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Assam government under pressure to disarm SULFA

Nitin Gogoi in Guwahati

The Assam government has come under tremendous pressure to disarm and control the surrendered militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom following a series of mysterious killings in the state in the past three days, even as Guwahati city remained tense early on Saturday after a spontaneous bandh was observed on Friday.

Four relatives of top ULFA militants have been killed since Wednesday after three surrendered militants were killed by the ULFA. Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta reviewed the law and order situation late on Friday night with top Army and police officials.

A joint statement from the director general of the Assam police, H K Deka and Lt Gen Mahesh Vij, head of the operational group of the Unified Command appealed to people to maintain calm. The appeal came after hundreds of Guwahatians took to the streets on Friday, protesting the killing of Jyotish Sarma, an employee of the Guwahati University and the brother-in-law of a top ULFA hitman Subhas Sarma.

Hundreds of citizens demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in his killing and also the confiscation of all illegal arms under the possession of surrendered ULFA or SULFA members.

Meanwhile, mysterious attacks on the family members of ULFA militants continued as two more relatives of an ULFA leader were shot at, killing one on the spot and injuring another, at Chowkigate on national highway 31 under Changsari police outpost in Kamrup district early Friday.

Police sources said that 10 to 12 masked gunmen in a Tata Sumo and a Maruti van swooped down at Sila Sendurighopa village around 2.30 am Friday. They reportedly went to the residence of Basanta Kumar Das alias Basanta Sarania, the publicity secretary of ULFA's Saraighat Anchalik Parishad.

The gunmen then forced their way into the house and picked up Basanta's younger brother Gautam (16) and his cousin Dhaneswar (22), who were sleeping at that time. They were then taken away to Chokigate, about 2 km away from the village, and shot at. While Gautam died on the spot, Dhaneswar managed to flee under the cover of darkness with a bullet injury.

Buckling under pressure from the agitators, the Guwahati city SP, G P Singh, publicly declared that he would take all possible steps to disarm SULFA members within seven days. The protesters forced several shop-owners to down their shutters. The Guwahati Book Fair currently on in the city, was also closed down for the day.

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