On 23rd January (Tuesday), the pro-talk faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) officially disbanded itself. The decision to disband the ULFA was taken at the outfit’s final general meeting held at Sipajhar which is located around 55 km from Guwahati. It comes twenty-five days after the pro-talk faction of ULFA signed a tripartite memorandum of settlement in New Delhi with the Centre and the Assam government on 29th December.
As per the tripartite agreement, ULFA was to abjure the path of violence, give up all arms and ammunition, and disband the organisation within one month.
In the meeting held in Darrang district, the leadership of ULFA decided to disband the group, as announced after the peace agreement. Senior leaders of the pro-talk faction including Arabinda Rajkhowa, Anup Chetia, Raju Barua, Pranati Phukan, Sasa Choudhury and others were present at the meeting. A seven-member monitoring committee will be formed to ensure the implementation of the various clauses of the tripartite agreement.
They also decided to form a non-political socio-cultural organisation named Jatiya Bikash Parishad, to maintain communication among ULFA members, and to work towards protecting the cultural and linguistic identity of the society. ULFA leaders will soon meet CM Himana Biswa Sarma to hand over a formal letter informing about the disbanding of the group.
ULFA leaders and cadres were known by different names they had taken after joining the group, but from now they will now be known by their original names, and they will stop using their organisational names. This means that chairman Arabinda Rajkhowan will now be known as Rajeeb Rajkonwar and general secretary Anup Chetia will revert to his original name Golap Barua.
The cadres will also have to vacate the designated camps where they are living along with their families, and return to normal lives. There are nine such designated camps in the state. The cadres will hand over their arms and ammunition to the govt at a formal ceremony soon.
However, while ULFA has been disbanded following the agreement with the govt, a faction of it called ULFA (Independent) led by commander-in-chief Paresh Barua remains, with its armed struggle for an independent Assam.
As the organisation disbands itself, it becomes necessary to revisit its formation, the history of the terror activities by the outfit and subsequent disbanding after continued talks with the BJP government.
Formation of ULFA
Established in 1979, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has traversed a tumultuous journey over four decades, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of Assam. Its story unfolds as a pursuit of autonomy, marked by the wounds of violence, and ultimately, a journey towards reconciliation.
Formed on 7th April 1979 within the historic Rang Ghar in Sivasagar during the anti-illegal immigrants movement, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) arose as an extremist organisation with an explicitly anti-Indian state agenda. Led by Paresh Baruah and Arabinda Rajkhowa, ULFA articulated a vision of a so-called “sovereign socialist Assam”, seeking independence from what they perceived as exploitation and neglect within the Indian framework. After garnering support among specific segments of the Assamese population in its initial phases, ULFA strategically embraced armed tactics, actively recruiting members and resorting to violence as integral elements of its anti-Indian state ideology.
ULFA was greatly influenced by NSCN in neighbouring Nagaland, which was leading a similar armed struggle in the state. Although formed in 1979, ULFA became active only after 1983, when it recruited youths and got them trained by other groups such as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN). It then launched a fundraising operation, and became very strong in upper Assam districts of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh. However, soon it was declared a terrorist organization by the government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Decades of extremism and split in ULFA
The peak of ULFA’s influence unfolded during the decades of the 1980s and 1990s, characterised by a relentless wave of guerrilla attacks on security forces, abductions for ransom, and targeted bombings that cast a shadow over Assam. As the people of Assam started to become unhappy with the AGP govt formed after signing the Assam agreement, ULFA enjoyed the support of a large number of people initially in the Brahmaputra valley. In the beginning, the group only attacked security forces and therefore was not seen as a terror group by people.
In less than a decade of formation, ULFA emerged as one of the most powerful and violent insurgent outfits in Southeast Asia, aided by locals who would shelter and feed them, and protect them from security forces.
However, as time passed, the group’s kidnappings for ransom, attacks on civilians and public properties, smuggling of weapons and support of other insurgent groups started to make news. Several leaders of the group were operating from Bangladesh, apart from Myanmar and Bhutan, a fact not liked by most people. As a result, people quickly got disillusioned with ULFA, and its popular support fell rapidly.
The abduction and killing of social worker Sanjoy Ghosh by ULFA in 1997 was one of the most important incidents that led to the group’s fall. It is believed that Sanjoy’s work in the development of Majuli Riverine island had affected ULFA’s recruitment drive. Moreover, his work in protection from erosion had displeased the local contractor lobby, who patronised ULFA.
The fall in popular support led to the creation of factions within the organisation that supported dialogue with the govt, but a significant faction remained steadfast on extremism as a way of the so-called struggle. Such internal divisions in ULFA reached a critical juncture in 2011 with the formal split between the pro-talk faction led by Arabinda Rajkhowa, and the ULFA (Independent) under the leadership of Paresh Baruah. The schism highlighted the complexities within the organisation, marking a turning point in its trajectory of terror and internal dynamics.
During the 1990s, a large number of ULFA cadres surrendered and were known as SULFA or Surrendered ULFA cadres. They had surrendered their weapons and were offered resettlement packages by the govt. However, it led to a dark chapter in Assam’s history, the secret killings. From 1998 to 2001, during the second Prafulla Kumar Mahanta-led AGP govt, relatives, friends, and sympathisers of ULFA insurgents were systematically killed by unknown assailants.
It has been alleged that the killings were orchestrated by the state govt, with the help of security forces, and the actual executions were done by surrendered ULFA militants. In retaliation, several SULFA leaders were also targeted and killed by ULFA during this time. The secret killings, in which over 400 people lost their lives, stopped after the fall of the AGP govt in 2001.
In 2011, a ray of optimism dawned as ULFA pro-talked faction, guided by Rajkhowa’s leadership, embarked on peace negotiations with the Indian government, helmed by the Congress party at the time. The subsequent years of dialogue, marked by fluctuations and challenges, witnessed substantial concessions from both parties involved.
The dialogue picked up pace with the double-engine government of the BJP
The advent of the BJP government in 2014 ushered in a fresh dynamic, actively supporting the peace process. In addition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direct involvement and emphasis on Northeast development, the BJP came to power in the state in 2016, securing a clear majority government. Since then, it has consistently maintained its majority, further intensifying the impetus behind the peace talks.
Prime Minister Modi’s intervention and focus on Northeast development were widely recognised as pivotal factors, with the notable achievement of being the sole Prime Minister to have visited the northeast on more than 50 occasions. The implementation of diverse development projects in the region played a crucial role in integrating the people of the northeast into the broader national development framework. In response, leaders of ULFA-I came to a realization and committed to working peacefully within the framework of the Indian constitution for the betterment of Assam.
Disbanding of ULFA
Regarding the dissolution of the outfit, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said, “The decision to disband and dissolve the outfit was taken at the meeting today as stipulated by the settlement signed in Delhi. With this, the cases of sedition on the outfit will be lifted.” The pro-talk faction of ULFA has around 700 total members. The anti-talks faction of the outfit, ULFA-Independent (ULFA-I) has camps in Myanmar and parts of the northeast. They have around 200 members and are opposed to any settlement till Assam’s sovereignty is discussed.
The ULFA’s general secretary Anup Chetia had earlier stated that after the meeting, they would hand over the letter of the outfit’s disbandment to the Chief Minister of Assam. According to Chetia, after the disbandment, the ULFA leaders and cadres will have different identities. He added that he will personally be involved in social work.
The tripartite agreement
Last month on 29th December, the pro-talk faction of the outfit signed an agreement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. This was a significant pact as the banned ULFA-Independent has been the only major insurgent outfit in the state after the ULFA pro-talks faction signed the agreement with the Centre and Assam government. ULFA (Independent), the other faction of the group led by Commander in Chief Paresh Baruah remains outside the peace agreement. Except for Baruah, all other founding members of ULFA have left armed struggle.
The tripartite agreement signed last month covered a wide range of subjects, including politics, land rights, NRC and immigration, employment, economy and skill development, flood control, industries, agriculture, education, culture, sports infrastructure, tourism, demands of ST status, Act East Policy, and settlement of the outfit’s cadres who have returned to the mainstream. Last month’s settlement stipulated, “ULFA shall abjure the path of violence, give up all arms/ammunition, and disband the armed organisation within one month”.
