ULFA ‘sorry’ for deaths, claims responsibility

ULFA has claimed responsibility for the bomb blast in Assam’s Dhemaji district and blamed the state government for using children as a tool to achieve its political goals. In an e-mail statement on Monday, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said the outfit, along with five other militant outfits of the North-East, had appealed to the people to boycott the Independence Day celebrations and observe the day as a ‘Protest Day’. The ULFA chief expressed ‘‘deep sorrow’’ at the tragic death of the students and conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families. He also appealed to the people ‘‘not to misunderstand the ULFA’’.