GUWAHATI: United Liberation Front of Asom, Independent (ULFA-I) has refuted the media report of “missing” former interlocutor, Rebati Phukan joining the outfit, terming it as “bogus and baseless” news, while slamming the “failure” of the intelligence agencies to find him.
Phukan, it may be noted, had gone “missing” under mysterious circumstances since April 22 this year after he had gone for his morning walk from his Ambikagiri Nagar residence. Police are yet to find him till date.
A former football player and a childhood friend of ULFA (I) commander-in chief, Paresh Baruah, Phukan had served as a mediator between the Centre and the militant outfit.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the outfit clarified that Phukan has not joined any post in ULFA (I) and that the news that appeared in a newspaper was baseless.
“We want to make it clear that no one has been appointed for the general secretary’s post, which is with the president and vice-president of the organisation. Intelligence agencies have a role in facilitating publication of such baseless news in the media, primarily to cover up their inability to trace Rebati Phukan, who is a childhood friend of our vice president, a footballer and member of the People’s Consultative Group,” the statement issued by Rumel Axom, member, publicity department, ULFA-I, read.
The militant outfit further asked the media persons who reported the news to apologise to the family members of Phukan.
“We appeal to the Indian government to speed up the investigation and trace Rebati Phukan,” the outfit said in the statement.
During the Assam Assembly’s autumn session in September, parliamentary affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, while replying to a question raised by Lahowal MLA Rituparna Barua, said that a special investigation team has been constituted to investigate the missing case.
The legislator in turn asked the state government to take up the case on a priority basis as Phukan was reportedly working on a fresh negotiation proposal between the ULFA-I and Centre. “The state should take up case on a priority basis and trace him at the earliest. The police should speed up its investigation,” Barua said.