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ULFA 'defunct', says army

The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom had now become ''defunct'' and a large number of its activists were eager to surrender, according to Lt General N C Vij, general officer commanding four corps.

He told newspersons at Kokrajhar yesterday that as the Centre had not yet announced a package for the rehabilitation of surrendered ULFA activists, but was expected to announce one soon.

Among the ULFA activists who surrendered earlier, 20 had been recruited by the Central Reserve Police Force and some others by the Border Security Force. After training, they are to be posted outside the state, he said. However, some surrendered activists were unwilling to join the armed forces, preferring to work in the civil services, the general added.

He said that like the ULFA, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland too had also comparatively lost clout. The Bodoland Liberation Tigers and the Bengali Tiger Force were also less active than the NDFB. The general said the Santhals were also training for battle and that it could pose another problem in time.

Meanwhile, at least three policemen were killed and one was seriously injured when suspected Bodo militants attacked the Mouzabari police post in Bongaigaon district yesterday. The police said more than a dozen armed militants opened fire at the post, in an attempt to loot the arms there.

The policemen provided stiff resistance, losing three of their number on the spot, while another was seriously injured. He was later admitted to the Guwahati medical college.

The police suspected some Bodo militants were also injured in the battle as they had also found blood stains at the spot. Senior police officials have rushed to the area.

This is the second attack by Bodo extremists on the police this week. Last Monday, extremists attacked the Massalpur police station in Nalbari district and looted three carbines, eight .303 rifles and 140 rounds of ammunition.

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