One of the top leaders of Assam’s United Liberation Front of Asom or ULFA has surrendered to security forces in Meghalaya which comes as a huge blow to the Paresh Barua-led faction of insurgent group, reports bdnews24.com citing NDTV.
The deputy commander-in-chief of the faction, Drishti Rajkhowa, 50, surrendered in South West Garo Hills in Meghalaya on Wednesday, according to the report.
Rajkhowa was operating from ULFA hideouts for close to three decades and was active in the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya and in lower Assam.
NDTV’s military intelligence sources said they were in touch with Rajkhowa for some time and that he had sent feelers that he would like to surrender.
Meghalaya Police said barricades were placed at all vulnerable points on National Highway-62 on Wednesday after they received inputs that Rajkowa was likely to surrender.
The police received information that two vehicles were passing through Nongal police station suspiciously. At around 6:30 pm, the police said one of its teams detained two vehicles. During verification, it was found that Rajkowa was inside one of the vehicles.
Along with him, three others -- 25-year-old Rup Jyoti Rabha, 22-year-old Babul Rabha and 27-year-old Rahul Hazarika -- were detained.
During the verification, the authorities found many arms and ammunition in their possession, including an AK 81 rifle and two 9 mm pistols.
"Rajkhowa's surrender marks the end of two-decade-long armed conflict in the restive Garo Hills region in particular and Meghalaya in general," Meghalaya Director General of Police R Chandranathan told PTI.
"He was under tremendous pressure. It was just a matter of time before he surrendered. He was left with no other option but to give up arms," the top police officer said. He said Rajkhowa had earlier narrowly escaped twice this year in encounters with the state police.
Rajkhowa, whose original name is Manoj Rabha, is from Goalpara in Assam. He is currently in the custody of the army intelligence and is being brought to Assam, sources said.
The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) or ULFA (I) has been demanding an independent state of Assam. The government had banned the outfit in 1990. The Independent faction of ULFA led by Paresh Barua has been opposing talks with the centre.
