India News Online » News Analysis » Indian Politics » 

North East - Assam : Operations will stop if ULFA comes for talks

	October 22, 2007

In an unusual but significant statement, the Army last week announced that it will stop operations against militant outfit ULFA in Assam if it comes to the negotiating table without any preconditions. Addressing reporters in Tezpur on Oct. 18, Chief of the Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor said : “If the ULFA comes for talks without any terms and conditions, then the Army is willing to go back to the barracks.”



The statement of the Army chief, according to some observ¬ers, is an indication that the Government has not abandoned the path of negotiations with Assam’s major militant outfit.



“If the Bodoland Liberation Tigers and the National Libera¬tion Front of Bodoland (NDFB) could come to the negotiating table, then why not the ULFA,” the Army chief asked.



“Today NSCN, NDFB and some other armed groups of the region are coming forward for solution to their problems through cease-fire and peace process. Government of India is always ready to come forward for talks with ULFA if the outfit adopts a positive approach,” the Army chief added.



In view of the present situation and insurgency problem of Assam as well as entire North East Region, the Army chief said that for the solution of the decades old insurgency problems of the region, the insurgent groups have to come forward for a solu¬tion.



The Army chief said Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI was active in the region. He said ISI may be involved in the recent bomb blasts in Guwahati and other places of Assam.



“Under the direction of Muslim fundamentalists, the ISI is becoming active in Assam which is a cause for concern”, Kapoor said.



On the ongoing problem with China along the border with Arunachal Pradesh, General Kapoor said two rounds of talks bet¬ween the Indian and Chinese forces have been held so far.



He further said in his brief meet, “At present normalcy prevails in the border areas of India. Any problem arising in the border areas can be tackled and the Government of India is ready for that.”



The Army chief further said that to create good relationship with the civil populace, the Indian Army is launching Operation Sadbhawana through which rehabilitation of schools, hospitals and natural calamity-affected people can be taken up.







ULFA attacks feared



Meanwhile, recent intercept of a message from the top lead¬ers of the ULFA to the cadres on the ground has kept the police and security forces on their toes and all the district police forces have been directed to take adequate precautionary measures to prevent any attempt of the militants to create disturbances.

Highly placed police sources said that the security forces recently intercepted a message to all the three companies of the 28 battalion of the ULFA, which said that the outfit should launch fresh attacks. Sources said that the order from the top leaders of the outfit clearly stated that no local people should be harmed during the operations.



Though the ULFA cadres were not asked to create trouble during the Durga Puja festival, the possibility of the militants indulging in acts of violence during the celebrations by taking advantage of the fact that the police personnel would be busy during these days cannot be ruled out. In the wake of the recent development, the police and security forces are apprehending fresh attacks on Hindi speaking people, sources said.



It may be mentioned that the 28 battalion of the ULFA, which is considered to be the strongest wing of the outfit, is responsible for operations in the Upper Assam districts. But the 28 battalion recently received a major setback following the arrest of Prabal Neog, the acting commander of the battalion.



Police said that the ULFA militants operating in the lower Assam districts and in Guwahati city are not as well organized as in Upper Assam, which makes it difficult for the police and security agencies to know about the plans of the outfit. Sources said that the operations in lower Assam districts and in Guwahati city are carried out by only a handful of people, which makes the task more difficult for the police.



Sources said that according to intelligence inputs, the flow of weapons and explosives from Bangladesh is still on and the 109 battalion of the outfit is responsible for transhipment of wea¬pons. The 109 battalion now has only about 30 active cadres. Meanwhile, efforts are on by the outfit to activate its 27 battalion and to strengthen the bases of the outfit in the dis¬tricts located on the northern bank of the river Brahmaputra, particularly in the districts of Darrang, Sonitpur and Lakhimpur.