Mystery shrouds death of ULFA militant in encounter

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, April 28: In a conventiol shift of policies, the Assam Police is perhaps shifting to a renewed stand in the fight against insurgents and militant outfit. The new policy is perhaps to elimite militants and no more follow the surrender/rehabilitation and peace talk process against those militants. As a part of the new process, dreaded ULFA (I) cadre Rongmon Gogoi alias Mekuri was shot dead in the Talapathar area under Bordumsa Police station of Tinsukia district after what was described by police as a brief encounter with a joint team of police and army.

ULFA cadre Rongmon alias Mekuri, who was also known as Ravan, was the mastermind of the July 14 attack on Hindi-speaking people at Pengeri. He had later surrendered on July 30 before the police in Tinsukia and deposited a Chinese-made AK-81 rifle, two magazines, ammunition, grede along with army fatigue uniform and incrimiting documents and had later remained in police custody and surveillance. Even the ULFA (I) in a press release dispatched to leading news channels and newspapers signed by captain Arundoi Dohotia had categorically stated Rongmon to be under police custody and protection and termed the entire process as part of the ‘Create and Capture’ strategy of the Assam Police. However, the ULFA leader did not say that Rongmon was not a ULFA cadre. Top police sources had on Wednesday stated Rongmon to be a hardcore cadre of the Zebra Unit and on Thursday in a shift from the earlier statement informed about the surrender of the cadre twice in 2014 and 2015 and every time after release went back to join the ULFA.

But in between the development related to the encounter that took place in Talapathar under Bordumsa, the police maged to recover an identical AK 81 assault rifle that too light grey/green colour with Chinese marks that Rongmon had deposited while surrendering in 2015. Incidentally, the Assam Police, especially the Tinsukia Police, failed to mention about the earlier deposited weapon. This disclosure has given a sharp twist to the claim of the Assam Police. Questions are being raised about the legitimacy of the encounter. Additiol questions doing rounds among jourlists and other police officials is whether Rongmon after surrendering had went back to join ULFA and again laid hands on a green coloured AK-81 rifle. If so where is the other? Apprehensions are rife that this is the same assault rifle that the ULFA cadre had deposited and questions are being asked as to how the rifle again landed with the cadre in yesterday’s shootout.

A top police officer on condition of anonymity informed, “The main focus point at this hour is to deliver. Recent developments like the mrup incident and in the other the banned ULFA threatening a BJP candidate from Margherita not to fight the State assembly elections, besides the large-scale extortion had forced the police to act and in growing public pressure there is no option but to deliver. Even the latest Pengeri incident leading to the death of more than 11 people had created opposition and pressure was building on the district administration. Nevertheless, the Assam Police are now ready to take on these elements creating mece in the me of liberation and freedom struggle.”