GUWAHATI: The Army is out once again in Assam with troops being asked to search for the body of the Soviet mining engineer Sergei Gritchenko who was killed by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) early this month
Though the state govt maintains that the primary objective of the Army is to locate the missing body of the slain foreigner it is widely believed that the Army has been geared up to launch a possible offensive against the militants.
That the govt wishes to play its cards close to its chest is evident by the fact that an official spokesman admitted to the land search being conducted by the Army for the Soviet national’s body only after the persistent queries from some journalists.
The state govt which appeared to have been pushed to the wall by ULFA after the chain of kidnappings and the killing of the Soviet engineer is now beginning to show signs of adopting a tough line against the militants.
In a perceptible departure from the liberal offer of a general amnesty the state govt is now determined to hold back at least 180 hardcore militants against whom there are serious charges. The chief minister Hiteswar Saikia has categorically stated that the govt will not accept ULFA’s demand for the release of all its members’ supporters and sympathizers in exchange for two of the eight hostages.
Saikia said he stood by his July 8 broadcast in which he had declared a general amnesty to all TADA detenues against whom there were no specific charges and an assurance to release other militants if ULFA freed all the hostages and came forward for talks.
DEADLINE EXTENDED: The govt seems to have succeeded in wresting the initiative from ULFA going by the outlawed outfit’s decision to extend the deadline for the release of all its jailed members by five days. ULFA had earlier threatened to kill two of the abducted ONGC executives T.S. Raju and Kishan Pal unless all its jailed cadres were released by 6 p.m. July 26. But in a surprise development July 25 it extended the deadline till July 31.
The extension of the deadline has given rise to considerable speculation about the govt having established a channel of communication with the militants. Govt officials however have declined to comment on the matter.
OF the 13 prominent persons kidnapped by ULFA or July 1 four have so far been released in exchange for specified militants while the Soviet engineer was according to ULFA killed while trying to escape from captivity. The body of the Soviet national is yet to be found. A team of expert divers which had been searching for the body in the Bur Dihing River in Tinsukia district had packed up Saturday.
The eight persons still being held hostage by ULFA include a senior IAS officer. S .K- Tiwan and five O N G C executives.
According to Assam govt sources 287 ULFA militants are still in jail. Of the 700-odd detenues under TADA the govt has moved applications before designated courts for the release of 515 and 418 of them have already been released. Cases against those released have however not been withdrawn.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 2, 1991
