India News Online » News Analysis » Indian Politics » 

Assam : ULFA intensifies its terror attacks

	August 15, 2005

After lying low for some time, the banned militant outfit, United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), fighting for an independent state of Assam outside the Indian Union, intensified its subversive activities last week.

Going full steam ahead with its ritualistic pre-Independence Day terror run, even as both the State Government and the Centre are making efforts to initiate dialogue process with the ULFA, the outfit blew up an oil pipeline, triggered a blast that killed four, exchanged fire with police in Guwahati and attempted to blow up a passenger train.

At least seven persons were injured, four of them fatally, when a powerful improvised explosive device went off at a bus stop in Boko, under Kamrup district. The bomb was strapped to a bicycle, the police said.

An hour later, another ULFA team set off an explosion under a bridge at Rangajan, about 20 km from Duliajan in Tinsukia district, destroying one end of the steel bridge. The bridge is in an area that has several oil and gas-collecting stations, and is frequented by Oil India Limited (OIL) officials, CISF and Army personnel.

The latest spurt of violence began with a blast at a crude pipeline over the Disang river, at Bokotha under Sivasagar police station. The blast and the subsequent oil pressure sparked a fire that engulfed a large portion of the nearby Bakchu Konwar village.

The Sivasagar district administration set up a relief camp and distributed food to the affected families, who were also given assistance of Rs 1,000 each. A team of doctors and veterinary doctors is camping in the area. Sivasagar Deputy Commissioner K.K. Dwivedi said 10 ULFA militants, armed with sophisticated weapons, came to the area and overpowered 12 home guards who were present there to guard the pipeline that carries crude oil to Bongaigaon refinery.

Sources in OIL said it would take about three days to restore supply of oil through the pipeline.

The blast was followed by an attack on a small telephone exchange at Dhamdha, in Nalbari district, just after midnight. ULFA militants hurled a grenade at an army camp, but it fell inside the telephone exchange, causing extensive damage.

The next incident was an encounter between a three-member ULFA team and the police at Tetelia, under Jalukbari police outpost in Guwahati. One of the militants was killed in the shootout.

ULFA militants also tried to target the Guwahati-Lumding passenger train with a bomb planted on the track at Lanka, 60 km from Nagaon. The device, concealed in a tiffin box, was found by a team of the railway police an hour before the train was to pass by.



Pandemonium in the House

The terrorist violence triggered by ULFA during the week rocked the Assembly which witnessed pandemonium with AGP and BJP legislators walking out of the House twice after lambasting the Tarun Gogoi government for allegedly making light of the violence since the previous Saturday (August 6).

Speaker Prithibi Majhi adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes when a noisy Opposition demanded a discussion immediately on the deterioration of law and order. The Speaker announced Zero Hour when the House reassembled, which angered the AGP further.

“We need to discuss the issue in totality. The government should have made a suo moto statement instead of us raising the issue. It is very sad”, said Hitendra Nath Goswami, AGP legislator from Jorhat.

The Opposition legislators returned to the Assembly when Minister of State for Home Rockybul Hussain made a statement, giving details of the incidents over the past four days (17 blasts, 4 dead, 5 wounded) and tried to prove that the situation had improved in comparison to the first four years of the erstwhile AGP-led government.



Congress links with ULFA ?

The Assembly witnessed noisy scenes the next day on August 11 over the Congress’ alleged links with the ULFA.

Demanding the suspension of Question Hour, AGP president raised the issue based on a letter purportedly written by PCC secretary M.H. Choudhury to ULFA chairman Paresh Barua mentioning a donation of Rs 30 lakh to the outfit and that three ministers Gautam Roy, Anjan Dutta and Himanta Biswa Sarma had agreed to pay Rs 5 lakh per month to the outfit to make up for the remaining amount, which was, however, not specified in the letter.

The letter, written on a PCC letterhead, allegedly in response to the one written by ULFA on October 10, 2004, also stated that the amount, which was not specified, sought by the outfit would be cleared by December and that the outfit should henceforth not make any correspondence in this regard over telephone and also should not attack the three ministers.

Though Speaker Prithibi Majhi rejected the AGP demand, he asked the government to make a statement, which was made by Minister of State for Home Rockybul Hussain after the House approved the supplementary demands for grants. “The letter is baseless and is a conspiracy to malign the government. Choudhury himself has denied writing the letter and no minister has extended any financial assistance to the outfit.”

“We are unhappy with the way the AGP has given legitimacy to the letter. They should have understood that in this advanced age of technology it is easy to fabricate and forge letters. Tomorrow we can also produce such letters. It is really unfortunate”, the Minister said. The AGP chief said he was not at all satisfied with the governments response.



Plea to Centre for peace talks with ULFA

The Assam Government has appealed to the militant outfit, United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), to shun violence and urged the Centre to expedite negotiations with the banned outfit for lasting peace in the state. The appeal has been made in a resolution adopted in the State Assembly on August 10, the day which saw two adjournment motions and a walkout by Opposition MLAs from the AGP and BJP for the second day running.

The legislators walked out in protest against the Speaker’s rejection of notices submitted by the two parties to suspend Question Hour to discuss the ULFA issue and the ongoing terror run triggered by the outfit.

The proposal was made by Minister of State for Finance Himanta Biswa Sarma after Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi tried to shed light on the talks issue raised by Independent MLA Pabindra Deka.

The proposal was seconded by Independents Pramila Rani Brahma and Premadhar Bora. The appeal was unanimously accepted by the House. AGP and BJP legislators were not present in the House when the appeal was approved.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister informed the House that the state government was not a direct party to the talks, but would want the peace efforts of the Centre with ULFA to continue. He added that his government was committed to ushering in lasting peace.

Referring to the series of blasts in the state since August 6, the Chief Minister appealed to the outfit to shun violence, as innocent people were being victimised.