Banned Ulfa (I) 'executes' senior leader, woman cadre for allegedly spying, blackmailing male members to surrender

The banned Ulfa (Independent) on Tuesday claimed that it executed one of its senior leaders and a woman cadre for allegedly spying for security forces and using female cadres to blackmail other male members to surrender.

In a statement emailed to media organisations, the outfit claimed that Lachit Hazarika, the former vice-chairman of its "lower commission" and a woman member, Barnali Asom alias Nayanmoni Chetia were found "guilty" of committing at least 17 "offences" by violating its "Constitution and the norms."

The statement said that the duo were given the death sentences by its 'court' on September 18 and were executed two days later. 

 The outfit claimed that the two were found guilty of spying for the security forces. They were using women cadres to blackmail some male members to surrender and killing some a few who tried to desert the outfit's camps. 

It said Hazarika, one of the senior cadres, was 'arrested' on August 30. Both admitted their mistakes about spying for the security forces, the Ulfa-I statement claimed. Hazarika was once a close aide of Paresh Baruah, chief of the banned outfit.

Ulfa-I had similarly executed two of its cadres in May and another one in September last year accusing them of spying for the security forces.

Reacting to the reports, director general of Assam police, G P Singh on Tuesday expressed concern over the killing of the two by the outfit.

"I want to appeal to the youths to not waste their lives for the organisation which does not care for them," Singh posted in X. 

Formed in 1979 with a demand for "sovereign Assam," Ulfa has been carrying out unlawful activities ever since.

One group of the outfit led by chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and general secretary Anup Chetia alias Golap Baruah have been engaged in talks with the government since 2011. But, the Ulfa group led by Paresh Baruah, which renamed itself as Ulfa (Independent), however, is still out of the peace process.

Baruah and his cadres are believed to be taking shelter in their hideouts somewhere along Myanmar-China borders. The outfit is still considered to be strong in four districts in eastern Assam, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh.

Most of the insurgent groups in Assam have signed agreements with the government after surrendering their weapons, but the Ulfa-I has still remained out of the peace process.

The Centre on Sunday extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for the four districts by another six months as the districts are still believed to be the outfit's strongholds.