GUWAHATI: The escape of four top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) was a well-orchestrated operation between the militants in jail and their colleagues outside possibly with the connivance of jail officials.

A 25-meire rope was made by using bandages. Moon Ali once of the escapees a used this to scale the wall. The jailer was on leave. The warden under whose watchful eyes the dreaded militant Megha Phukan had escaped from Tezpur jail on June 14 last year was reportedly waiting to be tied and gagged by the militants. There was a routine load-shedding and under the cover of darkness the four Ultras could run away without being challenged by anybody. The jailer two assailant jailers and three wardens have been suspended.

The jailbreak is the sixth one involving ULFA cadres in the last two years and the first since the Congress Government came to power Exactly one year back on June 11, 1991. Mogher Phukar was allowed to escape through the main gate of Teepur jail where a blue motorcycle was waiting for her. Soon after ULFAs Dibrugarh District Committee Chairman Jugal Kishore Mahanto and commandant Saurav Gogolalong with three others fled from Dibrogarh jail on June 28 last year. Both of them are now front-ranking leaders in the pro-talks camp of ULFA.

The four who escaped Monoj Hajarika Moon Ali Aken Baishya and Dhrube Talukdar are the four persons whom the Government had refused to release in exchange for hostages. Monoj was arrested on Aug.22 last year in Meghalaya on his return from Bangladesh

A Kachin-trained activist with the rank of Lieutenant Monoj was involved in the murder of Congress leader Manabondra Sharma Monoj in fact accompanied ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and Foreign Secretary Prada Bora to Dhaka in April 1991.

Moon Ali who was arrested on December 31 was instrumental in enabling the army to capture the dreaded ULFA commander-in-chief Hirakjyou Mahanta along with his close associates Dhruba Talukdar and Aken Baishya. Jahunia was later killed under questionable circumstances. Moon Ali alias Imran Ali a neighbor of Monoj was accused of being an accomplice in Manabondra Sharmas murder.

Dhruba Talukdar was involved in the assassination of Dutta Bipul Mahanta and Shabnam.

Aken Baishya played a key role in kidnapping Guwahati Refinery General Manager H.K.L Das. What is intriguing is that all four leaders were not only staying in the same ward but were also allowed to move freely in the premises.

Meanwhile the Director General of Police told newspersons that the militants had not been recaptured but that all the inner-state and international borders were being watched.

The DGP said all the neighboring states had taken up additional security measures to nab the culprits.

There is widespread speculation that various ULFA factions are making attempts to eliminate leaders of rival groups. All the four leaders who escaped were close associates of Hirakjyoti Mahanta who was killed some months ago. Now there is a movement that Muhandra loyalists have threatened to avenge his murder by killing those leaders whom they consider responsible for his death. The four who escaped may be among these.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 26, 1992