ULFA men strike pre-poll terror

CPIM-L candidate Anil Kumar Baruah, 56, was shot dead at close range and two party activists injured when assailants opened fire at the politicianwhile he was campaigning at Nahoroni village near Nahorkotiya town, 70 km from Dibrugarh, at 2.45 pm today.

The two injured women 8211; Anju Barkatoki and Kanak Lata Dutta, CPIM-L Jorhat district unit secretary 8211; were rushed to hospital.

Eyewitnesses said the two suspected ULFA militants came on foot and after killing Baruah, escaped immediately. No arrests have been made so far.

Top police and Army personnel launched a combing operation after the attack.

District Commissioner M S Rao said that election will not be countermanded in the constituency as the CPIM-L was not a 8220;recognised8221; party. While the identity of the assailants is not yet confirmed, Rao said they were 8220;suspected ULFA men8221;.

Allaying fears, Chief Secretary V S Jafa said: 8220;The situation in Assam is not grim. It is as bad as anywhere else. This is pre-poll violence.

Additional forces are coming and we are determined to hold the elections.8221;Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam, on the south bank of the Brahmaputra, is an ULFAstronghold. Two top ULFA leaders, Paresh Baruah commander-in-chief and Anup Chetia chairman, are from Dibrugarh8217;s Jaraigaon village.

On February 9, Baruah, a central committee member and secretary CPI M-L, Assam state committee, had criticised the ULFA8217;s election boycott call.8220;He had been openly criticising the ULFA for its poll boycott call and attempts to disrupt the elections in the state. His party too has been issuing statements condemning the ULFA8217;s demand for secession,8221; an official said. Police said Baruah had been provided security but he had refused it.

Baruah was a professor at the Tinsukia college. He had contested the 1991 Lok Sabha elections on the Indian People8217;s Front ticket and in the 1996 election, he was the CPIM-L candidate. He lost both the elections.

Dibrugarh has been a Congress stronghold because of the vote bank of the tea garden labourers and has 1,071 polling stations with an average of 785 voters per polling station.

Attacks on party offices by ULFA are becomingroutine as the polling date draws near.

On February 9, huge quantity of ammunition a high-power grenade, 200 rounds of M-20 pistol ammunition, 370 detonators, eight LMG magazines, one SLR magazine, 60 bullets of 9 mm pistol and eight magazines of 303 rifles 8212; were recovered from Golaghat. On February 7, the ULFA abducted 11 AGP activists and killed a police official. An AGP worker was also shot at.

Earlier the army foiled an attempt on the Chief Minister8217;s wife, Dr Jayashree Mahanta, who is the AGP8217;s candidate for the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.

The Assam government has asked the Centre for additional 609 companies. While the request has been accepted, the deployment of forces will be far below the requirement. 8220;We cannot get the desired level of force because it is not feasible,8221; Jafa said.

Meanwhile, the Assam Government has announced that the family of any person on poll duty will be compensated by Rs 5 lakh if the person is killed by a firearm, lethal weapon or a bomb. And anyone disabledor injured will be compensated with Rs 2 lakh and Rs 25,000 respectively. This announcement follows protests by government servants who have been asked to proceed on poll duties in sensitive areas.

Assam has been in the grip of the terrorist organisation for over a decade and the situation seems to be getting worse day by day.