ULFA Ultimatums

The Army and the police in Assam are worried over the reports about a freshextortion drive launched by militant groups such as the banned UnitedLiberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front ofBodoland (NDFB). A high-level meeting of top police and army officials wasin fact held in Guwahati on Friday to review the situation and suggest waysto tackle the new threat.

Intelligence reports in the past few days indicate that taking advantage ofthe transition period during the change of government, these outfits hadlaunched a massive extortion drive in different parts of the state. Policesources say that according to intelligence reports, the outfit has set atarget of collecting about Rs. 100 crore during this period. Sources say thatthe militant outfits have served extortion notices to a number of businessmen allover the State. Several prominent businessmen of Guwahati city have also,apparently, receivedsuch notices from the ULFA in the last few days. However, the businessmen,who received notices, are yet to formally seek the help of the police, accordingto the sources.

Sources point out that groups of ULFA members managed to sneak into thestate before the elections as the counter-insurgency operations took aback-seat because the security forces and police were concentrating more on thesecurity of the political leaders and candidates. It would be recalled that more than 40 peopleincluding the BJP candidate for the Dibrugarh Assembly constituency werekilled in these attacks.

Twice in the past decade, the militants have struck in a big way during thetransition period and in the early days of a new government. Since, policeofficials are a bit confused about the way the new dispensation would treatthe insurgency problem, security automatically becomes a bit lax during thetransition period.

In 1991 for instance, the ULFA had struck in a big way by kidnapping 14people in a stunning operation a day after the Hiteswar Saikia governmenthad assumed office. Among them was a Russian engineer who was later killed.In 1996, SP of upper Assam's Tinsukia district was chased and killed bymilitants. Simultaneously, ethnic riots broke out on Kokrajhar andBongaigaon districts on May 14, a day before the Prafulla Kumar MahantaMinistry assumed office. More than 200 people were killed in those riots andover two lakh rendered homeless.

Meanwhile, the banned ULFA has warned the Congress, which formed the the newGovernment in Assam on Friday, not to repeat its "history of betrayal andfratricide" and chastised the outgoing AGP government and poll partner BJP.In the first reaction after the just concluded Assembly elections publishedin its mouthpiece "Freedom", the ULFA describing the Congress as oldwine ina new bottle "hoped the Congress reads the writing on the wall and does notrepeat its past history of betrayal and fratricide".

Describing late Hiteswar Saikia's Congress Government as a "brutalregime", the "Freedom"said there was no need for the people of the State to be jubilant at thevictory of the Congress. The ULFA also pilloried the AGP stating the"ballotdethroned the Indian occupation collaborator -- AGP government in the garb ofa regional flag bearer -- of the forcefully imposed Indian elections".

It has also criticised the BJP for aligning with the AGP "to grab power foranotherterm as a reward for AGP's collaboration with India". Accusing the AGP ofcoming to power last time "by deceiving the people of Assam", themouthpiececharged the party with tarnishing the name of the state by "enlisting theservices of the notorious secret killers and forming extra-constitutionalarmed gangs under the supervision of a Unified Command Structure against thepeople of Assam". The "Freedom" alleged that though governmentschanged, thepeople of Assam "received nothing from them. The burning problems likegrowing unemployment, illegal immigration, flood, health and economy werenot properly addressed by any of the successive governments."