| ULFA’s
as good as finished from where it was lauched
Samudra Gupta
Kashyap
Sibsagar,
May 8:
This Upper Assam town of Sibsagar, once the capital of the powerful
Ahom kings who ruled Assam for 600 years before the British arrived
in 1826, is the birthplace of the banned ULFA. But 22 years after
it was launched on April 7, 1979 on the premises of the historic
Rang-ghar (an amphitheatre built by the Ahoms), the ULFA is virtually
finished here.
‘‘The
ULFA is under total check here. There are no important leaders in
the organisation from here,’’ said Superintendent of Police
T.P. Singh.
| In more
than two decades since 1979 when the ULFA was born in Sibsagar,
the outfit has lost its presence here |
However, the
militant group is proving to be a menace in Nalbari district of
Lower Assam. They have been gunning down people, more particularly
AGP workers and supporters, in the district. Last week, they made
simultaneous attacks on an AGP and a BJP office in Dibrugarh, 80
kms from here, killing seven persons, including a BJP candidate,
several AGP and BJP office-bearers and a policeman. Now, the lone
ULFA senior leader from Sibsagar district is Arabinda Rajkhowa,
the outfit’s chairman.
The only problem
the police faces is the sneaking in of the ULFA rebels from the
neighbouring Nagaland, where it has its ally in the NSCN(K). Last
winter, for instance, the ULFA and the NSCN cadres attacked a Hindi-speaking
family at Bihebor, close to the Nagaland border, killing seven persons
on the spot. The police also killed six ULFA militants sneaking
in from Nagaland in November last year.
‘‘There is no report of extortion or threats whatsoever.
We have not received any complaints from people,’’ Singh
said. ‘‘The security forces have been able to flush the
militants out,’’ he added. Singh’s predecessor P.K.
Lohia had died in his office when a seized explosive device went
off as he was showing it to some journalists. That was September
10, 1999.
While the ULFA rebels began to surrender in 1992, the SULFA (Surrendered
ULFA) became a menace, preventing contractors and businessmen from
even procuring tender documents. This happened particularly in the
Eastern Region Business Centre (ERBC) of ONGCL, located at Nazira,
20 kms from here, as also in the Sibsagar establishment of the oil
major.
Several other former militants have taken to cooperative or individual
farming while some others have become contractors with the ONGC
and other government departments. ‘‘But they no longer
terrorise or intimidate the other contractors,’’ said
Singh.
The common man however does not entirely subscribe to his views.
‘‘Though the ULFA is fading, the SULFA are still creating
problems. They do not care for anybody in the town,’’
said Rajen Gogoi, a shopkeeper.
Singh says he can understand why. ‘‘After all, they were
into criminal activities for several years. It will take them time
to come out of it,’’ he added.’
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