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Peace talks with ULFA

	September 11, 2006

New Delhi extends ‘truce’ : No talks on freeing jailed leaders



New Delhi on September 5 extended the duration of suspension of Army operations against ULFA by another 10 days, but the key issue of releasing five jailed militant leaders did not figure in the discussion mediators Mamoni Raisom Goswami and Rebati Phukan had with two of the country’s top bureaucrats.



It is the second extension for the informal truce, first announced for 10 days from August 13 and extended by 15 days from August 23.



Emerging from the meeting along with Phukan and Goswami, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal said the suspension of Army operations would remain conditional. “We will request the Army.....but we do not want any complaint of extortion or anything indicative of violence (from ULFA.”



Duggal made it clear that the Centre would not hesitate to resume the Army offensive against ULFA if complaints came in about the outfit taking advantage of the situation.



On whether New Delhi would free five of the jailed ULFA leaders anytime soon, the Home Secretary said: “There is no reason as yet to not be hopeful”. He said there were “rough edges to be smoothened” and the government was focusing on the task.



National Security Advisor Narayanan and Duggal had spelt out the government’s stand during their previous meeting with Goswami and Phukan. The duo said the militant leaders would be freed as soon as ULFA sent a letter stating its readiness for talks and mentioning the date and the composition of its delegation.



The five ULFA functionaries whose release the outfit has been demanding are vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi, founder-member Bhimkanta Buragohain, publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, culture secretary Pranati Deka and Ramu Mech.



New Delhi has said it will give the jailed leaders the opportunity to interact with the rest of the outfit’s think-tank before formal peace talks begin.



Phukan, a childhood friend of ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, declined to reveal details of what was discussed at the Sept. 5 meeting, apart from the extension of the period of suspension of hostilities. The mediator said he and Goswami had come to deliver a letter from the ULFA-constituted People’s Consultative Group to the Prime Minister. He declined to say what the letter was all about. “It was in a sealed envelope and we were asked to deliver it.”



Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who was in the capital for a meeting with the Prime Minister, expressed satisfaction over the progress of the peace process.





ISI agents in government departments



Gogoi administration was in a fix last week when Opposition AGP charged it with gross negligence in appointing persons in Government services. Waving copies of a purportedly confidential report of the vigilance and anti-corruption department as proof, the AGP on Sept. 6 said suspected ISI agents were given employment in the social welfare department along with scores of other undeserving job aspirants during the Congress’ previous term in Dispur.



Quoting from the report, AGP general secretary Dilip Kumar Saikia said over 300 people bribed their way to jobs in the department when excise minister Gautam Roy headed it as part of the first Tarun Gogoi ministry.



An indignant Roy said the AGP “manufactured” the vigilance report. “The report is a fake one and the allegations are all baseless. I will reveal all tomorrow.”



The report flung by the AGP at the Congress states that as many as 250 of the 300-odd beneficiaries of illegal appointments during Roy’s tenure as the social welfare minister are from a particular community. Deputy superintendent of police (vigilance) Harmohan Kakati conducted the inquiry and submitted the report in July 2005.



The AGP distributed copies of the report at the news conference. “It is learnt from my secret source that of the 250 candidates, some suspected ISI agents are (sic) also appointed,” the report says.



As if doubting that the allegation won’t be taken seriously, the report actually mentions that the presence of ISI agents in a government department is “very dangerous” for the security of the state.



The report claims that no departmental procedure, including compulsory police verification of the applicants’ antecedents, was followed during the recruitment process. It names C.R. Kalita, the then director of the social welfare department, and a lower-ranked official, I. Alam, as the kingpins of the scam.



The posts were allegedly neither advertised in any newspaper, nor did the department interview any candidate from the list of job aspirants registered with the employment exchange.



The AGP demanded Roy’s resignation and a CBI investigation into the alleged scandal. Saikia said his party would drag the government to court if it did not cancel the illegal appointments and initiate action against the erring officials.



The party has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union home minister Shivraj Patil, Governor Ajai Singh and BJP leader L.K. Advani.