GUWAHATI: Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA), while expressing grave concern over the declaration of the banned ULFA (Independent) to execute two kidnapped individuals, both engineers of a private sector oil exploration and drilling company, as the process of negotiations has failed and asked the militant outfit and its leader not to indulge in such misadventure.
The forum in a statement also urged both the governments in New Delhi and Dispur to take the matter seriously.
The two engineers of Quippo Oil and Gas Infrastructure Limited (based in Haryana) namely, Pranab Kumar Gogoi (from Assam) and Ram Kumar (from Bihar) were abducted by armed cadres belonging to ULFA (Independent) from Diyun drilling locality in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh on 21 December 2020 and since then they are under their custody.
The outfit in association with NSCN-K, later issued a statement in Assamese language stating that as their deadline had already expired, both Gogoi and Kumar would be executed. In a statement issued on 27 January, the ULFA (I) claimed that the death penalty would be imposed on both the captive employees if the oil company failed to pay the demanded amount of money by 16 February.
Later the banned outfit explained that talks between their leaders and company officials also resulted nothing in positive. So, the outfit would act on Gogoi, who hails from Sivasagar locality in eastern Assam, and Kumar hailing from Khagaria locality of Bihar as per their resolution. It also imposed a ban over the company across western parts of southeast Asian region and asked the employees to abandon the Haryana-based company.
Enraged against various terror activities, the social media users have already scolded ULFA (I) leader Paresh Barua as being a curse for Assam and asked the militant leader to release the abducted engineers immediately.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and senior minister in his cabinet Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma also appealed to the outfit to release them on humanitarian grounds.
“PPFA strongly advocates for the release of Gogoi and Kumar without any harms to them. The peace-loving people of Assam will not forgive the militants for this misadventure. We also request the mainstream media outlets in Guwahati not to glorify the militants (beaming live coverage of Paresh Barua) along with their relentless unsolicited threats,” the PPFA statement said.
Meanwhile, Assam’s one of the most revered intellectuals, Dr Hiren Gohain on Saturday made an appeal to the ULFA(I) to desist from execution of the two innocent abducted persons and stated that such a condemnable act would serve no one’s purpose.