Seismic ULFA has been exposed once again. While on one hand it was sending emissaries to the Centre for resumption of peace process, on the other it was knitting a plan to hijack a passenger plane.

ULFA militant Manoj Tamuly, the operational head of the 709th battalion, after his arrest, confessed that a unit of four ULFA activists had plans to execute the hijacking.

Following the revealation the police arrested human rights activist and United Liberation Front of Assam sympathiser Lachit Bordoloi. Manoj Tamuly has been reportedly trained by Afghan militants to hijack planes. Bordoloi was also a member of the People’s Consultative Group that negotiated for ULFA with the Centre. Police have seized a laptop and two CDs from Bordoloi’s house in Guwahati.

“Whatever he has said, it has to be corroborated along with other evidence and then we will come to know the depth of the design,” said government spokesperson Himanto Bishwasharma.Tamuly had confessed before media that the plan was to hijack the plane to Thimpu and from there a new set of ULFA men would take the aircraft to Rawalpindi. ULFA, however, denied this and claimed this was a disinformation campaign to scuttle the political process in Assam. The police also arrested an Air Deccan employee, Sumon Dutta, who they claimed was helping ULFA militants along with Bordoloi.In the past, there have been inputs from CISF, which raised suspicions about Dutta, sources said. Earlier, the police had arrested a journalist, Pradip Gogoi, and a lawyer on similar charges.

Police claims that the plan to hijack planes was hatched by Ulfa and the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami. They added that the militants wanted to free some Huji and Ulfa militants lodged in jail. Meanwhile, the PCG has vehemently condemned Bordoloi’s arrest saying it was an attempt to gag the freedom of citizens.

However, PCG spokesman Arup Borbora said “Of late, there has been an endeavour from various quarters including the PCG to bring the ULFA to the negotiating table and the latest step of the government suggests it is not interested in the peace process.”

.After the hijack plot came to light, the Centre is watching Assam situation closely. What the Centre has found perplexing is the fact that ULFA was knitting the plot even after sending a request for the resumption of the peace process. “This is why the government wants a categorical assurance from ULF about joining formal negotiation. One can’t take them on face value,” comments one senior Home Ministry official.

It may be mentioned here that last month, ULFA’s emissaries reportedly met senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily and senior Home Ministry official. They requested the centre to resume the peace process. The Centre was not adverse to the idea. But at the same time the Centre insisted that ULFA leadership should declare the date of formal negotiation.

“This is nothing new. When the chips are down ULFA offers peace. And once operations come to a halt, they start regrouping,” says one North Block Mandarin on condition of anonymity.

Once the preliminary investigation is over, Home Ministry will seek a complete report from the Assam police, informed sources. Home ministry officials admit that Assam police did a fine job in unearthing the hijack plot. “To get a clue of such a plan is really difficult, so all credits should go to Assam police for the marvelous job,” comments another senior official of the ministry.

Apart from the hijacking plot, what is worrying the Centre is the fact that the nexus between the North-Eastern militant groups and other militant groups such as the Talibans. It appears that once the hijacking probe is over, the Centre will inform all concerned about the findings. The move will be seen an attempt to cut down foreign links of the militant group active in the North-East.

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