MARIANI (JORHAT), August 13: Three weeks after the first batch of 51 ULFA rebels laid down their arms at Thakurbari in Northern Assam, a second batch of 133 ULFA militants in addition to seven belonging to the two Bodo groups surrendered to the authorities here today, with the government announcing that they would be absorbed in the central para-military forces.The much-talked about surrender, which the Army as well as the state government preferred to describe as a ``rehabilitation ceremony'' took place at the 2 mountain artillery brigade head-quarters here, about 20 kms from the district town of Jorhat in upper Assam.While the 140 youths including one woman cadre of the ULFA read out in chorus a prepared oath owing allegiance to the country and giving up the path of violence, Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta announced that the Centre had already sanctioned 150 posts for these youths in the CRPF and the BSF.Mahanta also said that his government yesterday received a draft of the rehabilitationpackage for those militants who were willing to give up violence, and that absorbing the youths in the central forces outside the state was one important proposal in it. ``The main reason behind youths joining the rebel groups is unemployment, and I have asked the Centre to create jobs for them,'' Mahanta told The Indian Express separately.While the bulk of the 140 youths were from the ULFA's Jorhat, Sibsagar, Golaghat, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia units (133 of them all including a girl), six were from the Bodoland Liberation Tigers and one from the National Democratic Front of Bodoland.Lt Gen N C Vij, commander of the Army's four corps revealed that the security forces were trying to ``separate the head from the body'' in the rebel groups. ``Once the majority of lower level cadres give up the path of violence, nothing would be left for the top leaders to lead,'' he said.
