TURA, Nov 11: The second most important man after Paresh Barua in the banned ULFA outfit, Drishti Rajkhowa, revealed his reluctance to approach police to give himself up over fears of being killed.
Rajkhowa told East Garo Hills police during questioning at Nengkhra outpost, shortly after his surrender to the army, that he feared for his life during such an attempt.
“I had earlier thought of surrendering but decided against it because everytime we came across police in Garo Hills it would result in an exchange of fire,” the 50-year-old Rajkhowa reportedly told police officials.
He added that after fleeing the Bolbokgre encounter in the Rongara area of South Garo Hills, close to two weeks ago, he tried to take refuge in Bangladesh but the security forces launched operations over there too.
Fearing for his life he decided to leave Bangladesh and contacted his wife in Assam directing her to get in touch with a central intelligence agency which in turn got them contacted with the army for his subsequent surrender.
He denies having any links with rogue elements of the erstwhile GNLA outfit in attempts to revive the armed group and claim there are around two to three criminal gangs with links to Bangladesh that are behind a string of kidnapping cases in Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills region.
The number two in the ULFA hierarchy who once held domain across the Bangladesh border districts ensuring regular supply of arms and other logistics for the outfit also revealed that he was with GNLA’s Sohan D Shira on the morning of his death.
He told police that he had gone down with his men to a nearby stream to take a bath when gunshots were heard in the upper ridges where Sohan was waiting.
Believing that an all out operation was taking place with police closing in they abandoned the site and fled to the jungles nearby.