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ULFA's armed and political wings at loggerheads: captured militant

Serious differences between the political and armed wings of the United Liberation Front of Assam came to the fore at the general council meeting of the banned outfit held in March this year in Bhutan.

This was disclosed by Amulya Baruah, a self-styled ''sergeant major'' of the banned outfit who attended the meeting. He was nabbed by police a few days ago at Amguri railway station in Sibsagar district of Assam.

According to him, the meeting was attended by all the top leaders of the banned outfit including chairman Aurobindo Rajkhowa and ''Commander-in-Chief'' Paresh Baruah.

He said it was the duty of the political wing of the outfit to ensure people's support. The members of the armed wing have found it extremely difficult to conduct their operations as people no longer extend support, food and lodging to them. Consequently the members of the armed wing have to roam and take shelter in the jungles in the midst of constant fear and lack of security.

When the political wing of the outfit could not give a satisfactory reply to the question of alienation of the outfit from the people, the armed wing took a decision not to conduct any armed operations.

The nabbed 'sergeant major' of the banned outfit told a group of local journalists in the office of the superintendent of police in Guwahati that these revelations ''are true'' and he is not disclosing it under any pressure or intimidation.

He disclosed to the mediapersons that the majority of members of the armed wing have by now realised that freedom cannot come from the barrel of a gun, adding that he is not aware if a similar realisation has dawned on members of the other wings of the outfit.

Questioned about how armed operations continued to occur despite this claim, he said that such operations could be the handiwork of the members of the anchalik parishads who possessed arms and ammunition.

Meanwhile, the police busted a mobile ULFA office of Charaideo anchalik parishad and arrested two persons Druna Chetri and Aicharya Baruah who are supporters of ULFA and recovered many incriminating documents from them in Upper Assam.

UNI

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