United Liberation Front of Asom

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The United Liberation Front of Asom is a separatist armed opposition group from Assam, among many other such groups in North-East India. It claims to have been founded at the site of the historic Ahom structure Rang ghar on April 7, 1979. It is reported that in 1986 it came into contact with National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) and the Kachin rebels operating in Myanmar.[1] It was permitted to establish camps in Bangladesh in 1989 and initiated major violent activities in 1990. The US State Department lists ULFA under "Other groups of concern".[2]

The major leaders of the organisation are:

  • Paresh Baruah (Commander-in-Chief)
  • Arabinda Rajkhowa (Chairman)
  • Anup Chetia (General Secretary) (in Government of Bangladesh custody)
  • Pradip Gogoi (Vice-Chairman) (in Government of Assam custody)

Contents

[edit] ULFA according to itself

The ULFA considers itself a "revolutionary political organization" engaged in a "liberation struggle" against India for the establishment of a sovereign, independent Assam. It does not consider itself a secessionist organization, as it claims that Assam was never a part of India. It claims that among the various problems that people of Assam are confronting, the problem of national identity is the most basic, and therefore it seeks to represent "independent minded struggling peoples" irrespective of race, tribe, caste, religion and nationality.

[edit] ULFA according to Government of India

Main article: Terrorism in India

The Government of India (GOI) has classified it as a terrorist organization and had banned it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 1990. Concurrently, GOI started a military offensive against it, named Operation Bajrang lead by the Indian Army. The operation continues at present under the Unified Command Structure.

The Government of India accuses ULFA of maintaining links with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan and the DGFI of Bangladesh, and waging a proxy war on their behalf against India.

[edit] Ideology and Chinese support

ULFA has a Communist ideology and is known to have relations with Maoists and it claims that some of its cadres were trained in Pakistan. Former Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes once claimed that ULFA was supported by China through provision of arms. According to a prominent Indian view, ULFA is part of a Chinese attempt to expand its borders similar to the former Soviet Union.[citation needed]

[edit] Major activities

[edit] Assassinations

Some of the major assassinations by ULFA include that of Surendra Paul in May 1990, the brother of businessman Lord Swraj Paul, that precipitated a situation leading to the sacking of the Government of Assam under Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and the beginning of Operation Bajrang.

In 1991 a Russian engineer was kidnapped along with others and killed. In 1997, Sanjay Ghose, a social activist and a relative of a high ranking Indian diplomat, was kidnapped and killed. The highest government officer assassinated by the group was local AGP minister Nagen Sharma in 2000. An unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on AGP Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in 1997. A mass grave, discovered at a destroyed ULFA camp in Lakhipathar forest, showed evidence of executions committed by ULFA.

ULFA continues to attempt ambushes and sporadic attacks on government security forces.

In 2003, the ULFA was accused of killing labourers from Bihar in response to molestation and raping of many Assamese girls in a train in Bihar. This incident sparked off anti-Bihar sentiment in Assam, which withered away after some months though.

On August 15, 2004, an explosion occurred in Assam in which 10-15 people died, including some school children. This explosion was reportedly carried out by ULFA. The ULFA has obliquely accepted responsibility for the blast.[3] This appears to be the first instance of ULFA admitting to public killings with an incendiary device.

In January 2007, the ULFA once again struck in Assam killing approximately 62 Hindi speaking migrant workers mostly from Bihar. On March 15, 2007, ULFA triggered a blast in Guwahati, injuring six persons as it celebrated its 'army day'.

[edit] Economic subversion

The ULFA has claimed responsibility for bombings of economic targets like crude oil pipelines, freight trains and government buildings, including the 7 August 2005 attack.[4]

[edit] Recruitment

There are regular media reports of ULFA recruitment drives, especially in the rural areas. Even though many times the estimated original membership have either been captured, killed or have surrendered to government agencies, the continuing presence of ULFA members suggest that these reports are true.

[edit] Political activities

After 1985 and before it was banned in 1990, ULFA was credited in the media with many public activities. Soon after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, the ULFA was reported to have stopped Hindu-Muslim riots in the Hojai region of Nagaon district by displaying arms openly.

It has continued a public discourse of sorts through the local media (newspapers), occasionally publishing its position on political issues centred around the nationality question. It has participated in public debates with public personalities from Assam. During the last two local elections the ULFA had called for boycotts, though media reports suggest that it had intimidated activists of the then ruling parties (Congress and AGP respectively).

[edit] Fund collection

The ULFA is credited with some bank robberies during its initial stages. Now it is widely reported to extort businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians for collecting funds. In 1997, the Chief Minister of Assam accused Tata Tea of paying the medical bills of the ULFA cultural secretary Pranati Deka at a Mumbai hospital.

[edit] Other activities

The ULFA is reported to maintain a number of camps in Bangladesh, where members are trained and sheltered away from Indian security forces. Until recently, they had maintained camps in Bhutan, which were destroyed by the Royal Bhutan Army aided by the Special Frontier Force in December, 2003. These camps housed combatants and non-combatant families of ULFA members.

The ULFA maintains close relationships with other separatist organisations like NDFB, KLO and NSCN(Khaplang).

[edit] SULFA: Surrendered ULFA

Beginning in 1990, the Government of India has attempted to wean away members of the ULFA. This occurred due to the death of the ULFA's deputy C-in-C Heerak Jyoti Mahanta on December 31st, 1991. Mr. Mahanta strongly stood against any kind of surrendering, but after his death it nevertheless happened. In 1992 a large section of second rung leaders and members surrendered to government authorities. These former members were allowed to retain their weapons to defend themselves against their former colleagues and were offered bank loans without any liabilities. This loose group, now called SULFA, has become an important element in the armed politics and business of Assam. However there have been cases of surrenderings being staged for political and economical reasons by local and national goverments.

[edit] Secret killings

During the government of AGP leader Prafulla Mahanta, a number of family members of ULFA leaders were assassinated by unidentified gunmen. With the fall of this government following elections in 2001, the secret killings stopped. Investigations into the killings have since been launched.[citation needed]

[edit] Negotiations/talks

The ULFA has put forward a set of three pre-conditions for talks and negotiations with the Indian government. The government has rejected these pre-conditions. The pre-conditions are:

  1. The talks should be held in a third country.
  2. The talks should be held under United Nations supervision.
  3. The agenda of the talks should include the sovereignty of Assam.

In 2004, the ULFA dropped the first two pre-conditions and offered to talk with the government. The Government of India was not ready to negotiate on the issue of sovereignty. Still some progress was made when the ULFA formed a "People's Consultative Group" in September 2005 to prepare the grounds for an eventual negotiation between the government and ULFA, which the government has welcomed.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/assam/terrorist_outfits/ulfa.htm
  2. ^ Country Reports on Terrorism
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ bombing of oil facilities on August 7, 2005

[edit] External links

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