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Assam: ULFA militants killed |
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Four ULFA militants were killed in a joint operation by police and the Army in Assam’s Sivasagar district in the wee hours of Feb. 16. The encounter took place at Naphuk Naharani village under the Sonari police station at 2.30 am.
The militants have been identified as self-styled sergeant major Ranju Hazarika, sergeant major Manik Likson alias Pathik Handique, Jitu Chutia and Hari Koch. Hazarika was a bomb expert responsible for several blasts in Sivasagar and other Upper Assam districts. They belonged to the outfit’s 28 Battalion.
Handique, sources said, was an important link between ULFA battalions and the Naga militants.
An AK-56 rifle, an Italian-made pistol, four grenades, some ammunition and a mobile phone were recovered from them. Expenditure slips of the outfit in several envelopes, addressed to ULFA leader Ram Singh, were also recovered from them.
The joint operation came a day after the Unified Command meeting in Guwahati, chaired by Union Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar. The meeting discussed the prevailing law and order situation in the State. A sustained crackdown this month against the outfit has already seen a few surrenders and arrests both in Upper and Lower Assam.
Army sources said they were tipped off about the four militants taking shelter in the house of one Kamala Bauri in Naphuk Naharani village. Accordingly, a raid was conducted at the village. A gunbattle broke out in which all the four militants died.
The police officer at Sonari said the documents recovered from the slain militants could provide vital clues about the whereabouts of Ram Singh, the dreaded militant of the 28th Battalion. “We also found several phone numbers from a diary,” he added.
The Opposition and PCG members has accused the State Government of not being sincere about peace talks with the ULFA outfit. The ruling Congress in a statement issued by Congress spokesperson Rajesh Joshi, on behalf of PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita, stated: “The party reaffirms its commitment for negotiated settlement of the issue and called upon all sections to work for bringing lasting peace for development of the State.”
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