Six ULFA(I) militants surrender before police in Assam

Six ULFA(I) militants today surrendered before the police along with sophisticated arms and ammunition in Assam, Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia said here.

The militants, members of the outfit's Arakkan camp along the Myanmar-Arunachal Pradesh border, had contacted the police in Tinsukia and expressed their desire to surrender as they were fed up with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) leadership, Saikia told reporters here.

The militants were brought to Guwahati where the Special Branch would conduct their detailed examination as per the Centre's recent surrender policy.

According to the preliminary report, the militants have been in the outfit for quite some time and had cited dissatisfaction with the leadership as the primary reason for leaving the outfit and returning to the mainstream, the DGP said.

" The ULFA(I) cadres were fed up with the activities of their leaders like kidnapping of indigenous workers of tea gardens, destroying the tea industry in Assam through extortions, difficulties faced in Myanmar and scant regard of the leaders to resolve their problems", Saikia said.

Besides, the cadres found it difficult to make an entry into Assam from the camps due to sustained presence of security forces along the border, he added.

"If this trend continues, more cadres may come forward to surrender", the DGP said.

The surrendered militants, who along with the weapons deposited were presented before the media here.

The surrendered militants deposited an AK-56 rifle, a MQ-81 rifle, a HK-33 rifle, two grenades, several magazines and ammunitions, five camouflage dress, cooking equipments, solar lamps and chargers, boots, tarpaulins and mats.