ULFA (anti-talks faction) ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Baruah has instructed his men to trigger bomb blasts in Assam in the run-up to Independence Day celebrations, the police said on Thursday.
“We’ve received reports that Paresh Baruah himself has instructed his men to carry out blasts in the run-up to Independence Day celebrations,” a top police officer told DNA.
This revelation came amidst recovery of bombs and explosive materials from different parts of the state.
The official also revealed that a hit squad of the outfit, trained in Myanmar, was making attempts to sneak into upper Assam to try and carry out subversive activities.
“They are relentlessly trying to sneak into the state to realize their designs but the police are on high alert,” he added.
Upper Assam was once a stronghold of the ULFA. Paresh Baruah, who insists that the sovereignty of Assam is non-negotiable, is peeved with peace talks between a group comprising his former colleagues and central government. He dubbed the process as surrender to ‘colonial India’.
Meanwhile, 12 militant outfits of the Northeast have jointly called a ‘general strike’ on August 15 and urged the people of the region to boycott the Independence Day celebrations.
“We call upon the people in our region to boycott and prevent India's Independence Day celebration in any manner. A general strike will be observed throughout the region on August 15,” the outfits led by the Paresh Baruah faction of ULFA said in a joint statement.
“The government of India is trying to lure people and freedom fighters to so-called Indian mainstream in the name of peace talks. We have experienced the futile promises made by the government in Mizoram and Tripura and therefore, in our view the present process of peace in Assam and Nagaland is no different,” the statement said.
The outfits said they would fight relentlessly until ‘national sovereignty’ was achieved. “We appeal to the people to be wary of the dirty ploys of Government of India and boycott the I-Day celebrations,” the statement added.
