After 4 decades of bloody insurgency, Ulfa disbands

GUWAHATI: Ulfa, the armed secessionist outfit that for most of its 44-year existence waged a violent campaign for an "independent Asom", consigned itself to the pages of history on Tuesday after a formal dissolution based on its tripartite peace deal with the Centre and the Assam government last Dec.
The outfit's last general council meeting offered an unconditional apology for what it said were "inadvertent mistakes" and other acts of "commission" by its cadre.
While the outfit that came into being in the courtyard of the Ahom-era Rang Ghar monument in upper Assam's Sivasagar on April 7, 1979, now officially stands disbanded, undivided Ulfa's commander-in-chief Paresh Barua continues to head the anti-talks Ulfa (Independent) faction.
Erstwhile Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia, who served a jail term in Bangladesh, said the decision to disband was ratified at a designated camp in central Assam's Mangaldoi in the presence of about 900 cadre from nine designated camps.
Chetia said the meeting also decided to form a new social organisation, Asom Vikash Mancha, with him as its chief convener. "This organisation will be a common platform for all willing ex-cadre to undertake various development schemes and become self-sufficient, besides contributing to social causes," he said.
The meeting appealed to the BJP-led state government to allot land parcels where the designated camps stood to ex-Ulfa cadre for agriculture. They will deposit arms and ammunition stored at these camps.
Besides Chetia, chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi, finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika, cultural secretary Pranati Deka Hazarika, foreign secretary Shasha Dhar Choudhury, publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Barua and working council Pranjit Saikia attended the last meeting.