Guwahati: “It is the Pakistani ISI and other external forces that are behind the fresh initiative taken by commander in chief of United Liberation Front of Assam (anti-talks) to form a common force on all the insurgent groups based in Northeast to fight Indian security forces,” said the new Director General of Assam Police, Khagen Sarma.
He said besides the insurgent groups even Maoists were being roped into the unification efforts and warned that Maoists were more dangerous a force that insurgents as they were more organised and rooted among masses.
Sarma said there were about 100 trained Maoists cadres were available in Assam though Assam Police could eliminate four of the commanders of the armed group of Maoists at the initial stage.
“Paresh Barua is taking initiative to bring all the insurgent groups in the Northeast together and even included Maoists in the scheme of things. He is doing it at the behest of external forces including Pakistani ISI,” said Sarma.
He, however, said such efforts to unite insurgents groups of the Northeast would not succeed because of inherent differences between various insurgents groups dominated by different ethnic communities in the region and such efforts had failed earlier.
The police official cast aspersion on ULFA’s (anti-talks) claim to have executed one of its senior leaders Partha Gogoi in a camp in Nagaland on charges of treason saying that it could not be believed at the face value given the executed leader’s high degree and loyalty and closeness to Paresh Barua.
The DGP said ULFA (anti-talks) was planning a series of violence in the State so was the breakaway faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) led by Sangbijit.
He said Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) which is active in parts of western Assam and North Bengal, were planning to target two ethnic communities in Assam to create disturbance.
“The insurgency situation has improved, but there is no room of complacency. Though many insurgent groups have come over for talks, the level of violence in the State hasn’t come down significantly because frustrated ranks in breakaway factions go for directionless violence targeting innocent people,” he said.
On the execution of ULFA-I assistant finance secretary and a captain of its “eastern command”, Partha Asom alias Partha Gogoi, the DGP said, “The cause for the execution is difficult to understand as he had served the outfit for 25 years”.
Partha was executed after being convicted of some “serious charges”, including being a police informer and indulging in financial irregularities. His bullet riddled body was found in a forest in Nagaland bordering Assam yesterday sparking off anti-Paresh Baruah protests in Sibsagar district.
To a query, Sarma said, “The prevailing law and order situation is comparatively better than before, but no compromise has been made when militant groups come out to indulge in subversive activities”. On his priorities as the new DGP, Sarma said, “Assam has insurgency and ethnic problems. Maintaining peace and harmony will our primary job. How much of it can be achieved depends on the cooperation of the public.” (With inputs from PTI)
