A chronology of Ulfa since its inception

April 7, 1979: United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) founded under the leadership of Arabinda Rajkhowa along with five others with the aim to establish a "sovereign" Assam.

1979-1985: The group was involved in different violent activities during the six year long Assam agitation, spearheaded by All Assam Students' Union.

May 9, 1990: Ulfa kills Surendra Paul, a leading tea planter and brother of Lord Swraj Paul, causing many tea estate managers to flee the state.

Nov 28, 1990: President's rule imposed in Assam, dismissing the then Prafulla Kumar Mahanta government; Centre bans the ULFA; Indian Army launches Operation Bajrang as counter offencive against the group.

July 1, 1991: Ulfa cadre abduct 14 people including an engineer of erstwhile USSR.

Jan 14, 1992: Operation Rhino against ULFAsuspended by state government as the group agrees for talks.

Apr 11, 1992: Ulfa guns down 10 security personnel.

June 29, 1994: Vice chairman of the group Pradip Gogoi nabbed by security forces.

April 28, 1996: Lt Col Devendra Tyagi shot dead by the terrorists in the Kamakhya temple, Guwahati.

May 18, 1996: Superintendent of Police, Tinsukia, Ravi Kant Singh killed by ULFA.  

Jun 8, 1997: Chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta escapes attempt on life after his convoy is ambushed by the ULFAin Guwahati.

July 4, 1997: The banned outfit kills social activist Sanjoy Ghosh.

Jan, 1998: Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia arrested in Dhaka.

Feb 4, 1999: Ulfa and three other insurgent groups in the region launch their websites.

Sep 24, 1999: BJP Lok Sabha candidate Pannalal Oswal killed in Dhubri ahead of polls by the outfit.

Feb 27, 2000: Ulfa kills the then state PWD and forest minister, Nagen Sharma in Nalbari district.

Dec 15, 2003: Royal Bhutan Army launches military operations against the Ulfa, NDFB and KLO terrorists.

Dec 22, 2003: Ulfa seeks safe passage from China for its cadre from Bhutan.

Nov 18, 2004: Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa expresses willingness to begin a peace dialogue with the Centre.

Oct 26, 2005: Negotiations between the Centre and the Ulfa-nominated People's Consultative Group start in New Delhi.

Jan 1, 2006: Rajkhowa demands release of senior leaders of Ulfa before holding direct talks with New Delhi.

July 1, 2006: The outfit expresses willingness to hold direct talks with the Centre.

Aug 13, 2006: The Centre stops all operations by security forces against the Ulfa for a few days.

Aug 31, 2006: Paresh Barua in a communique assures the Union Government that its jailed leaders will not abscond, after being released.

Sep 24, 2006: Government resumes counter-insurgency operations against Ulfa after the deadline for ceasefire expired on September 20.

Sep 27, 2006: PCG pulls out from the peace talks with the Union Government.

Oct 30, 2008: About 77 persons killed and more than 300 injured in 13 near-simultaneous blasts in Assam.

Dec 21, 2008: General secretary of Ulfa, Golap Barua alias Anup Chetia, moves to the UN for refugee status once released from Bangladesh jail where he was under trial.

Jul 21, 2008: The Centre confirms that Paresh Baruah has moved out of Bangladesh for some time.

Oct 14, 2008: Home minister P Chidambaram said talks with the Ulfa only after it abjures violence.

Nov 6, 2009: Ulfa's 'foreign secretary' Sashadhar Choudhury and 'finance secretary' Chitraban Hazarika surrender before BSF near Agartala.

Dec 4, 2009 : Ulfa 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa and 'Deputy commander-in-chief' Raju Baruah along with family members surrender to Indian authorities along Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya.