Paresh Barua's nephew joins Ulfa(I)

GUWAHATI: Amid a renewed attraction for Ulfa among youths in Assam, the outfit’s leader Paresh Barua’s 24-year-old nephew has joined the outfit based in Myanmar along with another youth. Police said the duo reported to the outfit’s hideout in Arunachal on Thursday.

Barua’s nephew, Munna Barua, who has very good educational record and topped his diploma course in electoral engineering from his institute had joined Indian Oil Corporation at Digboi last December as an apprentice. Munna went with another youth from Dibrugarh, Abhijit Gogoi, who is US returned computer engineer and was working in Bangalore.

“We have confirmed it that Paresh Barua’s nephew has joined Ulfa (I),” Tinsukia district superintendent of police Mugdhajyoti Mahanta told TOI.

Sources said that Ulfa (I)’s assistant finance secretary Pranomoy ‘Asom’, who was a medical practitioner with degree from China, is looking after recruitment of fresh and young blood.

Muna’s father, Bimal Barua told TOI, “He was unwell and informed us that he was coming home from Digboi (on November 15), but he never turned up. I have lodged two missing reports at Digboi and Chabua police stations. I can’t believe that he has gone to Ulfa (I)…it would be most unfortunate news for any parents who have educated their child brought them up well only to see them go and join a underground organization.”

Last week a Class 10, Karishma Mech of Lekhapani in Tinsukia district joined the outfit. Weeks before that a former AASU leader from Golaghat district, 27-year-old Pankaj Pratim Dutta posted a video posted on social media, announcing his joining in the outfit.

Police have described this flow of youths, all of them educated, as a new trend in Ulfa’s history. “These are educated and it would not be able to convince them easily to join a militant outfit. There must be something wrong,” a top police officer said. Many attribute to this trend of educated young boys and girls willingly take the plunge as a social fall-out of the turmoil brewing over the Citizenship (amendment) bill, similar to the conditions in the last 70’s during the anti-foreigners movement that gave birth to the outfit in 1979.

Assam police DG (home guards and civil defence) and in-charge of special branch, Pallab Bhattacharrya last week had told the media that strong opposition against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill has given “a fresh lease of life” to Ulfa(I).”