ULFA warns Hindi-speaking people again

Guwahati, Jan 18 (UNI) The ULFA today upped the ante against Hindi-speaking people in Asom, threatening them with ''dire consequences,'' if they did not leave the state.

In a day, which witnessed a series of rumours of bomb blasts, the ULFA statement forced the state government to call a Cabinet meeting.

The ULFA threat came through the latest issue of its newsletter ''Freedom'', which warned Hindi-speaking people to stay away from Asom during its ''conflict'' with security forces, saying there might be an upsurge of violence against them during this period.

'' We appeal to the Hindi-speaking people that a conflict is going on in Asom, so go away from here as soon as possible, '' the banned group said.

'' In this regard, a rise in action may happen at any time, '' ULFA said, alleging that the security forces instigated these people to ignore the former's appeal and they stayed in Asom.

Meanwhile, the toll in yesterday's Guwahati bomb blast mounted to three and the angry protestors today blocked the traffic of the here for several hours, refusing to take the body for cremation till the Chief Minister arrived.

On the other hand, the powerful All Assam Students Union had warned the outlawed ULFA to refrain from accusing the student leaders of being the ''stooge'' of the government machinery.

The ULFA had accused AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya of acting as ''Dalal of the Indian government''. Taking serious cognizance of ULFA chief Pareash Baruah's remark, AASU general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi told reporters, '' We cannot stoop so low but in decent language we want to warn ULFA chief Paresh Baruah to refrain from making any such remark in the future. The ULFA is fighting for sovereign Asom. We simply do not agree to it. '' The Army in lower Asom arrested five militants, three of them belonging to ULFA. They also recovered huge quantity of arms and ammuntion from Kokrajhar area. The Army sources said three arrested ULFA militants were picked up from Kajalgaon under Chirang district and from two US-made revolver were recovered.

Further, another two Adivasi Cobra militants were arrested from Teripur under Kachugaon police station of Kokrajhar district. The Army recovered one AK 56 assault rifle, two magazine, 30 rounds of ammunition, two SBBL and 40 ammunition from them.

Suspected Bodo militants today set on fire a coal-laden truck on National Highway near Chirang.

The last warning came in the wake of a massive offensive launched by the Army against the group after it gunned down 70 migrant workers, a majority of them Hindi-speaking people from Bihar.

ULFA appealed to Assamese people not to cooperate with security forces in their operations. The warning to Hindi-speaking people came two days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured the migrants, during a visit to the state, that they would be given adequate protection.

EDS: Please pick suitably from earlier series.

UNI