ULFA-I Is Still a Force to Reckon With, 400 of its Cadres are in Myanmar Camp: Assam CM

CM Sarma assured to provide security cover to individuals receiving threats from the ULFA-I

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said that the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) is still a force to reckon with and it still maintains a presence in the region with over 400 active cadres currently stationed across ULFA camps in neighbouring Myanmar.

Speaking to the media, CM Sarma said, “ULFA-I has always had a strong presence in the region. The outfit’s impact has significantly diminished compared to earlier times, but it still maintains a strong enough presence in the region.”

“Who said ULF-I does not exist any longer? Did Union Home Minister Amit Shah say so or did the Assam CM say so?,” CM Sarma asked and said that the militant outfit is very much alive and therefore the government is urging the outfit to come to the table for talks.

Chief Minister Sarma reiterated the government’s ongoing efforts to engage with the outfit to negotiate and address the underlying issues contributing to their continued activity and emphasized that until the outfit joins peace talks, uncertainty is likely to prevail in the state.

CM Sarma has also assured to provide security cover to individuals receiving threats from the ULFA-I.

The Chief Minister’s statement comes following the recent bomb threats from the outfit on Independence Day.

It may be mentioned that the ULFA-I in the mail on August 14 claimed that explosives had been planted in around 25 locations in Guwahati, Sivasagar, Lakua, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Laluk, Borghat, Nalbari, Tamulpur and Dibrugarh.

Following this, Assam Police had launched search operations across the state and recovered bomb-like materials from Satgaon and Last Gate, Pan Bazar (heart of the city and a busy locality) and Gandhi Mandap area of Guwahati and in Lakhimpur on August 15-16.

Additionally, there was utter panic and chaos at Guwahati’s City Centre Mall on August 19 after a suspected bomb threat led to the sudden evacuation of shoppers and staff from the mall which is located few kilometres away from Dispur with the busy GS Road on one side and the Zoo Road (R G Barua Road) on the other.

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