From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Two militants belonging to the anti-talks faction of the proscribed United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) were killed in an explosion when they were trying to plant a bomb on the Railway track near Charangaram railways stations of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) under Sonari sub-division in Sivasagar district of Assam in the pre-dawn hours of Monday.
A police source the two ULFA ultras who were trying to plant an explosive device on the track probably to trigger explosion under Up Brahmaputra Mail running between New-Delhi and Dibrugarh (Upper Assam). The train was scheduled cross the track after some time.
Army and police launched a combing operation in the area following the blast. The area is close to inter-state boundary with Nagaland. Police said some ULFA militants were taking refuge in Mon district of Nagaland bordering Sivasagar district of Assam with intention to strike terror within Assam especially on and around November 28 which is observed as ‘Black Day’ by the ULFA.
It was on this day in 1990, the Army launched counter-insurgency operation against ULFA in Assam for the first time.
Significantly, police recovered another improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in the backyard of a villager on Sunday.
Meanwhile, chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday said there was no cause for worry about the anti-talks faction of the ULFA led by its fugitive ‘commander in chief’ Paresh Barua forming a new central committee of the outfit by ousting all the eight top leaders including the ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa.
He said the peace talks with the ULA group led by Arabinda Rajkhowa would continue while there would be no let up in operation against the anti-talks ULFA faction led by Paresh Barua.
Gogoi said the self-styled ULFA commander Paresh Barua was fighting his last battle and said the government would reiterate the appeal to the ULFA hardliners to shun violence and join the peace process.
The leader of the pro-talks ULFA faction Arabinda Rajkhowa on Tuesday stated that the action of the ULFA ‘commander–in- chief’ Paresh Barua to form a new central committee was not going to hamper the peace process which was started as per the wishes of peace-loving people of Assam and decision of the central executive and general council of the outfit.
“Paresh Barua has exposed his feudal mindset once again. He has no right to negate the peace process and such action will not be accepted to any people with belief in democratic values,” the ULFA chairman said.