ULFA-I makes ‘structural changes’ amid speculation of peace dialogue
Amid speculation on possible peace talks, the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-independent (ULFA-I) on Sunday announced ‘structural changes’ in the outfit.
According to a statement issued by the militant outfit (which HT has seen) to editors of media organisations, three new councils have been formed with vice-chairman and commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah heading the supreme council. There would be no change in the military wing of the outfit.
“With effect from September 4, while the military wing of ULFA-I would remain as before, the outfit’s central working council has unanimously
GUWAHATI:
decided to temporarily suspend the constitutional infrastructure and carry out the mentioned structural change,” the brief statement issued by ‘brigadier’ Arunudoy Asom read.
There was no mention of what prompted the outfit to make the changes. ULFA-I used to have a military as well as a political wing. There’s no clarity yet on what will be the status of the political wing after creation of the new councils.
Besides self-styled general Baruah, two others---self-styled lieutenant general Michael Asom and self-styled major general Nayan Asom are other members of the supreme council. Michael Asom aka Joy Chandra Das was appointed in November last year as deputy c-in-c of the outfit following the surrender of Drishti Rajkhowa, second in command to Baruah, in Meghalaya after a gun battle with security forces.
The outfit’s new high council, which has four members, will be headed by Nayan Asom. It will have three other members with rank of self-styled brigadiers. Nayan Asom would also be the chief of lower council that would have a total of 13 members.