Will apologize only if ULFA-1 stops bloodshed, say Hindi-speakers

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 18: The Purbottar Hindustani Yuvak Samaj (PHYS), the apex socio-cultural organization of Hindi-speaking people living in Assam, condemned the killing of two people at Pengere in Tinsukia district and a student at Tihu recently. The student was killed in a firing by a CRPF jawan at Tihu. The Samaj also condemned the statement made by ULFA president Paresh Baruah justifying extortion from people who have been staying in the State permanently.

"The ULFA has gained nothing by killing the innocent people of one community in the past decades. Hindi-speaking people are indispensable organ of the greater Assamese society, and they are receiving their education in Assamese medium and promoting Assamese culture and tradition. However, the banned organization is trying its best to destroy the social fabric on the basis of caste, creed, language and religion," PHYS vice president Tilkeswar Jha said, and added: "In the aftermath of the ghastly incident in Tinsukia some youth made some provocative statements out of anger, but is not the official statement of the entire Hindi-speaking people of the State. For that the entire Hindi-speaking people cannot be made responsible. As far as the apology is concerned, we're ready to do so on one condition that they would stop the bloodshed of innocent people and work for peace and development of Assam and Assamese."

Jha further said: "The ULFA-1 blames us to be outsiders...and exploiting the tural resources of Assam. We refute the charge. Why do they forget the contribution of Hindi-speaking people in the development of Assam? One can't raise question over our love towards Assam, our motherland. We're peace-loving and hard-working people by ture, and condemn every type of violence."

The Samaj also requested the ULFA-1 to shun violence and solve the problem through talks.