North East News Agency

The explosives used in the recent spurt of violence indulged by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) were procured from abroad and Pakistan-trained rebels carried out the blasts, Assam police intelligence chief Khagen Sharma revealed. “A group of 16 ULFA cadres were trained in explosives in Pakistan sometime in 2004. At least 10 of them are still at large,” the intelligence chief said.

Acording to police, “The ULFA is getting explosives like RDX, TNT and PETN, including advanced timers that can go off even after six months, from foreign agencies,”

However, ULFA has denied carrying out attacks at marketplaces but owned responsibility for blowing up oil and gas installations. “This is nothing but a nefarious design on the part of some vested interests within the Assam Police led by Inspector General (Intelligence) Khagen Sharma who have actually triggered the explosions to defame us,” said ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah in a statement.

 “Triggering a series of blasts aimed at innocent civilians ahead of the June 22 talks is nothing but attempts by vested interests to derail the peace process,” the rebel leader alleged.

Meanwhile, media persons of Assam have lodged a strong protest against ULFA. A meeting of journalists in Guwahati condemned the audacity ULFA in issuing threats to four Assam based senior journalists.

According to Nava Thakuria,  Secretary , Gauhati Press Club a well attended meeting of journalists under the aegis of Journalists Union of Assam (JUA), which is affiliated to Indian Journalists Union (IJU), asked the ULFA to desist from interfering with the media in the State and withdraw the threat issued to D N Bezboruah (former Editor of The Sentinel), Prasanta Rajguru (Executive Editor of Amar Asom) and two other journalists.

The meeting resolved to launch a signature campaign amongst all journalists and employees of Newspapers organizations in protest against ULFA’s attempt to terrorise media persons in the State. The meeting which was presided by D N Chakraborty, Editor, Dainik Asom, was attended by many eminent journalists of the State.

It may be noted here that ULFA ‘commander in chief’ Paresh Baruah in an e-mailed statement had accused the four journalists of trying to create an atmosphere of confusion over the peace initiative to facilitate direct talks between Government of India and the ULFA.

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