01/22/2007: "NSCN (I-M) to probe killing Nagaland Post"

NSCN (I-M) to probe killing Nagaland Post
DIMAPUR, JAN 21 (NPN): In the wake of rising sentiments against the killing of two Konyak youths by the NSCN (I-M) on January 13 last at Kohima, the council of cabinet kilonsers, NSCN (I-M), at a meeting held Sunday resolved to endorse to its Keya (Defence) ministry to unearth the facts into the killing of the two youths.
Cabinet secretary, central secretariat, GPRN/NSCN (I-M) Vitoshe in a press release assured that necessary action would be initiated without "any reservations" against any Naga Army personnel if they were found "guilty."
While informing that the Kohima Town Command of the NSCN (I-M) had "executed two persons belonging to the Khaplang out-fit, namely Sgt. Maj. Ponjai Konyak and Pte. Phoba Konyak at Kohima," the release said "the Konyak Union and other NGOs refuted the identities of the victims and claimed them to be innocent civilians and not as rendered."
Requesting the public to bear with the GPRN "during the judicial process to deliver justice," the NSCN (I-M) also appealed all not to let "apprehensive elements of communalism take over our proper selves."
Iterating its stance for integrity, unity and oneness of the Naga family, the NSCN (I-M) said Nagas should not succumb to the adverse elements that were out to "incite divisionism within the Nagas, but defeat its forces in the spirit of our brotherhood."
Pointing out NSCN (I-M) chairman Isak Chishi Swu's declaration of "reconciliation and forgiveness to one and all," the NSCN (I-M) urged all to "bury the past in the same spirit and to unitedly strive ahead against all odds until our aspired goals are achieved."
Konyaks caution NSCN-IM OUR CORRESPONDENT
Kohima, Jan. 20: After having distanced itself from the stranded peace process to protest the killings of two Konyak youths by suspected NSCN (I-M) militants, the tribal community shot off a letter to the NSCN (I-M) brass threatening it with “bitter consequences” if it failed to punish the guilty.
The NSCN (I-M) chairman Isak Chishi Swu and general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah could not wash their hands of the killings of several Konyak youth, the Konyak Union (KU) alleged. Some of the killings took place while the two top leaders were in Nagaland, the union added.
The Konyak Union came down heavily on the NSCN (I-M) leadership for unleashing terror on innocent civilians in the name of “freedom movement”.
Demanding that the cadre who killed the two Konyak youths Pongjei and Phopa on January 13 be handed over, the KU wanted to know if the killings were carried out with the consent of Swu and Muivah. Condemning the incident in the strongest terms, the union pointed out that more such killings were carried out by NSCN (I-M) cadre to terrorise the people.
The union said the peace-loving community had no enmity with any political organisation or faction. Distancing itself from any ideology, the union said it was against any form of terrorism.
The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation will observe a “black day” throughout the state after Republic Day. Earlier the KU said it would not be part of the ongoing peace process between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) as according to it the “peace process” had become “killing process” for them.
It termed the peace process as “farce”. The NSCN (I-M), however, still claims that the two youths killed were members of the rival Khaplang faction.
Kitovi expresses apology Nagaland Post
Dimapur, Jan 21 (NPN): The Ato Kilonser (prime minister) of GPRN/NSCN (K), N. Kitovi Zhimomi Sunday has apologized to fellow Nagas, particularly chief minister Neiphiu Rio and his family, for the "unethical acts", committed by his functionaries in the past in line of duty.
Kitovi said he tendered the apology "had my government functionaries while in disposition of duties in the past might have committed an unethical act or have applied the policies in any forms not in consonance with the slogan Nagaland for Christ".
The NSCN (K) Ato Kilonser said the "hazardous internecine trends that have developed during these decades of uprising have eventually entrenched the very socio-polity fabrics of the Nagas to the points of virtual extinction.
And the root cause is the vortex of factionalism in all spheres, which degrades the innate inter-personal chains of brotherhood.
However, it has to be passed off with defined reason argument".Kitovi expressed deep concern over the matter in his endeavour for the stability of "our nation comes out truly from the sanctity of my heart".
The NSCN (K) Ato Kilonser said, he had pledged to shoulder the task of ushering peace with solemn affirmation to "our peoples and to our motherland despite the belligerent challenges ahead".
He said to live peacefully was unfoundedly a "sensual thoughts of the corrupted mind which has been perfected into the perfect state of affairs".
In the light of the situation and with collective wisdom, Kitovi said "we must renew our aspects in all walks of life to integrate the restricted boundary to the zenith of rationale living".
President appoints new Governors for Chhattisgarh and Nagaland Daily India
New Delhi, Jan 19 (ANI): K. Sankaranarayan and E.S.L. Narasimhan have been appointed as the new Governors of Nagaland and Chhattisgarh respectively.

A statement released by the Rashtrapati Bhavan stated that Sankaranarayan would be assuming charge from January 27, the day when the incumbent Governor Shymal Dutta's term expires.

M.M. Jacob, Governor of Meghalaya, has been asked to discharge the functions of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, in addition to his own duties, since Arunachal Governor Shilendra Kumar Singh is going on a leave. (ANI)
Naga factions exchange fire Iboyaima Laithangbam The Hindu
NSCN (K) cadres held, weapons seized
IMPHAL: A tribal woman was seriously injured in an exchange of fire between the cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang faction) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) on Thursday evening. The Nagaland police have arrested six NSCN (K) cadres and seized sophisticated weapons.
Official reports said a jeepload of NSCN (I-M) cadres stalked a house where the NSCN (K) men were camping. There was heavy exchange of fire between the two groups during which the woman was hit by stray bullets. Later the NSCN (I-M) men fled. The police arrested six NSCN (K) cadres from the house.
Following the Army crackdown on the hideouts of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants in Assam, the Assam Rifles, guarding the Indo-Myanmar border, has stepped up vigilance. It is believed that the militants will try to flee through the international markets at Moreh (Manipur) and Namphalong (Myanmar).
Thousands of people are going to Namphalong every day to purchase foreign goods and visit tourist places. Insurgents, in the masquerade of tourists and small traders, have been moving along the international border.
The security forces have sealed off the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border also.
Major underground organisations, including the ULFA, have announced a boycott of Republic Day celebrations. They have called a general strike on that day to sabotage official functions.
Self-contradictory Ulfa The statesman
A news release issued on 18 January and dated 20 January by the United Liberation Front of Asom, parts of which have been carried in the media, portrays the true face of the organisation: duplicitous. In one part of the statement, which begins with a call to boycott the Republic Day celebrations on 26 January, as is its wont, with three other armed groups, Ulfa says that “it is a matter of regret that those who condemn Ulfa for attacking the Hindi-speaking people are dumb about the Kakpathar-Makum massacre and killing of Burhidihinh Muhung village and Mairabari”. Then it says that the Bihar Regiment killed five Ulfa cadres in early January and destroyed homes in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. This is the key: these blows to its cadres lie at the heart of its anger and frustration ~ that it has to hit back and in a way that grabs headlines and shows up the local government and even the Army as incompetent and bumbling.
It accuses the “Hindi-speaking people” of providing information to the government about Ulfa and asks them to “stay away during this conflicting (sic) period”. Because “rise of action can happen at any time”. It is unclear what Ulfa wanted to say by talking of “rise of action” but it could be either “rash of action” or “rise in activities”. But then, after accepting responsibility for the killings and then issuing a new threat and clenching the mailed fist of intimidation against the “Hindi-speakers”, Ulfa does a swift about turn two pages later. It says, in a section titled “There is no way other than struggle” that “Ulfa … believes in its aims and principles. It has never and will never entertain the dirty policy of acquiring its goal by gambling with the lives of innocent people”. And it blames Indian security forces for bombing in public places and as a result “people blame Ulfa for anything going wrong in India”. What are we to make of this contradictory position?
Will its spokesmen and supporters in the People’s Consultative Group please clarify? On the one hand, it says that it is responsible for the killings and threatens more unless the Hindi speakers leave. On the other, it says the State is responsible. Why can’t it be a bit more consistent because, in trying to wriggle itself out of the heat of public opinion, it is tying itself up in knots.

The reasons why
The Ulfa campaign was a furious reaction to the death of its cadres and the increasing pressure that security forces have placed on it in the three districts in Upper Assam which provide them with hideouts. But what is of concern to the public is the ruthlessness with which it has targeted the innocent with crude IEDs (improvised explosive devises) which can maim and kill in markets and public places. By conducting such explosions, Ulfa is again asserting its terrorist alignment; this approach cannot bring any peace to Assam nor can it revive support for their lost causes because there are not many takers for sovereignty any more. It makes the process of dialogue more difficult, a process that some of us continue to advocate despite the difficulties that exist. We believe that shutting the door on groups such as Ulfa will give them more rationale to step up their activities in which the poor and vulnerable will suffer the most and the counter-offensive by the State in which grievous “collateral” damage will be inflicted on the innocent.
Such approaches by anti-State armed groups will only play completely into the hands of the hawks in the Indian security establishment, who would rather seek to “crush” Ulfa by military means, which are offended by calls for dialogue because they believe this handicaps the armed forces determined to “wipe out” the group and also because this weakens, in their view, political resolve. Does Ulfa not see that its tactics are only harming not just its own cadres and supporters but also the state and the people whom it claims to fight for? Are its leaders so driven by anger and hatred that they cannot even understand this most obvious fact: that they are playing into the hands of the Indian establishment which will then hit back with fearsome power that will again destroy the ordinary persons’ lives and economy. No government can countenance such threats and intimidation and will only respond in the language that it knows: with striking power.
As far as the so-called Hindi-speakers concerned, apart from the seasonal migrants who come to work in brick kilns and construction sites across the North-east, and who were attacked as the easiest targets, there are many more lakhs who have been in Assam for decades. They have as much right to be there as any other ethnic group since this is a free country and people can migrate and settle anywhere, except where barred by special Constitutional provisions (‘outsiders’ cannot buy land in Jammu and Kashmir ~ Article 370 ~ and some parts of the North-east which are protected by the Sixth Schedule or Article 371 A of the Constitution).

Messrs Swu and Muivah: what now?
And all these incidents have taken the focus away from the two Naga leaders sitting quietly in their camp near Dimapur. Isak Chis Swu, chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, and his comrade in arms and general secretary, Th Muivah, have been there for weeks and unlike their earlier visits, this has been low-key and uncharacteristic.
Even the local media has not been covering their activities (or lack of them) with any zeal; there is a growing frustration, residents of Kohima and Dimapur say, with the non-progress of 10 years of talks with New Delhi and a realisation that the current leadership, however competent, has not been able to take the process beyond a particular point.
There have been no high-ranking meetings with the Indian establishment barring an unpublicised discussion between Mr Muivah and Mrs Sonia Gandhi, of which the details are not known.
The Government of India must not rejoice in the pressure that the I-M group is obviously under. Such an attitude will provoke hostile reactions which can aggravate an already difficult situation. But after 10 years of talks, where is this heading? Is it going anywhere at all?
It is time that the NSCN leadership of both factions travelled across Nagaland to assess the public mood instead of sitting in their camps, attacking one another and expecting everyone to come to them.
Or is it not safe enough for them to do so? That, in itself, and the need to rely on “Indian protection”, should indicate the extent of support for them.
KU seeks justification from NSCN-IM “Hand over culprits to the union” Morung Express News
Dimapur The Konyak Union, the apex body of the Konyak community has written to the Collective Leadership of the NSCN (IM) seeking justification for what it termed as “the serial killing” of innocent people from the Konyak community while pointing out that the killing of Late Pongjei and Late Phopa at Kohima on January 13 by NSCN (IM) cadres has “added salt to the old wounds”.
According to informed sources, the KU in a letter signed by its President Tingnyei Konyak and General Secretary Naowang Konyak has appealed to the Collective Leadership to clarify what it termed as “the deliberate killing of innocent Konyaks and hand over the culprits to the union”.
“If your authority fails to take immediate action on this matter, then the KU shall not be blamed for any unwanted situation outcome”, the representation addressed to the Collective Leadership reportedly states.
Condemning the brutal murder of innocent public in the strongest term, the KU in its representation pointed out that such inhuman act was a “mastermind of criminals with a view to terrorize the public”. In its address, the KU reportedly wanted to know whether such killings against the innocent Konyaks were being carried out with or without the consent of the collective leadership while reminding that besides the two youths killed in the recent past, several other innocent public from the community were killed by the NSCN (IM).
Making it clear that the Konyak community had no enmity towards any political organization or factional groups, the KU expressed concern that some of the killings had taken place in the presence of NSCN (IM) leaders, Isak Chishi Swu and Th Muivah in Nagaland and therefore the two could not escape from being witnesses to these criminal acts.
Telling the Collective Leadership that the Konyaks can no longer bear such ill-treatment and acts of targeting civilian’s lives in the name of the freedom movement, the KU demanded that unless the “culprits were brought into the light of justice”, it will not compromise.
Reminding that the Konyaks as a community did not have any involvement in factional fighting and that it had no “particular opinion on their different ideologies”, the KU asserted that it will stand strongly against acts of terrorism such as killing people, threatening people and creating havoc in our society in the name of freedom fighters.
India to urge Myanmar to crack down on rebels The Morung Express
GUWAHATI, Jan 19 (Reuters): India will urge Myanmar to help crack down on separatist rebels from the troubled northeast it says are hiding in camps across the border when its foreign minister visits the country later on Friday. Security officials say around 200 rebels from the state of Assam have fled into neighbouring Myanmar over the last week after India launched a military offensive against the insurgents. Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee will discuss the presence of the rebels of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) with Myanmar’s military junta, a ministry spokesman said. “I am sure that matters of regional security and the concerns regarding terrorism are likely to be discussed,” said Navtej Sarna, foreign ministry spokesman.
Mukherjee’s visit comes days after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he had urged Myanmar to crack down on ULFA, during a meeting with his counterpart Soe Win in Manila on the sidelines of the East Asia summit this week.
The Indian Express newspaper, quoting sources, said New Delhi believes there are 14 ULFA camps in Myanmar and will suggest joint operations on both sides of the border to flush out the rebels. India’s northeast, joined to the rest of the country by a thin strip of land, is home to dozens of tribes and ethnic groups, and several major separatist rebellions.
A rebel faction in Assam’s neighbouring state of Nagaland, which has numerous camps in northern Myanmar, has said it has given refuge to up to 1,500 ULFA militants. “The area in northern Myanmar is controlled by us and we, as a revolutionary organisation, help other rebel groups during crisis,” said Kughalu Mulatonu, a senior leader of National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang faction (NSCN-K).
Damning Report The Morung Express Editorial
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) under the able leadership of the current team headed by Phushika Aomi has done a great service to the people of Nagaland by undertaking a thorough study of the school system and focusing on the all important area of teachers’ strength in every school of Nagaland. There are no two opinions about the fact that the non-availability of teachers at various Government Schools particularly in far flung outpost is a serious issue deserving remedial measure. The problem is nothing new and the reason why this has continued for so many years is because of the failure of the concerned authorities to take the necessary action against the defaulters—most of whom having the necessary political backing to do as they please. Last year, students of a Government School in Mon district had complained about non-availability of teachers and had threatened to go on an agitation. Only then did the government move by issuing the appointment order of teachers to be posted for the school. And given that the NSF Committee has specifically pin-pointed and brought to the notice of everyone including the State government on the need for redeployment of teachers across the length and breadth of the State, hopefully the Chief Minister will have the moral responsibility to undertake a comprehensive review of the teacher-school ratio and correct the defect urgently before the start of the academic session.
The finding of the NSF Committee on Redeployment as such has come to the conclusion that State-wide redeployment of teachers is necessary to bring quality education in the State. The eight points listed in its findings and likewise presented to the State Government deserves top most attention of the Chief Minister. What the NSF has exposed by way of coming out with the findings shows a lot of discrepancy in terms of the total number of teachers and number of class rooms from district to district. In some cases, the difference comes to the tune of about 200 excess teachers in some districts, while some districts shows shortage of about 100 teachers. Further there are many single teacher schools in some of the districts. The NSF has also disclosed that some schools do not have the mandatory extracurricular teachers such as language teacher, P.E.T, knitting instructor, carpentry instructor and drawing teachers etc. while some schools have double or even triple of such extracurricular teachers. Also some schools have excess Graduate and Post Graduate teachers while some schools run with only Undergraduate teachers.
The most damning part of the NSF report is undoubtedly the disclosure that hundreds of teachers are attached to DISs, DEOs and Directorate of School Education without any workload. Nothing can be more deplorable than such gross negligence on the part of the authorities. It goes without saying that random transfer orders issued, sometimes unauthorized must be seriously looked into. External interference in teachers’ recruitment and transfers, including by politicians, should be stopped. Besides, a complete overhauling of recruitment policy must be undertaken so that the system is able to attract capable teachers who are both qualified and committed to their profession as opposed to the huge tribe of truant teachers who continue to draw their salaries without performing their duties. Likewise, it has to be ensured that teachers be recruited through competitive examinations and that monitoring and evaluation of schools should be carried out on a more regular basis. The State Government must act on the report submitted by the NSF and immediately rectify the situation at the earliest so that quality education becomes a reality for the thousands and thousands of children in Nagaland who are yet to get this benefit.
AASU for political solution to insurgency By A Staff Reporter Assam tribune
GUWAHATI, Jan 21 – The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) today said that the people of Asom are the lifelines of the students’ body and the Union is not controlled by any foreign power. In a release here, Sankar Prasad Roy and Tapan Kumar Gogoi, president and general secretary respectively of the AASU, said that the AASU would not spend any more time and energy in reacting to the “baseless remarks of the ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah.” They , however, said that though the AASU has nothing to do with the demand for sovereignty, it wanted a political solution to the problem of insurgency through talks between Government and the ULFA.

The AASU said that the AASU would continue to fight for a permanent solution to the problem of infiltration of foreigners to Asom. The AASU reiterated the allegation that the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is responsible for hatching the conspiracy to encourage infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals to Asom and the AASU would continue to oppose such a move.icial.

State development hit hard by violence By R Dutta Choudhury Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, Jan 21 – Acts of violence by the militant groups have a disastrous impact on the development of Asom and all the major development projects almost came to a standstill after the recent spurt of violence involving the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the upper Asom districts. Highly placed official sources said that after the mayhem caused by the ULFA militants by attacking Hindi-speaking people, almost the entire State administration got busy in maintaining the law-and-order situation and the Ministers also had very little time in looking after the development projects of their respective departments. The Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, who heads the Home department, was busy in monitoring the situation arising out of the killing of more than 60 Hindi-speaking people. The Chief Minister also holds key portfolios like Finance, Public Works Department, etc. and in the last few days since the mayhem started, he had very little time to look into the activities of the other key departments.

Same is the case with several other major departments with the Ministers in charge of the departments busy in monitoring the situation arising out of the killings. Sources pointed out that the Minister in charge of Power and Industries and Commerce, Pradyut Bordoloi, had camped in Tinsukia district to monitor the situation for more than ten days. Planning and Development Minister, Prithibi Majhi, camped in Dibrugarh district, Water Resources Minister Bharat Chandra Narah was in Lakhimpur and Tinsukia districts, while Minister Pranab Gogoi was in Sivasagar district. The Health and Guwahati Development Department Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma paid several visits to the affected areas and he was also busy with the visits of the VIPs and addressing media conferences on the issue, while the Revenue Minister, Dr Bhumidhar Barman, was busy with the relief and rehabilitation measures of the people displaced during the riots. With the Ministers busy in dealing with the situation, the functioning of the departments was affected.

Sources pointed out that the district administrations are normally in “development mode” but whenever the insurgents indulge in law and order violation , the attention of the administration is switched to law and order mode. The Deputy Commissioners get busy in maintaining law and order, while the magistrates, who are engaged in monitoring development projects, are also engaged in law-and-order duty, as a result of which all the development projects, particularly the rural development projects, are affected. With the exodus of labourers, the implementation of several key projects including the construction of the Bogibeel bridge over the river Brahmaputra have been affected badly, sources admitted.

Official sources also admitted that the acts of violence by the ULFA militants also put off the potential investors. Sources revealed that at one point of time, about six months back, the State Government received a number of queries from the top industrial houses of the country, who were interested in investing in Asom, but the number of queries came down drastically after the ULFA started the mayhem and if such a situation continues, the potential investors will definitely shy away from the State. It is also a fact that the gauge conversion project of the Railways and the National Highway project were affected from time to time because of the acts of violence by the militant groups and the issue was discussed in a meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs recently to discuss the situation in the State.

Sources revealed that Tripura is the bigger beneficiary of the activities of the militants in Asom. Sources said that in the last few years, the situation in Tripura improved considerably and after the ULFA militants started their acts of violence late last year after a brief lull, a number of potential investors decided to shift to Agartala as the investors get the same benefits like Asom under the North East Industrial Policy.

UG groups may hijack state Assembly polls: AB Bardhan The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, Jan 21: AB Bardhan, the national general secretary of the CPI has expressed apprehension that the ensuing elections may not be held in a free and fair manner in view of imposition of dictates by underground groups on various candidates in both the hill and valley areas.

Bhardhan, who spoke to mediapersons at Hotel Imphal this morning, said the cpi has not established units in 11 constituences where Nagas dominate, as several candidates are being fielded under the dictates of the NSCN(IM).

Expressing fears that other candidates may not have a fair chance in these constituencies, he urged the government to provide adequate security so that the elections can be held in a genuinely free and fair manner.

Bhardhan also appealed to the insurgent groups not to impose dictates on the representatives of the people if they really want to bring peace and development to the state, and urged that the elections should be allowed to go ahead democratically without any interference.

He said the cpi has finalised a list of 24 candidates, including two women candidates to be fielded in the forthcoming elections, all of have strong prospects, and expressed confidence of the party gaining more seats in the elections

Bhardhan said the CPI has been carrying forward the legacy of service for the poor and common people of Hijam Irabot. He also stressed the need to bring peace and prosperity by resolving the insurgency problem through political dialogue.

Citing the unique achievement of the spf government by maintaining stability for the full term of five years, he attributed this to the presence of the CPI, if not for which, he said, any amount of defection and changes might have occurred.

Bhardhan reaffirmed the stand of the party to keep the state`s boundary intact.

The party was among the first national parties to come out and stand for the protection of territorial integrity of Manipur and this has not changed, he stressed.

While reiterating the party`s support to the demand for removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Bhardhan pointed out that he had met Irom Sharmila twice in New Delhi, and added that the CPI will hold the government responsible if anything happens to her.

Bhardhan also blasted the Central government for bypassing the recommendations of the Jeevan Reddy committeee to repeal the afspa. The stand of the government to amend the afspa to make it more human is unacceptable to the CPI, he said.

A democratic government should act according to the desires of the people, he observed.

While pointing out that insurgency cannot be solved by the Army rule, he said the government of India should extend the offer of political dialogue, similar to that being pursued with the NSCN(IM) to other underground groups, and asked why the government is delaying in taking up of negotiations with these groups.

Arrested ULFA ‘commander’ confesses attack on Sheikh Hasina, top brass rebuts Our Bureau Sentinel
GUWAHATI, Jan 21: A ‘commander’ of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has admitted that his group launched the grenade attack on a rally of the Awami League at Dhaka on August 21, 2004, killing several party leaders, a Bangladesh-based website has quoted a senior police official as saying.
The self-styled ULFA commander, Pallav Saikia, arrested in Shillong on December 14 last year, has told the Assam Police Special Branch and the intelligence bureau during interrogations that 11 ULFA cadres led by him tossed grenades and fired assault rifles into the Awami League (AL) rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka.
At least 20 AL supporters and leaders, including the chief of the Awami Mahila League, Ivy Rahman, were killed in the attack purportedly targetted at former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Assam Police special branch chief Khagen Sarmah told the website that Pallav confessed that they had attacked the Awami League rally at the “explicit instruction” of ULFA ‘c-in-c’ Paresh Barua.
Some Bangladesh intelligence officials also helped ULFA plan the assault and even provided the vehicles for the mission, the arrested cadre is reported to have told the police.
“They (Bangladesh intelligence officials) started interacting with us after Paresh briefed me on the mission on July 26 in a safe house at Gulshan in Dhaka,” Pallav was quoted as saying during questioning.
Pallav is learnt to have named everyone in the group who accompanied him during the assault.
“Rubul Ali was my second-in-command in that assault,” Pallav is reported to have told his interrogators.
Of the eleven, six are still alive and operating for the ULFA but Rubul was killed in an encounter with the Army in May last year.
Pallav is believed to be close to the ULFA military wing chief and led a special unit of the group involved in high profile assassinations and acts of sabotage.
Intelligence bureau officials say they can place Pallav for questioning by any Bangladeshi team, but they say they will sit in on the questioning so that there is “no confusion”.
The Interpol was also welcome to question him, they said.
The ULFA, however, in a quick rebuttal, said, “Pallav is either saying all this nonsense under pressure or he has been bought over and forced to say all this. We don’t meddle in the politics of any other country, we are just fighting to liberate Asom from Indian colonial control.”
In a statement emailed to the press, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said, “Pallav’s purported revelations were all fabricated to mislead the people”.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs has said that it was examining the information about ULFA’s involvement in the grenade attacks on the Awami League’s rally. Ministry’s spokesman Shahenur Mia said that the news had drawn their attention. “We are checking the authenticity of the information,” Mia said, adding, “If we find that the information is true, we’ll take necessary steps”.
On the other hand, the Awami League has demanded of the caretaker Government to take a fresh look at the bloody bombing of a party rally that killed 20 people.
“If former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, her son Tareq Rahman and former ministers Lutfuzzaman Babar, Moudud Ahmed and Nazmul Huda are interrogated, everything will come to light,” Hasina’s aide Obaidul Quader Choudhury said here.

Now, Delhi in ULFA target
NEW DELHI: After the strikes in Asom, the ULFA has now planned suicide attacks in the national capital. Intelligence sources have confirmed the presence of four women ULFA cadres in Delhi. Backed by Bangladesh-based militant outfit Harkat-ul-jehad-e-Islami, the suicide squad is planning fatal strikes in the national capital, intelligence reports said. Sources said the Home Ministry has alerted the police and security agencies about the possible attacks. Agencies

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01/22/2007: "NSCN (I-M) to probe killing Nagaland Post"