Recent attack by ULFA may impede the talk initiative

Aug 11: ULFA militants in yet another bloody attack killed 11 non-Assamese on late Friday night at Bokajan region of Assam. In this attack another dozen of people also got injured and this is certainly going to hamper the peace initiative that Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi wanted to take by having direct talks with ULFA.

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As per the report of the local police, a group of militants entered the home of two business men and killed 12 members of the family one by one including children. Within a week the militants have so far killed 25 civilians in a series of bloodiest attacks.

Since January of this year the rebels United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) had killed over hundred of Hindi-speaking people whom they accused of depriving the Assamese from a better life in their home land. The rebel outfit is continuously demanding for an independent state since 1979.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday while giving his speech in the assembly said that the government is ready to hold direct talks with leaders of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and this fresh effort will be put into motion with the release of five jailed leaders of ULFA.

This latest step of the government is to facilitate the peace process in the state that is now one of the worst terror-affected states in the country due to the continuous attacks from ULFA groups. However, by the recent attack the rebel unit wants to make their presence feel before the 60 th Independence Day that the country is going to celebrate.

Citing the current and fading security system in the state, the opposition party of the state Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had demanded to let go the five jailed leaders of ULFA as the government had promised to do so.

This is not the first time that the state government had extended a hand for talks but the government is not ready to consider any of the demands of the terrorist organisation especially the sovereignty of Assam.

However, ULFA though had dropped its previous demand for talks in the presence of a third party but later formed a group of representatives under the name of “People’s Conservative Group” to present their demands in front of the government. But if these kinds of attacks go on then government will certainly dwell upon some other radical alternatives to deal with these rebels which it has failed to do so far.