Patil on NE tour, 57 rebels turn in

He will be arriving in Guwahati tomorrow, where he will attend a meeting of all the chief ministers of the region and review the insurgency and infiltration problems. Patil will also attend a tripartite meeting of Union Government officials, Assam government and the All Assam Students’ Union to assess the implementation of the 20-year old Assam Accord.

Patil’s visit assumes more significance in the backdrop of the ULFA triggering off two explosions at the Republic Day parade ground last week. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang is also expected to raise the issue of the ULFA setting up some camps inside his state.

Apang has already informed his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi about the ULFA’s increased presence in the state after the Royal Bhutan Army flushed them out from Bhutan in December 2003.

Meanwhile, Lt Gen Anup Singh Jamwal, GOC of Four Corps, which is entrusted with the task of tackling insurgency in Assam, today said that though the ULFA’s strength had considerably reduced over the years, it had changed its modus operandi, and was now using hired persons to plant or lob bombs and grenades.

‘‘The ULFA’s strength has come down to about 700 after a large number of men surrendered following the Bhutan flush-out. But it has also changed its strategy to attack soft targets through overground supporters and hired persons,’’ said Jamwal at the surrender ceremony at the Rangiya army base today.

Assam IGP (Special Branch) Khagen Sharma on the other hand said over 7,000 militants had surrendered in Assam since 1998. ‘‘The present set of ULFA cadres are mostly trained outside and get expertise from there to hit at soft targets,’’ he said.