The Union home ministry has received reports that the Ulfa faction under Paresh Baruah is procuring deadly weapons through organisations believed to have the backing of the Chinese military. The home ministry has observed that these developments have dangerous implications for bordering state of Assam.
In a six page internal note, the ministry has said that Ulfa is operating under three different groups in Tinsukia district, which is located in the upper part of Assam and surrounded by Arunachal Pradesh in the southeast.
Posing fresh security concerns, it says that the outfit has procured sophisticated weapons like T-81, Chinese bottle grenade, radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (RCIEDs) and rocket-propelled grenades while an RPG-2 and RPG-7 have also been smuggled inside Assam. Reports with the MHA suggest 300 such weapons have been procured by the Ulfa.
This newspaper had reported on Sunday that the MHA has evidence to confirm the presence of the Ulfa commander in chief in Yunan province of China. Government sources said that Baruah’s attempts to use his base in China to procure arms and expand his network is spelling serious concerns for the security establishment.
The note further says that Paresh Baruah has established intimate contacts with the Manipur-based UNLF and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the primary objective now appears to be to forge connection with the Chinese on the one hand and to promote Maoists in Assam on the other hand. For this, training of Assam-based Maoists has already been initiated in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh with the direct help of the ULFA supremo, it says. The note says in both NDFB and Ulfa, one group is remaining underground and if the ‘’peace talks’’ with the government fail, then they can strike again.