Assam militant group agrees to surrender

The Assam government's continuing efforts to woo underground insurgent outfits to lay down arms is rewarded with another success with United Liberation Front of Barak Valley having about 300 cadres agreeing to surrender entirely before Independence Day, according to a police source.

The ULFBV is active in the southern Assam districts having borders with Bangladesh. The outfit has been involved in raiding government establishments in the interiors of South Assam, extortions and abductions for ransom. It has been taking advantage of inter-state boundary with Manipur and Mizoram besides the India-Bangladesh border to dodge the counter-insurgency operations by the police and Army in the South Assam areas.

In fact, the ULFBV has been observing truce for last couple of months even as its top leader Pachau Ram Reang has been talking with the intelligence branch of the Assam police.

As a culmination of parleys between the ULFBV chief and Assam Police intelligence branch, the outfit has agreed to lay down arms to help restore peace and normalcy.

The outfit has submitted a six-point charter of demands to Assam government as pre-condition for surrender. Its demands included rehabilitations of its cadres, jobs for eligible surrendered members in state police force, development of tribal pockets in interior South Assam areas.

The ULFBV is a militants group comprising mostly youths from Reang tribe that inhabits interior parts of South Assam districts especially along Assam-Mizoram boundary.