Assam governor Janaki Ballav Patnaik on Wednesday said that proposed peace talks with the Ulfa and other insurgent groups would heralded the beginning of a new age in Assam.
Unfurling the tricolour at the official Republic Day function at Latasil Parade ground here, Mr Patnaik lauded the role of the state government for creating a conducive atmosphere for peace talks following ceasefire agreements with various militant outfits in the state.
The governor also congratulated the people of Assam for their positive stand on the peace process.
Addressing the gathering which came defying the boycott call of six separatist outfits of Northeast, Mr Patnaik, however, asserted that government was determined to deal firmly with those indulging in violence.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who was also present on the occasion, renewed his appeal to elusive Ulfa leaders to join the peace process.
Meanwhile, victims of Ulfa violence also staged a sit-in strike. Though, they unfurled the tricolour, but observed Republic Day as black day.
Amidst elaborate security arrangement, there were sporadic incidents of violence in the run up to Republic Day. Militants in Assam on Tuesday bombed a goods train and attacked a passenger bus wounding three people.
Fearing militant attacks, night train services have also been suspended throughout the state from Monday.
While 27 trains have been cancelled, 18 were rescheduled.
The New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express will culminate in Guwahati. The onward journey to Dibrugarh has been cancelled. Among those trains cancelled includes the Jana Shatabdi Express that runs between Guwahati and Jorhat.