From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Surveillance has been mounted all over Assam apprehending terror strikes by the outlawed anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) led by its fugitive commander in chief Paresh Barua in and around the outfit’s raising day on April 7 next.
Though Paresh Barua faction has been considerably weakened after almost all the top leaders of the ULFA along with about 400 cadres coming over for dialogue with the Government of India under the leadership of the outfit’s chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, security forces are keeping a close tab on the hawks which are trying to regain ground and recruit vulnerable youth to the ranks.
A police source informed that the Centre has alerted Assam and neighbouring states in the Northeast to remain vigilant to thwart any attempt by the ULFA hawks to strike terror around April 7. The ULFA was formed on April 7, 1979 in Sivasagar district in eastern Assam with a vow to liberate Assam from the clutches of ‘colonial Indian occupation’. The ULFA faction of late has served extortion demands to many businessmen and companies in eastern Assam’s industrial belt sending security forces into a tizzy. The ULFA anti-talks faction of late has gained ground in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts bordering Arunachal Pradesh and western Assam’s Goalpara districts bordering Garo Hills areas of Meghalaya. A senior Assam police official informed that strict vigilance has been put on place in inter-state border areas to prevent cross border movement of ULFA militants who are suspected t be taking shelter in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya’s Garo hills. The Army too has been on the alert to allow no roaming space to ULFA ultras to strike terror.
Significantly, Assam Assembly has put off its curtain raising celebration of its Platinum Jubilee on April 7 as the Prime Minister Dr Manohan Singh is not attending it on that day because of security reasons.
Security forces have also mounted vigil along railway tracks, railway property and in and around public sector undertakings in the state fearing attacks from the ULFA faction that is desperate to make its presence felt in order to raise serious question about the potential of the on-going peace process between ULFA doves and Government of India to establish lasting peace in the state. A senior police official in response to a question about the usefulness of talks with a faction of ULFA while the faction led by Barua remains at large said that insurgency is like cancer and every bad cell has to be rooted out.
