ULFA ideologue shifted to Guwahati jail

GUWAHATI - The Assam government Sunday transferred the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom’ (ULFA) political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain to the Guwahati Central Jail in an attempt to get all the top jailed rebel leadership of the outfit to meet inside prison to chart out a roadmap for peace talks.

Buragohain, 70, popularly called “Mama” (uncle) by the ULFA leaders, was shifted to Guwahati from the Tezpur prison in Sonitpur district of northern Assam.

“We want them to meet and discuss in the jail,” Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.

Already lodged at the Guwahati central jail are seven top ULFA leaders - chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, vice-president Pradeep Gogoi, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, self-styled “foreign secretary” Sasha Choudhury, “finance secretary” Chitraban Hazarika, publicity chief Mithinga Daimary, and cultural secretary Pranati Deka.

“This is a bold and positive move by the government to shift ‘Mama’ to Guwahati jail to meet the other top ULFA leaders,” Lachit Bordoloi, a rights leader and member of the ULFA constituted People’s Consultative Group formed in 2005 to explore possibilities of peace talks.

Already there are indications that the government was going soft on the jailed ULFA leaders, particularly with regards to taking a stance during court proceedings.

In all likelihood, ULFA vice-chairman Pradeep Gogoi and publicty chief Mithinga Daimary are expected to get out on bail next week with the state government giving them enough opportunity by not opposing their bail pleas in court.

“The attitude of the government is positive in many ways…Bail pleas of Gogoi and Daimary were not opposed and one need to wait and watch the public prosecutor’s stand Feb 23 during the final hearing of their bail applications,” Bordoloi said.