The father-in-law of Dhanjit Das was out in the market when his son-in-law was “executed” by the ULFA(I) for “spying”. “I was out in the market when someone informed me that my son-in-law was killed in the ULFA camp,” he said. The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) claimed to have “carried out a death sentence” against two of its own – Das, the father of a five-year-old boy, and 19-year-old Sanjib Sarma alias Rishav Asom – at a camp in an undisclosed location around 8 am, police said.
According to Assam police, the ULFA(I) claimed to have executed them for allegedly spying for government agencies and instigating other cadres to leave the organisation. Reacting to media reports on the deaths, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his sadness and said he “prays that the news is false”. He appealed to the outfit to “once again initiate a peace process”.
Speaking exclusively to News18, ULFA chairman Paresh Barua said, “The youth confessed to their crime and, as per our constitution, the penalty was awarded. The sentence was carried out this morning after breakfast. Their last wish was to have a good meal last evening and that was duly fulfilled. Their bodies shall be cremated in our camp.”
An email from the organisation’s publicity wing, sent to media houses at Guwahati in the morning, said the Assam police planted Dhanjit and Sanjib to provide information on the activities of ULFA(I) members. The outfit further said Dhanjit hailed from western Assam’s Barpeta district and was caught a day after he tried to flee its camp on April 24. It said the “death sentence” was pronounced by the lower justice council after the two confessed to the charges against them.
During interrogation, Dhanjit told the ULFA(I) that he motivated members of the organisation to surrender, besides supplying information about the outfit’s associates to the police.
The ULFA(I) also sent two videos of the men, in which they are shown confessing to their mistakes and urging people not to join the organisation. They are believed to have been shot a moment before they were killed.
Dhanjit is survived by his wife and a five-year-old son, who needs blood transfusion every month. He was working with a cloth merchant before leaving home on March 21 to join the organisation.
Sanjib, meanwhile, was caught with “advanced communication devices” used to relay information to police, the outfit claimed after releasing a video showing him confessing that the police and army made him infiltrate the ULFA (I) for spying purposes.
“They shouldn’t have killed my young son. He left us in January saying he would go to Kamakhya to stay with a priest in the temple. He never returned the day after he joined us for a family get-together. The ULFA should have kept him for some more days and returned him. Paresh Barua will have to pay for this, God is watching,” said Sanjib’s stepmother Jugamaya Sarma. The 19-year-old’s father, who is a daily wage worker, hails from Muktapur, Baihata, in Kamrup district of Assam.
Sanjib’s parents have demanded that the rebel organisation must hand over their son’s body to them.
Assam has witnessed lot of bloodshed: CM
Expressing his sadness at the deaths of the two men, Sarma said, “We came to know from the media that two youngsters have been killed by the ULFA. I pray before god that the news is false and, if it’s true, it’s extremely sad. This incident will send a message to those who are thinking and may have thought about joining the ULFA.”
Sarma added, “I appeal to ULFA that Assam has already witnessed a lot of bloodshed. Except for losing our dear sons and families, we have achieved nothing. Whenever we have worked for Assam, economically and socially we have marched ahead. I appeal once again that the peace process should be initiated and that we do not hear such news in future.”
Despite having declared a ceasefire last year, the ULFA(I) has been on a recruitment drive. Some sportspersons and a Youth Congress leader are among those believed to have joined it in the recent months.
In April, Sarma said the recruitment of new cadres was disturbing when efforts were on to bring its leaders to the talks table.
Police “aware” of ULFA(I) claims
The police, however, said it was aware of the insurgent group’s claim of executing two of its own members. “We have seen the ULFA(I)’s statement. It is the ULFA who is claiming that they are spies. We don’t want to comment,” said inspector general of police (special branch) Lachit Barua.
The ULFA(I) has long been suspected of handing down death penalty to its erring members, though such instances had not been confirmed by the organisation. The outfit declared a cessation of hostilities in May last year, soon after the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government assumed power in Assam.
In the video released by ULFA(I), Sanjib said he was promised Rs 1 crore by joint commissioner of police (Guwahati) Partha Sarathi Mahanta to supply information about the outfit. He also said police told him his undercover assignment would be an opportunity to avenge his elder brother Apurba Kumar Sarma’s death, who was a para-commando in the army and killed in an ambush in Manipur a few months ago.
The ULFA(I) is said to have killed three of its own cadres in Myanmar for allegedly trying to flee from one of its camps and surrender before security forces in April 2019. The three were identified as Lalit Asom, Ashwini Asom and Rhino Asom aka Rubul Moran.
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