GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday called upon the self-styled commander-in-chief of the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) or the anti-talks faction of the ULFA, Paresh Barua, to come back to the mainstream to help in the efforts for overall development of the state of Assam.
The chief minister made the appeal while attending a conference of various organisations of the ethnic Motok community at Dibrugarh on Saturday. The ULFA(I) commander-in-chief belongs to Motok community.
The ULFA (I) leader is suspected by the security forces to be taking shelter in Myanmar and operating in coordination with Naga rebel group NSCN-K which basically provides logistics to various N-E insurgent groups to set up and maintain bases in Myanmar territory.
After lying low for the last few years, the ULFA (I) has apparently geared up its activities especially extortion operations in eastern Assam areas bordering Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Hit by resource crunch, the ULFA(I) has gone on an overdrive to extort gullible people and business organisations including many tea estates in Eastern Assam areas.
Assam police have already sought renewed cooperation from its counterparts in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to prevent illegal activities carried out by the banned ULFA-I.
Union Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba who visited Assam on Friday to take stock of the internal security scenario, said here that internal security situation in Assam had registered a marked improvement of late and security forces operating in tandem would be able to contain any misadventure resorted to by insurgent groups occasionally.