GUWAHATI, May 21: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the state government would “move cautiously and tread slowly” towards working out an ambience for peace negotiations with militant outfit, United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) for permanent peace in the state.
During a media interaction here, Sarma said, “The endeavour of the state government is to pave way for a peaceful Assam by putting an end to killings, abductions and violence….but to achieve that we have to move ahead very carefully and slowly.”
He, however, requested the media to refrain from indulging in too much publicity on the matter as of now.
The chief minister thanked ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah for reciprocating to his appeal and releasing abducted ONGC employee, Ritul Saikia who reached his residence in Jorhat’s Borholla area around 7.30 pm on Saturday.
Earlier, an exhausted Ritul had walked for “days” to reach Longwa village in Mon district of Nagaland along the Indo-Myanmar border around 7:10 am on Saturday.
Ritul, along with two others, were kidnapped by ULFA-I cadres from an oil rig at Lakwa in Sivasagar district along the Assam-Nagaland border on April 21.
“He (Ritul) has reached home safely. This is good news for everyone. I thank ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah for releasing him,” Sarma said.
The chief minister had recently stated that “government’s doors are always open if ULFA-I desires to join the peace process but only once the ground rules for the negotiations are framed.”
ULFA-I had, earlier this month, declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire in the wake of Assam Sarma’s appeal to the extremist groups in Assam to shun violence and pursue peace talks.