefully with no report of untoward incidents from any parts of the state even as state government took elaborate measures to tighten vigil during the bandh period.
The seriously injured Congress leader was rushed to Guwahati Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead.
Even as the Indian Army wants the imposition of tougher laws in support of the counter-insurgency operations against the banned United Liberation Front of Asom, the insurgent group has termed the move, 'a reflection of the failure of the Army' in demoralising and neutralising ULFA members despite its prolonged operations in Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday claimed that top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom who are either in captivity or out on bail were willing to hold talks with the government and had sent "feelers" to him in this regard.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has asked the Centre to seal off the porous Indo-Bangla border to prevent infiltration by militants from Bangladesh. More than 100 camps of North East-based militants, including the United Liberation Front of Asom, National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Issac-Muivah) among others are operating within Bangladesh. India shares a 4,095 km-long border with Bangladesh, including the longest in West Bengal at 2,216-km, part of which is porous.
Police informed that two businessmen identified as Pradip Kumar Paswan and Sambhu Choudhury, and Constable of 2nd Assam Police Battalion Prabin Tejiwal were travelling in a truck from Tangna Bazar to Doom Dooma when they came under fire from ULFA.
The banned militant group on Saturday reacted very sharply to Asom Sahitya Sabha president Kanaksen Deka's criticism of its demand for sovereignty.
The minister said for eligible persons belonging to the violence-hit families seeking self-employment, the government would facilitate loans through banks.
The CPI(ML) took out a protest march in Patna on Sunday. After the march the party demanded action against ULFA.
In the backdrop of stepped up violence in Assam by United Liberation Front of Asom militants, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday met President A P J Abdul Kalam.
At least 18 militants of three proscribed groups, including 13 from the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), laid down arms and surrendered at the base on the 2 Mountain Division of Indian Army at Dinjan in eastern Assam's Tinsukia district on Monday. The militants surrendered before GOC of 2 Mountain Division, Major General Jatinder Singh and Deputy Commissioner of the Tinsukia district, Dr K K Dwivedi besides other senior Army and district officials.
Two suspected United Liberation Front of Asom militants were killed in an encounter with the army in north Assam's Lakhimpur district while two other persons were injured in a blast that rocked a small western Assam town in two separate incidents violence in the state on Saturday. Security sources informed that two suspected ULFA militants were killed following a gunbattle with a team of personnel from the 2nd Bihar Regiment.
Bangladesh Inspector General of Police Abdul Qayum, however, said the information 'seems incorrect'.
ULFA marks November 28 as protest day.
The banned militant outfit called upon sportspersons to stay away from the National Games to be held in Guwahati in February next year.
Seething with anger the banned United Liberation Front of Asom has called for a 12-hour dawn to dusk Assam bandh on Tuesday for demanding the release of human rights activist and chief convenor of the ULFA-constituted People's Consultative Group Lachit Bardoloi.
The arrests were made on the basis of confessions made by arrested ULFA cadre Manoj Tamuly, who was allegedly trained by an Inter Services Intelligence operative.
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'.
In a swift joint operation, personnel from the Army and Meghalaya police nabbed six militants belonging to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the state on Wednesday afternoon.
She contested the Baruahola Panchayat body in Tinsukia's Chabua as a candidate of the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad and defeated her nearest Congress rival Manjula Barua with a big margin. The particular panchayat had been under Congress clutch for a long time.
Acting on a tip off, the Gorkha regiment raided the Mechaki reserve forest area at Hankhati where the militants, including hardcore ULFA ultra Joond Bhuyan, were sheltered. When the militants opened fire at the approaching militants, the securitymen retaliated and heavy exchange of fire continued for nearly an hour. In the shootout, Captain S Choudhury sustained grievous injuries and was airlifted to the Air Force hospital at Roroiya, where he was declared dead.
Dr Singh said every effort was being made to resolve the Kashmir issue.
In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Bangladesh's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud told the channel that the new government in Dhaka has mutually agreed with India to handover United Liberation Front of Asom's chief Anup Chetia, who has been in Bangladeshi Jail since 1996.
Bijoy Shankar Hazarika, a surrendered militant of the United Liberation Front of Asom, was seriously injured and his wife Anita Barman was killed when unidentified gunmen fired at them in Ghograpar at Assam's Nalbari district on Sunday afternoon. The police suspect that personal rivalry may be the motive behind the attack on the surrendered militant. They are trying to ascertain the identity of the assailants.
ULFA spokesman Ruby Bhuyan, who was responsible for sending the group's e-mails to the media, and programmable time devise expert Khagen Kachari surrendered before Inspector General of Police (special branch) Khagen Sarma.
Police sources said that the militant's target, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Jayanta Sarothi Bora, escaped unhurt as the blast narrowly missed him. The bomb was planted on the road by suspected ULFA militants.
The CBI team surveyed the two rooms in the house where the two ULFA militants had taken refuge along with their hostage. The CBI team also collected documents related to the case from the state CID office in Guwahati and spoke with investigating officers.
In an irony of sorts, army personnel donated blood to save an injured woman cadre of United Liberation Front of Asom captured during an encounter in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya. The woman militant, Tezimalla Rabha, was injured in the thigh during an encounter with personnel of the army's Red Horns Division in East Garo Hills on December 22, 2008 during which two other ULFA militants were shot dead, an army official said on Thursday.
A huge cache of arms and ammunition belonging to the banned United Liberation Front of Asom were recovered by the police from Sadiya while the Army shot dead two militants in Bongaigaon district on Saturday.During a raid conducted on the basis of specific information, the Assam police stumbled upon a cache of 27 AK 56 assault rifles, 117 magazines and 400 ammunition hidden in the granary of a village household at Kukurmara village in Sadiya sub-division of Tinsukia district.
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