Shortly after Assam CM Sarma's appeal for peace talks, insurgent outfit ULFA (I) announces 'ceasefire'

New Delhi, May 17: The North Eastern insurgent outfit of the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent)that is banned, announced a unilateral ceasefire for three months on May 14 due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state of Assam. The ULFA(I) Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua in a public statement to media said that the ceasefire will come into effect immediately and the outfit will temporarily suspend from any operations during the three-month period.

 

The announcement comes after a few incidents that took place recently displaying the outfit's aggression. On Apr 21, three ONGC employees were kidnapped by suspected ULFA-I militants from its Lakwa oilfield in Assam's Sivasagar district along the Assam-Nagaland border. However, two of the kidnapped were freed later, whereas one of them is still missing. Prior to the ONGC abduction incident, the north-eastern insurgent group was also involved in the kidnapping of two employees of a Delhi-based oil exploration firm, but they were reported to be released both of them later.

 

 

Another recent incident that speaks of their violence, is the bombing incident that took place later last week where one person is reported to be killed and two others injured after two individuals on a motorcycle, that are assumed to be associated with the insurgent group, lobbed a grenade in front of a hardware store on Friday at Tingrai, that lies under Digboi police station. The incident was followed by the newly sworn-in Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma appealing the ULFA Commander Baruah to come forward for peace talks.

 

 

 

Barua in his open statement mentions that "We have taken a decision to suspend all operations for the next three months as the people are facing immense difficulties and suffering due to the pandemic." He also denied the outfit's involvement in the grenade blast at Tingrai on Friday which claimed the lives of one person and injured two others and said, "It is unfortunate that during such difficult times faced by the people in the state, a section of security forces are trying to malign the outfit", he alleged.

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