"Paresh Barua failed to honour his own words"-Sumita Ghose

LITTLE over two years ago, on July 4, 1997, Oxford educated social worker Sanjoy Ghose was kidnapped from Majuli by the cadres of outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). Since then, his whereabouts is unknown to all of us. No one knows what has happened to him after he was last seen with some ULFA cadres.

The confusion over Sanjoy's fate was further complicated by the ULFA itself which spoke in many voices since his abduction. First, the, banned organisation claimed that it arrested Sanjoy as he was a RAW agent. Then the ULFA imposed the condition that AVARD-NE, the organisation for which Sanjoy was working, should leave Majuli to secure the release of the social worker. The ULFA also said that it would hand over Sanjoy only to an international organisation. While the ULFA was making all such demands, news came from within the organisation itself that Sanjoy died after he fell from a cliff in Arunachal Pradesh while trying to escape his abductors.

To get the possible answers to these questions and many more, in an effort to find out the truth, North East News Agency recently met Sumita Ghose, wife and colleague of Sanjoy at her residence in Gurgaon recently. She was very cooperative and revealed everything she knows about these questions.

Excerpts:

North East News Agency(NENA):: When Sanjoy decided to work in Assam, did you ever anticipate that such a tragedy?

Sumita Ghose: When Sanjoy decided to move to Assam from Rajasthan, many of our friends told us that with our surname 'Ghose', we might face some trouble in Assam as the feeling in the State was anti-Bengali. But Sanjoy didn't pay any heed to these warnings. He was confident that as long as he would continue to work for development for the people, nothing would happen to him. And if you ask me about my reaction when Sanjoy decided to work in the North-East, not even in my worst of dreams, I thought that such a thing would happen.

NENA: What kind of reception Sanjoy got from the people when he landed up in Majuli?

Sumita Ghose: Initially, the people were not so enthusiastic about our works. Rather, they were little bit apprehensive while talking to us. But when we told them that what we intend to do and after we started working, the scenario began to change. Thousands of people came forward to help us. They contributed in every manner possible to make our endeavour possible.

NENA: Then why was the initial reluctance? Have you tried to ascertain the reasons?

Sumita Ghose: It was something to do with their mindset. The people of the North-East region are familiar with two kinds of NGOs. One which deals with the rights issue and the other which does little bit of charity here and there. They had never come across an NGO like AVARD-NE which works for development. That is why initially they kept a distance from us.

We could get a good response from the people from day one if we had distributed some, largesse or raised the issue of violation of human rights. But as our motto was different, we charted our own course and followed it sincerely despite initial reluctance of the people and the outcome is there for you all to see.

NENA: Can you tell us at which point the trouble with ULFA really started?

Sumita Ghose : It is very difficult to say. After we reached Majuli, we found that ULFA and AASU were the two most powerful organisations in the island. It's a fact that we didn't try to be too close to these two organisations, but at the same time we didn't do anything which could create enmity. Frankly speaking, as we were doing nothing wrong, we didn't find any reason why should we try to be friendly with them? And by that time support started coming. from the people of the island, so we were more interested in continuing our work rather than being. involved in such small things.

Few months later, after we started working in Majuli, some people who were working with us informed Sanjoy that the ULFA was angry with AVARD- NE and was willing to talk to us. We found nothing wrong in it. At that time we also came to know that the organisation was collecting information about our works from the local people who were working with us. After getting the information we decided that we should talk to the ULFA leaders. But as we knew no one from the ULFA, we entrusted the job to another person to establish contact between Sanjoy and the ULFA.

Soon a meeting was arranged. When Sanjoy met the ULFA boys, they asked him about our works, why had we chosen Majuli, all such sorts of questions. At the end of the meeting, it seemed that the ULFA was satisfied with Sanjoy's answers as the organisation told him that he could carry on his work in Majuli. At the same time, the ULFA also told Sanjoy that AVARD-NE members should not indulge in drinking or in womanising in the island. We found nothing wrong in these two conditions because we also imposed certain conditions on our members to ensure discipline. Prohibition was one of them. So Sanjoy assured the ULFA that AVARD-NE members would not indulge in such things.

NENA: But after this meeting between Sanjoy and the ULFA what went wrong?

Sumita Ghose: That I can't say. Because after the said meeting, things started going smoothly for some time, though we were aware that the ULFA cadres were keeping a close watch on us. But we were not frightened as we had already explained the reasons why were we there, what we intend to do, everything to them.

But one fine morning, to our utter dismay, we found posters all over Majuli asking AVARD-NE to pack up from the island. Strangely there was no mention about who issued the posters. No organisation claimed the responsibility of issuing such posters. Some people say that the ULFA issued it, while few others pointed out ULFA's poster always carry its symbol 'Rising Sun', so it might not be the ULFA.

After the poster episode we took a two-pronged strategy. We decided to contact any of the top ULFA leaders and at the same time ask the people of Majuli whether they really want us to work in the island or not?

A meeting was called to ascertain the views of the people of Majuli. And believe me, 30,000 people attended the meeting and requested us to continue our work in the island. In the meeting, though, we had nothing to do about it, some people criticised the ULFA. I think that made them angry.

 NENA: Then what happened on the fateful day?

Sumita Ghose: We did not apprehend that such a tragedy would fall on us. As usual, Sanjoy left home in the morning. He went to meet some people. He was supposed to return around noon. When he didn't come back by that time, even then we did not think something foul. It was in the evening, around 8, when there was still no trace of Sanjoy, I sent some of our members to the police station to lodge a complaint. But instead of lodging the complaint, the police captured those who went there to inform the police about Sanjoy's disappearance. Then, I personally went to the police station and a formal complaint was lodged.

NENA: Throughout the day, at any point of time, did it strike to you that the ULFA had abducted your husband?

Sumita Ghose: That didn't come to my mind. Why should the ULFA kidnap Sanjoy? He had done no harm to them. Besides, I think that even Sanjoy did not anticipate any such. problem. Because, he was last seen with some ULFA boys. At that time, a police vehicle passed by them. If Sanjoy had apprehended any trouble, he have sought help from the police.

NENA: When you realised that Sanjoy had been kidnapped by the ULFA, what was going through your mind?

Sumita Ghose: At that time, frankly speaking, I was not in my normal self. I went to all the places, met many people to know the whereabouts of Sanjoy. But none could offer me any authentic information regarding Sanjoy. I was helpless. The local populace was with us, but they were also in dark.

NENA: And then your hardships further compounded when the ULFA started sending contradictory statements about Sanjoy.

Sumita Ghose: Yes, very much. One day the organisation would say that Sanjoy would be released, the other day it would change its stand to declare that Sanjoy was arrested by them as he was a RAW agent. One day they said that he was alive, the other day news came from the same source that he was dead.

NENA: During that period did you personally come in touch with any ULFA leader?

Sumita Ghose: Once I spoke to Paresh Barua over phone. But that telephonic conversation took place only after I returned to Delhi with my children from Majuli.

NENA: How did Paresh Barua come to know of your Delhi telephone number?

Sumita Ghose: There was a go-between. He gave Paresh Barua my telephone number.

NENA: What did Paresh Barua tell you over the phone?

Sumita Ghose: It was very difficult to get anything substantial from his uttering. For the first ten minutes, he lambasted AVARD (NE) and me like anything. He alleged that we were exploiting the people of Assam and many more things. At that time I was not in a position to respond to his allegations. After nearly ten minutes, when he finished all the abuses against us, I asked him whether they would release my husband? He then asked me to stop all the military operations against the ULFA. But I clearly told him that as I had nothing to do with the ongoing Army operations in Assam. My concern was my husband. Paresh Barua then said that the ULFA would hand over Sanjoy only to International Red Cross or to such similar bodies. I said OK. Then he asked us to leave Assam to which we agreed. But it's a pity that even after we kept all the promises we made to the ULFA, my husband is yet to be released. The so-called revolutionary leaders' did not care to honour their words.

NENA: After that did you speak to him again?

Sumita Ghose: No, that was my first and last conversation with Paresh Barua.

NENA: From the very beginning, it was clear that the ULFA was not saying the truth. Then why did you accept their conditions and leave Majuli?

Sumita Ghose: Today, I realise that we made a mistake at that time by leaving Majuli following ULFA's threats. Yes, you are right. They were playing cat and mouse game with us. We made a mistake by believing that if we leave Majuli, they would release Sanjoy.

But, the prevailing situation of that time compelled us to take that wrong decision And it is quite natural. Because our main man was kidnapped. Without him, we didn't know what to do. Things could have been different if Sanjoy were around. He had the courage to call the ULFA's bluff. But without him, we could not show that courage.

NENA: After Sanjoy was kidnapped, the allegation leveled against him was that he was a RAW agent. Is it true?

Sumita Ghose: It is a completely false, baseless and malicious allegation. The allegation is of such a nature that it does not deserve any reply. Before Sanjoy was kidnapped, no such allegations were leveled against him. We came to know that he was a RAW agent only after he was kidnapped. Isn't this fact enough to clear Sanjoy of all such malicious campaigns?

The ULFA was hostile to us from the very beginning. The organisation even put posters against us all over Majuli. If they had anything against Sanjoy they could ,have made it public at that time. Why they leveled charges against him only after his abduction? It is very clear that the ULFA in an effort to justify its heinous act put such charges against Sanjoy.

Moreover, we went to Majuli not as a migratory birds. We went there with sincere desire to do something for the people. If we had any other intentions, we would have visited the island time-to-time without staying there for such a long time.

How sincere we were for Majuli could be gauged from the fact we took our children there. They were admitted to a school in Jorhat. If Sanjoy took up such a dangerous job like the agent of an intelligence agency, why should he take us there? No body wants to put his wife or children in trouble? It's sad that our good intentions were overlooked by the ULFA for its narrow gains.

NENA: Can you tell me what provoked Sanjoy to opt for such a career, when very easily he could have gone for any other lucrative career?

Sumita Ghose: Rural development was an obsession with Sanjoy. When we were studying in Mumbai, the Bombay University for the first time introduced Rural Development as one of its carricula. Sanjoy and another person, were the first two students for the curriculum. Sanjoy was very serious about this subject. Often he used to go to interior villages of Maharashtra to collect field materials or projects. And every time after coming back from such a trip he used to tell me in detail about his experiences in those villages, lifestyles of the people, their economic conditions and many more things.

Another factor, to my mind which inspired Sanjoy to opt for this career was the fact that, his parents were not dependent on him. So his needs were not much. That is why social development attracted him much more than a lucrative job in a multinational company.

NENA: What about you?

Sumita Ghose: Frankly speaking, in the beginning I was not as committed as was Sanjoy, towards rural development. I tried to look for other careers. But after we married, things changed. I started helping Sanjoy and slowly developed a passion towards rural and social development.

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