[Assam] Mr. Patgiri and Mr Bordoloi stated utterances have cleared the air of suspicion many seems to hold about them.

[Bartta Bistar]

*ULFA explodes confusions?*
By Nava Thakuria
Fri, 16 Jun 2006, 10:02:00

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Series of blasts that killed at least nine persons and wounded nearly
hundred others, putting liability, denying allegation and counter allegation
for the same occupied the important space of Asom media in the second week
of June and these contributed more confusion to the civil society. The
northeastern state was rocked by a series of explosions since June 8 in
different locations (primarily in Brahmaputra valley) with casualties and
also damaging crude oil and natural gas pipelines, railway tracks and
government offices. Two major blasts in Guwahati itself resulted in killing
of six persons and inury of many others.

The Asom police Director General Deepak Narayan Dutt was quick to put the
responsibility for explosion on the banned armed outfit, United Liberation
Front of Asom (ULFA). Speaking to the scribes in Guwahati Mr Dutt claimed
that the state police had specific information regarding the involvement of
ULFA in the violence. His claim was fully supported by the Inspector General
(Special Branch) of Asom police, Khagen Sharma. According to the police, the
insurgent outfit used Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), time bombs and
grenades for the explosions. Even the government in New Delhi warned the
insurgent outfit that the violence could only spoil the atmosphere for
intended talks. The Home Secretary V K Duggal argued that the ULFA was
adopting tactics to pressurize the Central Government.

However, the militant outfit, which is fighting for a homeland for
indigenous people of Asom since 1979, denied its involvement in most of the
blasts. The armed section chief of ULFA, Paresh Barua denied their
involvement in any of the blasts except on oil instantiations. Surprisingly,
Mr Barua, while talking to a section of Guwahati based journalists through
telephone from an undisclosed location claimed that the other explosions
that killed innocent people was carried out by some Asom police officials
led by its intelligence chief Khagen Sarma. However, the state police
confirmed that it was only ULFA that masterminded all the blasts that took
place during the period. Mr Sarma in a press briefing in Guwahati later
asserted that the police had specific evidence to confirm that all the
blasts were engineered by the assigned cadres of ULFA.

Earlier the ULFA leader argued that a third force was relentlessly trying to
derail the peace process, presently going on between the ULFA and the
Government of India. It may be mentioned that ULFA lately showed interest in
peace talks with the government and formed a group of civilians to pursue
the course. The first round of talks between the outfit's representative
team, People's Consultative Group (PCG) and the government took place on
October 26 last year, where the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh (who
represents Asom in Rajya Sabha) also took part. The second meeting was held
on February 7 last and the third one is scheduled on June 22 next in New
Delhi.

The state chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who was abroad leading a team of state
finance ministers of the country strongly condemned the incidence terming
that violence and terrorism had no place in a democratic country like India.
The newly elected state political chief for the second consecutive term, Mr
Gogoi also instructed the police and civil administration to deal with the
situation. The main opposition party of the state, Asom Gana Parishad and
the Bharatiya Janata Party also condemned the explosion.

Condemnation came for the members of PCG also. Mamoni Raisom Goswami, who
leads the PCG, condemned the killing with strong words. "Whoever had done
it, the act of violence is always condemnable," said Ms Goswami, who teaches
in Delhi University. The eminent Asomiya writer, Ms Goswami observed that no
sensible person could accept the killing of innocent people. She appealed to
the ULFA leaders and also the security personnel to maintain restraint for
the sake of peace process. The PCG spokesman Arup Borbora also condemned the
acts of brutality.

However, two other members of the group added confusion to the scene
claiming that the central government was responsible for the blasts for its
delaying tactics applied to peace process. In separate statements to the
local media soon after the explosion in Guwahati, PCG members Dilip Patgiri
and Lachit Bordoloi asserted that the outfit was tempted to carry out the
acts because of insincerity on the part of the government. The third round
of meeting with the PCG was scheduled for March, but it was delayed to June,
they argued.

Of course, many in Guwahati targeted both Mr Patgiri and Mr Bordoloi for
their undue outbursts. Sunil Nath, a former ULFA leader termed the comments
made by both the PCG members as more dangerous than even a blast itself. In
a regular column in an Asomiya daily published from Guwahati, Mr Nath
expressed surprise that while the ULFA themselves tried to deny their
involvement in the explosions that killed ordinary people, both Mr Patgiri
and Mr Bordoloi came forward to justify the acts. He also put argument that
if some day, Asom becomes independent (as the outfit is fighting), the PCG
members would be in an influential position. "Then I would prefer to be a
refugee in another country than residing in that Independent Asom",
concluded Mr Nath, who was once the publicity secretary of ULFA.


(Nava Thakuria is a journalist based in Guwahati, Assam)
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