ULFA faces heat from security forces

The police and the army have intensified anti-insurgency operation in Assam in the run up to the forthcoming 33rd National Games putting the banned United Liberation Front of Asom ultras on the back foot for the time being.

The National Games are slated to held in Guwahati in February under the shadow of threat from the banned ULFA that had called for boycott of the event by sportspersons for their own safety.

The state chief minister and president of Assam Olympic Association, Tarun Gogoi recently gave full assurance to the top brass of Indian Olympic Association to ensure full security.

The state government has exuded confidence to organise the games sans any hitch in the city despite the threat from the ULFA to disrupt it. The security forces and the police have intensified operation against the militants to prevent them from sneaking into the state's capital city where the games will be held.

Suspected ULFA militants have triggered a series of explosions in the city since early November and sevaral innocents perished in those attacks.

The full-scale search operation launched by the police and security forces in the wake of the explosions carried out by the militant group in the state including capital city, has paid dividends as several senior leaders of the ULFA walked into the trap laid by the police in different parts of the state and neighbouring Meghalaya.

It was a boost for police efforts and a major setback for the ULFA when the 'commander of the outfit's 27th battalion Ananta Kakoti alias Pallab Saikia was arrested from Shillong by joint team of Assam and Meghalaya Police on December 19, 2005. His wife Mamoni alias Kusum Dihingia, daughter Eureka (eight-years-old), brother and three others were also arrested with him.

On December 23 2005,  'sergeant major' of the 28th battalion of the ULFA, Bishnu Bora alias Samiran Barua, Numal Chetia alias Kailash Changmai alias Samar Basumatary alias Basu and his wife Bonti Gogoi alias Bobby Chetia alias Sikha were trapped by police while they were traveling from Guwahati to Tingkhang in a Santro car. 

All three are suspected to have planned the recent blasts in Guwahati and Upper Assam.

A senior member of the 'Enigma B' group of the ULFA, Baby Chetia, was arrested near Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. She was believed to be the most powerful woman leader of the outfit after the outfit's 'cultural secretary' Pronoti Deka who is now in jail. The police was keeping a tab on her movement for sometime of late. She had gone to meet some jailed leaders of the outfit where were brought to the hospital for routine check-up.

Self-styled 'corporal' Karabi Phukan alias Bandita Phukan was arrested by Sonari police on December 26, 2005 from a bus at Teok Ghat while she was on her way from Namrup to Sonari. She was suspected to be involved in the recent blasts in Sivasagar district and carrying out extortion drives for the ULFA in the oil rich Upper Assam district.

The self-styled commander-in-chief of the outfit's armed women wing, Seema Bora alias Protima Buragohain was arrested by the police from Narayanpur in Rupahipam under Demow police station of Sivasagar district on Wednesday. She was a very senior leader who joined ULFA in 1990.

Three other ULFA cadres were arrested by the army from a hotel Ranjit at Gossaingaon in Kokrajhar district on Wednesday. The ULFA ultras identified as Sumiram Rabha, Budhadev Rabha and Rupa Rabha were in the company of three suspected members of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, the Bodo tribal militant group that is in truce with the government of India.

The NDFB cadres were identified as Sagar Basumatary, Chintu Mushahari and Sumi Ram Rabha. The army claimed to have recovered brown sugar worth Rs 1.30 crore from the possession of the ultras.