Curtail Bihu celebration:ULFA

Guwahati, Apr 7 (UNI) The outlawed ULFA today asked the people of Asom to restrain their celebrations in the coming Bihu festival.

In an e-mail sent to press on the outfit's 'raising day', ULFA 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa said in order to express solidarity with the fasting wives of the 'missing' ULFA cadres, the people of Asom should cut down their celebrations for the coming Bihu, the biggest festival of the state which starts on April 14.

''As many as six 'missing' ULFA cadres' wives have been on an indefinite fast since March 21 demanding a peaceful political solution to the ULFA problem, whereabouts of the cadres of the outfit missing since the 'Operation All Clear' in Bhutan in 2003 and release of the top jailed ULFA cadres. In order to express solidarity to the fasting women, the people of Asom should restrain their celebrations in the Bihu,'' the ULFA chairman said.

Mr Rajkhowa said 'nine PCPIA activists and cadres of the organization lodged in different jails across the state have also joined the agitation in support of the 'genuine demands' of the striking women. ''We appeal to the people to refrain from extravagant revelries and fun, and observe the festival in an abstemious way,'' he added.

The ULFA 'diktat' comes a day after nine activists of the People's Committee for Peace Initiative in Asom (PCPIA), a conglomerate of several pro-talks organizations, sat on an indefinite strike here.

Jailed ULFA cadres have also started resorting to agitation across different prisons in the state in support of the demand of the striking wives of the missing leaders to divulge the whereabouts of their husbands.

UNI