ULFA(I) claims Abhijit Asom as chairman

Guwahati: ULFA (I) on Thursday claimed that Dr Abhijit Asom was their chairman and not Dr Mukul Hazarika.
“It has come to our notice that a confusion has been created in a section of media in Assam about the identity of our chairman,” said ULFA(I) publicity wing assistant secretary ‘Captain’ Arunudoy Asom in an e-mail.
“We  make  it clear that Dr Abhijit Asom is the chairman of our United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent),” Asom said.
“Along with the people of Assam, we know that Dr Mukul Hazarika works for protection of human rights with an organisation called ‘Assam Watch’,” he said.
Earlier, reports had stated that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had issued a summon to ULFA (Independent) chairman Dr Abhijit Asom alias Dr Mukul Hazarika at his Kasarigaon Puranigudam residence in central Assam’s Nagaon district.
Additional Superintendent, NIA, Guwahati, Subhasish Borooah had served the summon dated September 7 through Samoguri police station to the banned ULFA(I) supremo to present himself at NIA Guwahati office within September 30.
Abhijit was summoned in connection with the illegal and anti-national activities of the Paresh Baruah-led ULFA(I).
Dr  Abhijit  Asom had become the chief of ULFA(I) in 2012 as declared by the insurgent outfit after its founding chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa was expelled following his failure to return to the underground group.
Rajkhowa was arrested in November 2009 and thereafter has engaged himself along with other top ULFA leaders in peace talks with the Centre but to no avail. Commander- Chief Baruag refuses to give to the so-called peace talks with the government.
An alumnus of RKB Higher Secondary School, Puranigudam, and Gauhati Medical College, Dr Abhijit is reported to be a practising physician in England.
According reports, Asom, close to ULFA(I) ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Baruah, who had established a human rights organisation ‘Assam Watch’ 1994 through which he highlighted in UN meetings alleged human rights violation and torture inflicted by security forces during anti-insurgency operations in Assam. (PTI)