Gogoi announces uninterrupted operation against ULFA

Guwahati, Jan 10 (UNI) Asom Chif Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the renewed anti-ULFA operation would be on till the banned outfit was wiped out of the state.

''We have sorted out the details. It(the operation) will be an uninterrupted one,'' Mr Gogoi announced at a press conference. He said he had detailed discussions with the army top brass, the defence minister and defence secretary.

The announcement came in the backdrop of recent ULFA depredation that left 66 people, mostly Hindi-speaking, dead across upper Asom.

Past army operation had faced interruption as on crucial time these were stopped following political pressure. ''This time there would be none till ULFA is finished,'' he promised.

He asserted that things had started improving in the past few days in upper Asom and barring two bomb blasts in Guwahati, there was no report of any violence anywhere.

''We wanted peace but they greeted us with violence. They have thrown us a challenge. Our government has accepted it,'' he said making it clear that in the coming months there would be vigorous army operation and terrorist links would not be spared.

''We have a three-pronged strategy. First stop fresh violence, second build confidence and third eliminate these forces,'' he explained.

When pointed out that past army operation was not so fruitful, he shot back, ''what do you expect me to do, sit tight and go soft after all these massacre. I am responsible for the well being of the people and we are going to respond.'' The chief minister is leaving for New Delhi to give the final shape of the long drawn battle against the insurgent as the Home ministry has called for a meeting. ''We now have 140 companies of para-military forces. We wanted to recruit constables against the thousands of vacancies but a court case stopped that. We are now recruiting ex-servicemen. They do not need training and we want an urgent force,'' he said.

Besides the ex-servicemen, the government is raising the remuneration of the Home Guards so that they could be used for more policing work besides reactivating the village defence force in the villages.

''We cannot allow such mindless violence to go on,'' he said.

He visited the affected areas of upper Asom yesterday before meeting the army top brass at Tezpur last night.

UNI