Asom: ULFA reiterates its sovereignty demand

Guwahati, Jul 27: The outlawed ULFA today reiterated its sovereignty demand even as the Assam Public Works (APW) came down heavily on the outfit for killing of the civilians.

In a statement on the occasion of the outfit's self-proclaimed "martyrs' day", chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said, " Sovereignty is the birth right of the people of Assam, and the outfit would go ahead to achieve it. " Castigating the Army for the alleged "custodial killings", Rajkhowa alleged that international laws were being violated by denying the fundamental rights to the people of Assam.

Raking up the boundary dispute, the ULFA said, " The government has been intentionally keeping the problem alive. " Meanwhile, coinciding with the ULFA's "martyrs' day", around 40 representatives of the victims of ULFA-sponsored violence took part in a sit-in-demonstration today in Tinsukia, organised by the APW, protesting the killings of the civilians by the outfit.

Going hammer and tongs at the ULFA's observation of "martyrs' day", APW director Abhijeet Sarma said the outfit's armed struggle had only brought in agony to the state.

" The anti-national outfit has carried out senseless killing of innocent civilians since its birth, and it claims to be a revolutionary organisation. ULFA is a black spot for Assam, " he said.

Blasting the ULFA leadership as being "eccentric and selfish", Mr Sarma said, " The outfit had now transformed into a gang of thugs, operating under the ISI. " " We oppose the martyrs' day, which has been disapproved by the people of Assam, " he said.

The APW demanded the whereabouts of the civilians killed and abducted by the outfit so far, and urged the government to launch an offensive against the ULFA in Bhutan as well as Myanmar.

The business township of Tinsukia, where the APW had organised the campaign, had witnessed a series of bomb blasts over the past couple of months, the latest being on June 30 last when three persons were killed and 30 injured in two separate blasts.

Meanwhile, security arrangements had been beefed up in the state in view of the outfit's "martyrs' day".

Even though there had been no untoward incident so far, security forces had been keeping strong vigil in the vulnerable areas.

Frisking had been intensified and patrolling enhanced at various town across the state.

Security personnel in civil dresses had been deployed throughout the state to thwart any sabotage activity of the militants.

UNI