Army terms pro-ULFA agitation as 'gimmick'

Guwahati, Apr 20 (UNI) The Army today termed the indefinite fast undertaken by the ''missing'' ULFA cadres' wives as a ''mere gimmick''.

''The agitation is a stratagem to divert the attention of the common man from the main cause, but the gimmick has failed to draw any sympathy,'' General-Officer-Commanding (GOC) of the Tezpur-based 4 Corps, Lt Gen RK Chhabra told a press conference here.

Six women, all wives of 'missing' ULFA cadres, have been on an indefinite hunger strike since March 21, demanding the whereabouts of their husbands, who had remained untraceable since the Royal Bhutan Army launched 'Operation All Clear' against the ULFA on its soil in December, 2003.

The fasting women have been admitted to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, where doctors say their condition was deteriorating.

Referring to a press statement issued by the ULFA yesterday, Gen Chhabra said the ULFA stated that the media was not giving due coverage to the fasting women. ''That shows that their strategy to attract the people's sympathy has failed,'' he said.

'Now that the ULFA has suffered a series of vitals setbacks, it is trying to garner support in the state and elsewhere. The outfit is doing this to divert the attention of the people from the violence and extortion it has been carrying out,'' Gen Chhabra added.

When specifically asked about the humanitarian case built by the pro-ULFA agitation, Gen Chabbra quipped, ''Now you are speaking about five wives whose husbands are untraced, but what about those four scores of people who have lost their kins in upper Asom in January in the ULFA-sponsored mayhem.'' The GOC, however, quickly went on to add that the matter related to the 'missing' ULFA cadres was subjudice, and it would not be appropriate to comment on it.

In a hearing related to a pending litigation filed by Shyamoli Gogoi, wife of 'missing' ULFA cadre Prakash Gogoi, seeking the whereabouts of her husband, the Gauhati High Court had asked the state government and the Centre to submit their respective affidavits.

While the state government submitted its affidavit on April 12, the Centre had sought more time to file its affidavit. The Centre was granted time until May 2.

UNI