Guwahati, Assam – The United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) has rejected a summon issued by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Guwahati, related to a grenade attack on an army camp last year.
In a statement, Ishan Asom, a leader of the group's public wing, asserted that the ULFA issue is a political conflict, not a law and order matter, and should be resolved through political dialogue.
"If the NIA also wants a solution, it should ask the government of India to have a discussion at the political levelon the issue of sovereignty of Assam," the statement read. "Instead of doing so, if such acts continue, our fights will continue and it will become stronger."
The NIA court had issued a public notice summoning ULFA-I military chief Paresh Baruah, senior leader Arunodoy Asom, and others for trial in the case related to the grenade attack in Tinsukia district last November. The attack resulted in no injuries, but the case was handed over to the NIA.
In May, the NIA filed chargesheets against Baruah and five others, accusing them of orchestrating the attack. The agency claimed the Myanmar-based group had planned a series of attacks on army camps.
The ULFA-I's rejection of the court summon comes amid efforts by the Assam government to bring the Baruah-led faction to the negotiating table. Formed in 1979 with the demand for an independent Assam, the ULFA has a history of violent insurgency.
While the ULFA faction led by Arabinda Rajkhowa signed a peace agreement with the government last December, Baruah remains steadfast in his demand for discussions on sovereignty, a demand repeatedly rejected by the government.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has identified ULFA-I as the only remaining obstacle to permanent peace in the state. Baruah and his associates are believed to be hiding along the China-Myanmar border.
