The proscribed United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and outlawed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) in Manipur, have called for general strike and boycott of 'India's Independence Day' on August 15 next to protest 'colonial Indian occupation' of their states.
Set to retain power for the third consecutive term, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said bringing all insurgents groups, including the United Liberation Front of Asom, to the negotiating table would be his main priority to ensure lasting peace in the state
It sparked a fire and caused extensive damage.
The Central government-appointed interlocutor for facilitating peace talks with the banned United Liberation Front of Assam P C Haldar, the former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, arrived in Guwahati for a three-day visit on Wednesday.
The United Liberation Front of Asom on Thursday warned Hindi-speaking people to stay away from Assam during its "conflict" with security forces, saying there might be an upsurge of violence against them during this period.
While the BPF and the UPPL are considered rivals in the Bodo-dominated areas, there was no pre-poll alliance among other parties as well.
The Centre on Tuesday held talks with the top leadership of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom and discussed various aspects of its 'charter of demands' which sought amendment in the Constitution to find a lasting solution to the three-decade-old insurgency problem in Assam.
For the first time in its 31-year-long struggle, the banned United Liberation Front od Asom will hold face-to-face unconditional talks with the Centre tomorrow in an attempt to usher in peace in insurgency-hit Assam. An eight-member ULFA delegation led by its 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa will meet Union Home Secretary G K Pillai.
ULFA 'Captain' Antu Chaudang and 'Second Lieutenant' Pradeep Chetia were pushed back through the Dawki border early on Saturday and were taken to Guwahati by a team of the Assam police. Chaudang is considered a close confidant of ULFA hardliner and commander in chief Paresh Baruah
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday stated that the government was not prepared to wait inordinately for the leadership of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom to come forward for holding negotiations within the framework of the Indian Constitution.
The Paresh Barua faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom on Saturday denied media reports that he and several cadres were injured during a raid by Myanmarese forces on a camp of the rebels in that country. "Our leaders and cadres are safe and secure. News about our leaders being injured is not only false, but is a misinformation campaign by government agencies to mislead the people of Assam," said an aide.
The chief of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh Mohan Rao Bhagawat said on Saturday that the Centre should hold no talks with insurgent groups in the Northeast on the country's sovereignty and integrity, as these are non-negotiable.
In the run-up to its Raising Day on April 7, the anti-talk faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom is likely to indulge in subversive activities to create panic in Assam, a top police official said on Monday.
Happily, there is today regime compatability between India and Bangladesh on this issue as India's core security concerns arise from the same elements that seek to unseat Hasina. The latter has wisely recognised this and in boldly striking at fanatical and terrorist elements, which pose a threat to India and Bangladesh, has acted with far greater maturity than the Pakistani leadership which continues to nurture jihadi groups.
Security forces operating under unified command have launched opeation in Tirap and Changlang districts of eastern Arunachal Pradesh which border with Myanmar to check cross border movements of terrorists from Assam and Nagaland to their bases inside Myanmar.
Having prepared its charter of demands, the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam is now ready for talks. They now await a formal invitation to the first round of talks with the government of India.
Bangladesh's envoy to India has sought immediate steps for upgrading the New Delhi mission's security fearing retaliation by United Liberation front of Assam in the wake of the Indian Border Security Force arresting two top militant leaders, who were reportedly earlier detained in his country.
The newly-formed common forum of Northeast insurgent groups based in Myanmar has posed a renewed threat to security and peace in the troubled region.
Indian intelligence agencies said Bangladeshi security agencies have recently raided some hideouts of the United Liberation Front of Asom, prompting it's cadres to flee Bangladesh. The banned ULFA claimed on Wednesday that Chitraban Hazarika and Shashadhar Chowdhury were taken away by unidentified persons, from a house at Sector 3 of posh Uttara locality in Dhaka, where one of them was living with his family.
He said the government continued to neglect national security.
The pro-talks faction of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam led by its chairman Arabinda Rajhowa on Tuesday denied receiving any money for maintenance of its cadres and their families from the government as reported in a section of the media.
After lying low for the last two years since one of its factions declared unilateral ceasefire, United Liberation Front of Asom militants attacked a tea planter and a garden employee and torched vehicles in upper Assam along Arunachal Pradesh.
Former chief of the Intelligence Bureau P C Haldar will be the interlocutor between the government and the proscribed United Liberation Front of Assam if a peace process is initiated with the outfit, given the positive signals emanating from its ranks.
The ruling Congress in poll-bound Assam has asked its leaders and members in the state not to panic after they were threatened by the anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom. "We have told Congressmen to remain cautious. But there is nothing alarming about the threat from the anti-talks ULFA faction whose base has weakened in the state.
Leaders of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom on Thursday met Home Minister P Chidambaram as they began face-to-face unconditional talks with the Centre in an attempt to usher in peace in insurgency-hit Assam.
The outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam will meet Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi on February 10 to discuss modalities for the peace talks that is on the anvil between the outfit and the government.Talking to the media for the first time after the outfit decided to hold an unconditional dialogue with the government in its general council meeting on January 30, the leadership of the outfit said that Chidambaram had invited them for the meeting.
United Liberation Front of Asom raised its voice for the first time against Bangladeshi infiltration in Assam and warned that the problem will soon become a major threat to Delhi.
United Liberation Front of Asom chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on Sunday said his outfit was ready to sit for peace talks without any preconditions for an "honourable" solution to relieve the people of Assam of their suffering.
United Liberation Front of Asom chief Arabinda Rajkhowa was released from the Guwahati Central Jail, two days after his bail plea was granted by a designated TADA court.
Amidst talk of the Assam government preparing for a dialogue with the United Liberation Front of Asom, its 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Barua on Wednesday warned of attacks on paramilitary forces and government establishments in the state on occasions such as Republic Day.
Security concerns prompted the authorities to hold a camp court inside the Central jail in Guwahati on Thursday afternoon for production of arrested United Liberation Front of Assam Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Raju Barauh and Rajkhowa's body guard Raja Bora.
The government on Wednesday said the United Liberation Front of Asom's top leader Arabinda Rajkhowa was "apprehended" by the Border Security Force on the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border and later arrested by the Assam police as he was wanted in connection with several cases
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.
With a batch of key leaders of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom deserting the outfit's shelters in Bangladesh, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday raised hopes for starting a dialogue with the outfit soon while terming the 'desertion' of ranks by the ULFA men a 'good sign' for the efforts to restore peace in the state.
Union Home Minster P Chidambaram on Friday said that anti-talk faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom led by its 'military chief' Paresh Baruah should be roped in for negotiations.
Deviating from his earlier stand on the release of top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom from jail to facilitate talks with the outfit, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh would have the final say in the matter.
The banned United Liberation Front of Assam on Friday demanded release of its top leaders from jail to do the spadework to hold talks with the government, and clarified that it had never stated in any point of time that talks could be held without commander-in-chief Paresh Barua.
The security agencies have been warning that militants belonging to United National Liberation Front, People's Liberation Army and other banned groups had become part of the mobs and carrying out sneak attacks on security forces as well as giving directions to the agitators.
Three militants belonging to the Dimasa tribe militant group, United People's Liberation Front were killed in an encounter with a joint team of Assam Police and Assam Rifles at a forest area between Hatikhali and Manderdisha under Langting police station in Dima Hasao hill district of Assam early Thursday morning, police informed.
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