Fundamentalist control growing over ULFA

Guwahati, June 27 (UNI) The increasing control of fundamentalists over the ULFA was becoming more apparent in the wake of sharp denials by the outfit of their involvement in blasts in the state that targeted minority-dominated areas.

Though police confirmed ULFA hand behind two such blasts this month, the outfit had issued statements denying its involvement, which is being viewed as its tactic to please their ''Bangladeshi masters''.

With Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi himself pointing to the ULFA leaders' endeavours to appease its ''masters'' in Bangladesh whenever minority community people were killed in insurgency strikes, the ULFA's lack of independent agenda had become clearer. As many as six people were killed in a powerful IED blast in Guwahati on June 23 and another two were killed in a blast at Hajo, 50 km from here, on June 13.

Both the sites of blast were Minority-dominated and most of those killed and injured belonged to the minority community.

When police raised an accusing finger at the ULFA, the outfit was prompt at retorting that it was not linked with either of the blasts. While the denial came a day later on June 14 in case of the Hajo blast, it arrived the very same evening in case of the Guwahati blast.

However, few in the ULFA ranks were ostensibly against supporting ''Bangladeshi cause''. This was brought to the fore when ''commander'' of the ''28th battalion'' of the ULFA Prabal Neog, in a telephonic statement to local media, set a deadline for the illegal Bangladeshis to leave the state within a month.

Significantly, ULFA ''chairman'' Arabinda Rajkhowa was said to have denied any such deadline issued by the outfit in a separate statement. The deadline was followed by a powerful blast in the precincts of a mosque in the heart of Guwahati.

The Chief Minister, when asked if ULFA's denial of the Hajo blast was linked to its control at the hands of Bangladesh, had said, '' The ULFA has to satisfy its masters in Bangladesh. The ULFA leadership is operating from Bangladesh, where they had built multi-million business. '' With its top functionaries stationed in a country known for its fundamentalist links, the growing influence of these groups over the functioning of the ULFA was there for all to see.

The ISI and other Islamic fundamentalist groups were suspected to be spreading their network in the state with the help of the ULFA.

The arrest of as many as 13 ISI agents from North Cachar district of the state on June 22 had proved the growing network of the fundamentalist groups.

The Army suspected that the agents, many hailing from Rajasthan, intended to establish links with the local militant outfits during their stay in the secluded hill district.

Not just the ISI, but other groups' members, including the Huji, were also active in the state, intelligence reports had stated earlier.

Moreover, the ULFA, in its denial of the recent two blasts, had stated that it did not target innocent civilians, which was in sharp contradiction to its recent attacks.

Mr Gogi had himself pointed to the change in tactics of the ULFA which now targeted civilian areas instead of its earlier ploy of attacking security forces.

The outfit issued no denial whenever it had struck at other civilian areas, including numerous blasts in Guwahati itself since January, which has raised doubts over the real intention of the denying the Hajo and Guwahati blasts.

On the other hand, an anti-ULFA organization, Asom Public Works is launching a campaign to expose the ULFA-jehadi connection.

UNI