The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) received another big jolt with about 20-odd cadres, including four close aides of the outfit's self styled Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua, deserting their camps in Bangladesh and surrendering before Indian authorities.
Although an official confirmation is still awaited, the elusive ULFA military supremo Paresh Barua has himself admitted the development. However, Mr. Barua has not revealed the location of the ULFA camps which they have deserted.
In an e-mail issued to media houses on Friday night, the ULFA C-in-C alleged that the desertion by these cadres along with their family members had taken place upon the direct initiative of some of the top jailed ULFA leaders in collaboration of intelligence agencies. The three self styled captains among the deserters named by Mr. Barua in his e-mailed statement are Bhaiti Barua, Biju Deka and Pradyut Gohain. The ULFA's central publicity unit member Anu Buragohain has also been named as one of the deserters.
Sources said that the deserted ULFA leaders and cadres along with their family members have already been handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) by Bangladesh authorities.
The ULFA C-in-C's accusing finger towards his jailed colleagues in a way also re-established that the outfit had already suffered a split with one faction being led by some of the top leaders of the outfit currently lodged in jails and the other faction by elusive ULFA military supremo Paresh Barua. Mr. Barua alleged that a conspiracy hatched by the “colonial rulers” to split the ULFA has been on ever since the arrest of four top leaders of the outfit, including its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa. He also described the latest desertion by some leaders and cadres as a “part of the drama that has been going on in the name of peace talks”, following the arrest of ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and three other top leaders.
“It is (the desertion of camps by ULFA leaders and cadres) unfortunate and a curse on the united liberation struggle of Assam but it was not at all unexpected,” added the ULFA C-in-C in his statement.
