Loss of men, money prompting ULFA strikes

The lieutenant, Digvijay Singh Panwar, along with a jawan and a driver were killed and three others critically injured when ULFA militants exploded a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) under a culvert in Nalbari town around 8 pm as their vehicle passed over it.

Col J S Katariya of the 21 Mountain Division which is in charge of counter-insurgency operations in Nalbari and other lower Assam districts told The Indian Express today that the ULFA was “getting desperate”following the arrests and deaths of several of its district-level activists.

Two months ago, the Army had arrested seven ULFA leaders and killed two others in a major raid at Adabari in the district, Katariya said, adding security forces had “broken the back of the group” in Nalbari, which prompted it to strike back in desperation.

Police sources at Nalbari too made similar claims, saying that though a number of ULFA activists hailed from the district, counter-insurgency operations had made them run for their money.

“Extortion has become difficult, which has led to choking of the ULFA’s fund flow. They are now trying to attack security forces to make their presence felt,” a senior police official of the district claimed.

The porous Indo-Bhutan international border, which is also Nalbari’s northern boundary, has however made operations difficult for the security forces with both the Army and the police admitting that this was a “major hurdle”.

About 1000 ULFA militants are still holed up incamps in the Bhutan jungles north of Nalbari, and are believed to be in contact with their cadres in the district.

Inside the district, the militants are said to be active, though in small groups of five to six each.

Describing last night’s incident, Colonel Katariya said that though the blast took place in the heart of the town, the Army did not retaliate for fear of causing damage including loss of life to civilians.

“The ULFA wanted us to retaliate so that they could raise a hue and cry about the death of civilians and make it a human rights violation case,” Katariya said.