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Militant outfit joins mainstream

Sushanta Talukdar

Entire cadres lay down arms, ammunition before Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi

— PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

New life: Cadres of the United Liberation Front of Barak Valley at a surrender ceremony organised by the Assam Police in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Guwahati: Entire cadres of the militant United Liberation Front of Barak Valley (ULFBV) numbering 305, most of them belonging to the Reang tribe of southern Assam’s Hailakandi and Karimganj districts, returned to the mainstream on Tuesday, ending their eight-year-old armed insurrection.

The ULFBV was formed in 2001 and it raised an armed rebellion demanding the creation of a Zilla Parishad for the tribal communities in the Barak Valley, restoration of land to the tribal people and development of tribal-inhabited areas of the two districts.

The Assam police said the aim of the outfit was to protect the Reang community from alleged “atrocities of the Mizos and Muslims.” It received logistical support and training from the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), Dima Halam Daogah, National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). Some of the cadres received training in Nagaland, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The outfit had declared a unilateral ceasefire on June 7 last.

Led by their president Panchram Apeto, the ULFBV cadres, in battle fatigues, laid down arms and ammunition before Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Excise and Border Areas Development Minister Gautom Roy, Principal Secretary (Home) Subhas Das, Director-General of Police R.N. Mathur and General Officer Commanding of 21 Mountain Division of the Army, Major General Chander Prakash.

Each of the militants was given a rose by Mr. Gogoi and others on the dais after they laid down arms. The Chief Minister promised to initiate measures for the development of backward areas.

The ULFBV chief said in his speech that they had taken up arms to protest the deprivation of the Reangs and other tribal people from fruits of development. He said that areas inhabited by these communities lacked schools, proper roads and heath care facilities. There were instances of patients dying on way to hospital due to dilapidated condition of the roads connecting the tribal hamlets. Mr. Apeto said the outfit agreed to lay down arms after the State government assured them that their demands would be considered.

The DGP said the ULFBV was involved in 28 incidents of various acts of crime and violence and had kidnapped 42 people, all of whom had either been rescued by police and security forces or released by the outfit.

He said that two other active outfits — DHD (Jewel faction) and Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front have also expressed their willingness for negotiations.

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