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ULFA explodes confusions? http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_28542.shtml |
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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