The
Terrorist and Disruptive Activities
(PREVENTION) ACT, 1987 (TADA) designated
Court in Guwahati on May 24 acquitted
United Liberation Front of Asom
(ULFA)
‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa giving
him the benefit of the doubt in
the Surrendra Paul murder case,
reports The Telegraph. Three
other accused, Pradip Gogoi, the
ULFA ‘vice-chairman’ who was arrested
in Calcutta in 1998, Saurav Gogoi,
and the outfit’s commander in Dibrugarh
and Tinsukia, and Jugal Kishore
Mahanta, its president in the two
Districts, were the three acquitted
earlier. The two remaining accused
are yet to be cleared of the murder
charge are — unsplit ULFA’s ‘commander-in-chief’
Paresh Barua and ‘general secretary’
Golap Barua alias Anup Chetia.
Suspected ULFA militants killed
Surrendra Paul, brother of United
Kingdom (UK)-based businessperson
Swaraj Paul, on April 9, 1990, at
Laipuli in Tinsukia District. "We
do not indulge in criminal activities.
Ours is a political movement,"
Arabinda Rajkhowa following the
acquittal said.
Meanwhile,
Security Forces (SFs) are in a state
of high alert to prevent any disruptive
attempt made by Anti-Talks faction
of ULFA (ULFA-ATF) militants on
the eve of the visit of Indian National
Congress (INC) President Sonia Gandhi
to the State on May 26, reports
The Assam Tribune. The news
report quoting highly placed security
sources states that senior leaders
of the ULFA-ATF have issued instructions
to the cadres on the ground to target
INC offices wherever possible.
Meanwhile,
surrendered ULFA (SULFA) activists,
Dhubri District is going to organize
a meeting on May 30 at Dhubri District
Library in order to discuss about
their problems, reports The Sentinel.
The secretary of the surrendered
militants, Amir Chand Mondal, in
a press statement said that the
SULFA cadres have been passing their
days in great difficulties because
of economic hardship and price rise. |
