People of Assam have rejected ULFA: DGP Sarma

From our Correspondent

MANGALDAI, September 15: “The people of Assam have realized the origil ture and way of functioning of the ULFA and hence irrespective of caste, language and religion, people have lost faith in them and rejected the outlawed outfit which has now been confined to a very small group of frustrated militants,” said Assam Director General of Police Khagen Sarma while talking to media persons at Police Guest House in Mangaldai on Tuesday afternoon.

In his first official day-long visit to Darrang district since taking over as the chief of the State Police, Khagen Sarma earlier attended a high-level meeting with the Superintendent of Police of Darrang, Sunil Kumar,  Bir Bikram Gogoi of Udalguri and Mazibar Rahman of Baska district. Additiol DGP (SB) Pallab Bhattacharyya, ADGP (Law & Order) RM Singh, DIG of Northern Range Shubhra Jyoti Hazarika, Superintendent of Police (Operation) Dr. Dhanjay P Ghawat also took part in this high-level meeting. Darrang Depuity Commissioner Manoj Kumar too attended the meeting.

This meeting has been termed as much of significance following the observation of the 27th Martyrs Day of NDFB (Ranjan Daimary) at Soi Khowrang village, 8 km to the north from Udalguri district along the Indo-Bhutan border on Monday.

On being asked about the total failure of the police intelligence during the group clash of 2008 as the intelligence sleuths miserably failed to gather advance information on the group clash, DGP denied it and firmly said that only due to the police intelligence the overall situation in some crucial moments remained normal in both the districts of Udalguri and Darrang. Speaking about the activities of the ULFA cadres in Darrang and Udalguri, he said that only three ULFA cadres mely Rajen Deka, Bikram Bora alias Dipak and Ramesh Deka were functioning but instead of taking part in any major operation, the three were hiding in some remote areas.

“We are hopeful of their early arrest as the villagers are no longer interested to provide them shelter,” DGP Sarma added. Admitting the movement of a section of fundamentalist forces in Darrang district, he assured that police would be able to book them on time. On being asked about the poor infrastructure available for the men in khaki in the ground level and shortage of officers in the State Police, he further said that already the process for recruitment to strengthen the force had been taken in hand while the required infrastructure would be arranged shortly.

The visiting DGP seemed to be little bit embarrassed as the media persons raised the issue of the transfer of the Additiol Superintendent of Police (Border) that too on deputation from the sensitive district of Darrang to the Chief Minister’s Security Cell, leaving this post vacant. However, he assured that the post would be filled up within a short period.