From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has stated that it has no collusion with fundamentalist forces and has not taken to using hired criminals to carry out subversions in the State as claimed by Assam Police.
In a statement the ULFA faction stated that the strength of its military wing and organization had remained robust despite reverses it suffered in the revolution process on several occasions so far.
The ULFA statement e-mailed to the media alleged the intelligence chief of Assam Police, Khagen Sharma of resorting to misinformation campaign against the ULFA just to save image in the wake of his failure to root out ULFA on the strength of huge amount of money provided by the Government of India for intelligence gathering operation against the ULFA.
The police made the claim after the anti-talks faction of the ULFA flaunted its striking prowess by triggering two powerful grenade explosions in the State including one in the heart of Guwahati during the last four days.
The outfit has been maintaining a low profile for over a year after a larger section of its senior leaders and cadres led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa came over ground to hold dialogue with the Government of India.
The anti-talks faction is believed to have set up its base in Myanmar under the patronage of Naga rebel group NSCN-K while its supreme leader Paresh Barua is suspected to be hiding in northern Myanmar jungles bordering China. The faction has apparently gained some strength of late and managed to sneak in some of its trained cadres into the State.
It has claimed responsibility for the latest couple of grenade attacks in the State. The ULFA faction also dismissed police’s claim to have killed one ULFA cadre identified as Mahat Rabha in Goalpara district in the wee hours of Monday. The outfit stated that the slian person was neither its cadre nor had any links with it.
Meanwhile, Assam police on Monday claimed to have prevented more such grenade attacks by recovering five powerful grenades and detonators on Sunday at Rangiya about 35 kilometers from here while the explosives were being transshipped in a Tata Magic vehicle from Tamulpur in Baksa district bordering Bhutan. One suspected militant was arrested along with the cache of explosives and his interrogation was on.
In another incident, Assam Police have intensified security arrangements after intelligence inputs that the anti-dialogue faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) led by Paresh Baruah alias Paresh Asom might try to attack police and security forces in the state. (With inputs from IANS)
