A new chapter is added to the indian history as the ULFA (united liberation front of assam) which was the spear head of insurgency in india; agreed to have an unconditional talk with the national leaders to bring itself to the national main stream. the picture shows ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa with Indian Home secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai in New Delhi on the 10th of feb 2011. On the wake of these new developments here is what i think (along with some historical facts)

HISTORY OF ULFA–- from freedom to insurgency

Founder	Paresh Baruah
Chairman	Arabinda Rajkhowa
Commander-in-Chief	Paresh Baruah
Founded	1979
Membership	Unknown
Ideology	revolutionary political organization engaged in “liberation struggle” against India for establishment of a sovereign, independent Assam
International affiliation	Operations in India

The ULFA was started when the All Assam Students’ Organization reached a high for its xenophobia of all foreigners in 1979. The founders included Paresh Baruah, Arabinda Rajkhowa, Anup Chetia, Pradip Gogoi and Bhadreshwar Gohain on 7 April 1979. It was formed at the Ahom King in Sibsagar to ensue upon an armed struggle to form a Socialist Assam.

Recruiting for the front did not begin until 1983. Soon after it finished recruitment in 1984, it began to seek out training and arms procurement from other groups such as the Kachin Independence Army(KIA) and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland(NSCN). In 1986 it launched a fund raising “campaign” across India by way of extortion. It then began to set up camps in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh but was soon banned by New Delhi on November 7, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.

Starting in the early 1990s, ULFA launched an aggressive campaign with victims such as security forces, political opponents, and blasting rail links. In July 1991 the front captured and held 14 people for ransom, included in the abductees was an engineer and a national of the Soviet Union. From the 1990s on the ULFA have continued to carry out terrorist attacks.

the government of india (GOI) banned ULFA in 1990 under unlawful activities (prevention) act by classiing it as a terrorist organization. The US State Department lists it under “Other groups of concern”

Personally i once knew a kid from Assam. he was working in a bakery near by my place and and at that time i was in NCC. one day i happened to go to that bakery in uniform and this kid was really interested. he talked to me about many things including the ULFA presence in his village. he told me that he had to run away from his village as he was being forced to work for them. he was having a very good understanding of almost all types of rifeles, LMGs and Pistols. he was atleast 5-6 yrs younger than me. i felt really bad. i asked him what would they do if you refused to comply to them ? the answer never came. i understood it. after all he fled from his village. he told me that he really wanted to go back to his village and be with his family. i didn’t knew what to say…

i had to leave that place in a very short time. after some 3-4 months i happened to visit that bakery again. but this time i was not in uniform. i asked the manager if that kid was there. he told me that he had left for his village and never came back. there are two chances as i see it. either he is happily living with his family or he is no more.  all i know is that we would have been really good friends if we had more time. i often think of him… i saw the glimpse of hope in his eyes every time he talked about his village and his people.

I hope this recent development in the old north east frontier province (NEFA) is for the betterment of all. ULFA was set up with a motive of helping the tribal people to progress. unfortunately somewhere in between it lost track of its ideologies and began to concentrate in insurgency, kidnapping,  killing of innocent people and on and on. its a good sign that the new leadership of ULFA is understanding this and are willing to come to the national mainstream. This would ultimately help the people of assam; achieve all those they were hoping to get through the past thirty plus years of bloodshed.

At least my friend would be happy and will be, the generations to come….

JAI HIND