The self-styled chairman of militant Karbi National Liberation Army and two cadres of anti-talks faction of United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent were among six terrorists arrested by the security forces in Assam during the last 24 hours.
On talks with ULFA, which received a major setback last year with four of its top leaders arrested in Bangladesh, he said: "Though we tried to bring them (ULFA) to the negotiation table in 2006, they backed out. I hope this time good reason prevails.
The doors for dialogue with the United Liberation Front of Asom were open, but it should not be mistaken for 'weakness', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.
ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa has indicated that the banned militant outfit is ready for peace talks.
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.
India has not only been decked in tricolour hues in the lead up to the 76th Independence Day celebrations, but also put under a heavy security blanket, right from Delhi, the epicentre of the mega celebrations, to Jammu and Kashmir.
Have the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and ULFA's Paresh Barua faction joined forces?
Centre's interlocutor for peace talks with northeast militants P C Haldar on Thursday said he was "optimistic about taking the peace talks with the United Liberation Front of Asom forward as they have expressed their willingness for unconditional talks."
The general secretary and a founder leader of the United Liberation Front of Assam, Anup Chetia alias Golap Barua who is now lodged in a Bangladesh jail because of his pending application for political asylum, now wants to come back to his birth place Assam where he wants to live for the rest of life.
Against the backdrop of reports of surrender of ULFA chief Arabinda Rajkhowa, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said the media was creating confusion by "speculative" reporting.
The ULFA anti-talks faction triggered a blast at Assam Pradesh Congres Committee headquarter on March 14 in which three Congress leaders were injured. But Gogoi on Friday tried to make light of the ULFA threat saying that the threat had been there since a long time.
Defending his claim that Musharraf had met Chetia, Local Government Minister and ruling Awami League's general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said, "We've the evidence. We've not made any statement without evidence. I am aware that no comment should be made about a president without any evidence."
The top leadership of United Liberation Front of Asom on Monday held talks with the government and discussed various aspects of its 'charter of demands'. During the 90-minute meeting, the ULFA delegation led by its 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa held discussions with Union Home Secretary R K Singh and other officials. "It was a very constructive and fruitful discussion. I think we have achieved very good progress in the meeting," Singh said.
The Central and Assam governments are for immediate "direct talks" with the top leadership of United Liberation Front of Asom to resolve the insurgency problem of the state, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Tuesday.
Two men came on a motorcycle and threw a grenade in front of the shopping mall at arterial R G Baruah Road just opposite the zoo around 8 pm.
There has been speculation that the next meeting will be held on November 22.
ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on Thursday claimed that reports of his "arrest" were aimed at creating confusion and "derailing" the peace process in Assam.
'The time has come for all those believe in a democratic India to stand up and be counted and to make a choice.'
Naga splinter groups impatient with stalled talks as well as rebel Manipuri groups who have a stake in disrupting upcoming elections to the state assembly, are believed to be regrouping in the borderlands of China's Yunnan province and Myanmar, taking advantage of the turmoil in the latter by using it as a transit corridor.
'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'.
A forensic team has also reached the spot and is carrying out investigation.
The gunmen ordered all the six men to sit in a row on the bridge, Namasudra said, adding they also took away his mobile phone.
The PSU, in a statement, said that the three employees have been abducted by unknown armed miscreants in the early hours of Wednesday from a rig site of ONGC in Lakwa field of Sivasagar.
The members of the insurgent groups -- United Liberation Front of Assam, National Democratic Front of Boroland, Rabha National Liberation Front, Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, Communist Party of India-Maoist, National Santhal Liberation Army, Adivasi Dragon Fighters and National Liberation Front of Bengali -- joined the mainstream in front of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme.
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
A huge crater was created at the site of the ambush and two vehicles -- a jeep and a Shaktiman truck --were completely damaged.
The Supreme Court on Friday held as bad in law its 2011 verdicts that ruled that mere membership of a banned organisation will not make a person criminal unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence.
A large quantity of explosives was recovered on Thursday from a vehicle in the capital city where security has been tightened ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on November 29.
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.
ULFA's fugitive chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, stated, "We call upon the entire people of our region to boycott and prevent the celebration, in any manner, of India's Independence Day in our Region on 15 August 2008 to consolidate our solidarity in the struggle for liberation from Indian colonial occupation. On this day, a general strike shall be observed throughout the Region from 01:00 am to 6:00 pm.
He said that those who have surrendered and returned to the mainstream are being rehabilitated by both the central and Assam governments and they will participate in the development journey of the state.
Few people know Ratan Tata as well as R K Krishna Kumar does. Widely perceived to be among the managers closest to Tata, Krishna Kumar assesses Ratan Tata, the man and business leader, in this exclusive interview to Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
Prabal Neog, commander of the 28th battalion of the outfit, had issued orders to lower rank cadres to carry out subversions on I-Day, police said.
"I cannot confirm or deny the news." That is how Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reacted to United Liberation Front of Assam chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa's arrest news amid emerging contradicting reports.
'Increased help from China to North East insurgents will create more trouble for us.'
Gogoi had said that if the ULFA responded positively to the safe passage offer, he would send a proposal to the Union Home Ministry to the effect.
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.
The Centre has conditioned that the dialogue will be held between mutually agreed upon emissaries of the ULFA and government of India.
United Liberation Front of Asom chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, who was arrested over two months ago, on Saturday said his outfit was not keen on peace talks but wanted to resolve long-drawn contentious political issues through negotiations. "I do not want peace talks, but want talks to resolve the problems facing the state," Rajkhowa said. "People will not be kept in the dark on the issue of talks and they will be the first to be taken into confidence," he said.
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