Ulfa-Independent sentences cadre to death for trying to flee

Ulfa-Independent, a banned insurgent group, stated on Wednesday that it sentenced to death one of its cadres, who was caught three times trying to flee from the camp.

In a statement emailed to media outlets, the outfit’s publicity wing said that “Corporal” Rihon Asom alias Saiful Islam, a resident of Goalpara district’s Lakhipur in western Assam was sentenced to death on Wednesday—days after he was found guilty by its “lower judicial council” for trying to flee.

The statement said Islam first tried to flee from the “headquarters” of the outfit’s eastern command on July 28, but he was caught the next day.

“His trial was conducted at the lower judicial council on August 8 and 10. During the trial, he admitted his mistake and prayed for mercy. He also prayed for another chance and had even given assurance in writing and in both audio and video format not to repeat the offence. The lower judicial council decided to give him another chance and gave him physical punishment instead of the death sentence,” said the statement.

According to the release to the media, the cadre tried to flee again on August 21, when he and 11 other leaders and members were on their way to the “eastern command headquarters” from the “mobile headquarters”.

He fled between 2 and 2.30 am, when the other members were asleep, the outfit claimed, stating that he was caught the same afternoon. “He again tried to flee while on their return journey to the eastern command headquarters. He was caught on August 25 afternoon,” the Ulfa-I statement said. It, however, did not disclose the exact location of the camps.

The statement revealed that during an August 30 trial at the lower judicial council, Islam admitted that he had joined the outfit for personal interest and to exact revenge—and not by getting inspired by Ulfa-I’s ideology.

In May, too, the Ulfa-I had similarly awarded “death sentence” to two of its cadres for alleged spying. The two were subsequently “executed”.

Ulfa-I has been regularly fighting for “sovereign Assam”. Another group of Ulfa, led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, was in talks with the government, but Ulfa-I Chief Paresh Baruah was unwilling to join the talks without discussing its demand for sovereignty.