Jorhat, December 31
Sixteen hardcore militants, 15 from ULFA and one from MULTA, surrendered before the Indian Army here today. The militants surrendered before the Commander of 41 Sub-area Brigadier S.N. Sethia and handed over their arms and ammunition, officials said.
A pistol, two revolvers, one IED, three detonators, four grenades, two rounds of AK-47 ammunition and several documents were among the objects surrendered. Brigadier Sethia said that the surrender would be a big blow to the banned outfits operating in upper Assam.
He urged the militants languishing in jungles to contact their nearest army post and surrender. He assured that they would be treated with respect and their safety ensured. Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Dr Ravi Kota and Superintendent of Police P C Saloi were present during the surrender.
Bhaskar Bordoloi, one among the ULFA militants who surrendered today, said that he had come down from Bhutan last June. He said the strength of the outfit was decreasing.
He said that several hundreds of cadres had sneaked into Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland after the first quit notice was served by the Royal Bhutan government. —
PTI
