They had same life, different missions!

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Why did a number of youths of the State take arms? While NLFB (National Liberation Front of Bengali) leader Kamal Pal alias Abhijit Das says that he and the likes of him had to float the outfit on December 31, 2011, for the safety and security of the Bengalis in Assam, NDFB (S) leader Evajin Narzary says that inadequate opportunities for the Bodos have made them run the outfit. ULFA(I) cadre Enuj Baruah alias Mrityunjay Asom, on the other hand, says that lack of job opportunities has led the likes of him to take arms.

Talking to The Sentinel after laying down arms on Thursday, ULFA-I cadre Enuj, hailing from Sadia, said, “I joined the ULFA in 2013. I did try for government jobs, including the defense service twice. I’m in the mainstream now for peace. I hope, the government will help us establish ourselves. Frustrated after not getting any government jobs, sometimes even after qualifying written tests, I had to join the outfit.”

ULFA-I cadre Depanjit Handique, hailing from Chabua, said, “I wanted something adventurous. I couldn’t distinguish what’s right and what’s wrong. I just went to Myanmar via Arunachal Pradesh where I had to spend some time in an NSCN-K camp. I had arms training there and joined the ULFA later. It was a quite new experience for me like getting up at 3 in the wee hours and keeping ourselves ready. It was a thrilling experience. It will take time, maybe some five/six years, to get myself established with a business.”

NDFB leader Evajin Narzary said, “There have been several agreements with Bodo organizations right from the BLT. There were BAC and now there’s BTC. However, the facilities which we got from the BAC and getting now from the BTC are not adequate for the Bodos living all throughout Assam, besides the four districts of the BTAD – Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa, and Chirang. The Bodos are a backward community. They shouldn’t have been backward. Their backwardness stemmed from a lack of political and other rights. Such a thought led me to join the NDFB(S). There is a rumour that all NDFB(S) cadres have laid down arms. However, that’s not the fact. There’s no cadre of our outfit in Myanmar now. Our cadres from Bhutan have already reached Assam today. Still, there are some in Nepal and a few other places.”

NLFB ‘commander-in-chief’ Kamal Paul alias Abhijit Das said, “We floated our outfit for the safety and security of the Bengalis. Now the government says that it will secure the Bengalis. We want the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) all over the country. What we want now are employment avenues for our surrendered cadres, a solution to the issue of doubtful voters, etc. We have been in touch with the government for five years. I thank IGP Hiren Nath for us to join the mainstream. The government has brought us with the promise of giving us job avenues. If the promises made are not fulfilled, we’ll have to think about going back to the jungle.”

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