Alert in Assam against ULFA's festive terror plot

With the anti-talks faction of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam regaining strength, security forces in Assam have been put on high alert to mount vigil against any attempt by the outfit to disrupt peace during the forthcoming festive season in the state.

A security source disclosed that the government had intelligence inputs about the anti-talks faction of the ULFA acquiring sophisticated arms and devices to strike terror in the state in order to make its presence felt.

It is suspected that a group of well-armed ULFA cadres have already sneaked into the state probably from the outfit's Myanmar base to carry out subversions during the coming festive season for the purpose of striking terror as well as to terrorise those who have defied the outfit's demands for money.

The ULFA had the history of disrupting peace during festival seasons around October in the state. The Assam government has intelligence input about the outfit gearing up its extortion drive both in eastern and western Assam areas to replenish its coffer as the fund flow to the outfit dried up after a larger section of its senior leaders led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa had agreed to hold talks with the government of India despite the strong opposition from Paresh Barua, the leader of the hawkish faction.

Barua is suspected to be taking refuge somewhere in Myanmar.

Vigil has been mounted along the inter-state border of Assam with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland to prevent the ULFA cadres from crossing over to the state from the thick forest areas of those bordering hill states.

The ULFA also uses Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland terrain as transit route to its base in Myanmar where it enjoys he patronage of Naga rebel group NSCN (Khaplang).