GUWAHATI: While Operation Rhino (launched to contain ULFA militants), recently completed one year, Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, has little to show for it, except for a split in the secessionist outfit.

Instead, Saikia had to admit recently, that the militants had returned, with a many cases of extortion and kidnapping reported from different districts, especially in upper and central Assam, Saikia came to power on June 30,1991, and by the time he completed 11 weeks in office, at least 166 persons had lost their lives, 152 had been kidnapped, 12 gunned down and whereabouts of another 28 were not known,

The Amy was called out on Sept.14-15,1991. ‘Operation Rhino’ was launched, and several hundred ULFA activists were rounded up.

Since then the Army has continued to operate, apart from a brief break of 10 weeks (from mid January 1992).

An official report on ‘Operation Rhino’, released recently, states that altogether 42 ULFA activists were killed by the Army during the past year. Another 234 militants were apprehended, including 54 hard-core ones.

Saikia who claimed a coup by managing to take ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia and vice chairman Pradip Gogoi with him, for a dialogue with the Prime Minister at New Delhi on January 12, soon found himself deceived by the ultras, when the two managed to escape to Bangladesh to join ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and commander-in chief Paresh Barua.

Since then, it is known that the ULFA is divided into two factions pro-talk and anti-talk. Most members of the pro-talk faction led by former ULFA Bangladesh secretary Munim Nobis and former central spokesman Siddhartha Phukan, have settled down to business in Guwahati.

Members of the anti-talk faction are still trying to evade the security dragnet and about 20 of their leaders have taken refuge in Bangladesh.

Saikia has, in the meantime, come out with a detailed break-up of the militants who have surrendered since he managed to engineer a split in the militant organization in March this year.

His efforts no doubt have rendered the militants weak, with a large number of well-known hardcore militants including several top functionaries surrendering, but the ULFA’s power has apparently not diminished.

The break-up provided by Saikia showed that maximum number of youth surrendered in the upper Assam districts (out of a total of 3139, 416 were from Dibrugarh, 248 from Sibsagar, 444 from Nagaon 246 from insukia, 302 from Golaghat and 140 from Jorhat).

The Chief Minister, who is understood to have a good relationship with the faction supporting negotiations, is optimistic about a settlement of the ULFA issue though no clear-cut policy has been spelt out by his government so far. Even the pro-talk ULFA leaders are not clear about the nature of the ‘problem’ and the probable solution.

Saikia’s repeated reference to talks with the militants has also not worked out so far, though he expressed how that the representatives of this action would soon constitute a State-level body which would also be authorized to “negotiate” with the Government.

This new body would be constituted by a militant who had surrendered, Saikia recently revealed.

Cases of extortion have come to the notice of the Government, especially in the upper Assam districts and in Nagaon district in central Assam, the Chief Minister himself recently admitted, that ULFA militants had gunned down a police sub-inspector at Borholla in Jorhat district last fortnight.

In Darrang, clashes broke out between the two ULFA factions after members of the pro-talk group allegedly helped the Army to arrest a prominent ant-talk leader, following which three youths were murdered in the most gruesome manner, with their hands, feet, and tongues chopped off,

In Jorhat, police is understandably having a difficult time in booking pro-talk ULFA members involved in extortion and other crimes due to political interference. The best summary of the situation however can be drawn from a recent statement (attributed to official sources) that the Assam Government had sought an additional 66 companies of paramilitary forces to counter the growing insurgency in different parts of the State (at present Assam has only 54 companies of paramilitary forces).

Assam’s problems have grown over the months, with National Socialist Council of Nagaland cadres spilling over to this State, Hamar rebels from Mizoram have also stepped up their activities in the districts of Assam.

Union Home Minister S.B.Chavan, in the course of his recent visit to Shillong, reportedly assured Saikia, that some additional forces would be sent. The Assam Government is understandably worried over the fact.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992