Guwahati, Oct. 20: The army has agreed to Dispur’s idea of offering safe passage to Ulfa militants to facilitate their return to the mainstream.

Army sources at the headquarters of 4 Corps in Tezpur today said the endorsement of Dispur’s move came after an elaborate round of consultations with the Eastern Command headquarters in Calcutta.

“We still regret having declared a ceasefire in 2006 and allowing the Ulfa to regroup, but the situation has changed since then, particularly after the A and C companies of Ulfa’s 28 battalion declared truce. The risks of regrouping have been minimised to a significant extent and, therefore, there is no harm in trying out the safe passage,” an army officer said.

The army is an integral part of the anti-insurgency machinery and its concurrence on any measure that might affect security is necessary.

Dispur is likely to approach the governor for his approval for the safe passage this week.

“Now that the army is also on our side there should not be much of a problem in getting his nod,” a state government official said, adding that the men in olive were otherwise against showing any leniency to the militants.

New Delhi had earlier rejected a demand made by the B company of Ulfa’s 28 battalion for disbanding the Unified Command as a precondition for it to join the pro-peace group

Early this month, Dispur rejected a proposal by the pro-peace A and C companies of the outfit to withdraw the army from Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.

But the government has been keen on the idea of offering safe passage to militants since it is convinced that a truce with the B company will virtually “finish off” Ulfa, as it was the only fighting arm of the outfit left in Upper Assam.

The cadres of the B company had initially shown a willingness to come along with their counterparts in the A and C companies, but fled after a series of strikes by the army left several militants dead in Upper Assam, the 28 battalion’s hunting ground.

Most of them are now taking shelter in the NSCN (Khaplang)’s camps in Myanmar.

Last month, sources in Dispur had said the safe passage to cadres of the B company was likely to “become operational” during Diwali.

But there are riders in its “safe passage” plan.

For instance, the rebels will not be allowed to carry their weapons. Besides, they have to inform the local police station about their movement if they choose to do so.

An army officer, however, expressed doubts about the efficacy of safe passage.

“We had to check out the possibilities that such an exercise could throw up and it was only after a thorough analysis that the nod was given,” he said.

Responses to certain situations that may arise during the period of the safe passage have also been worked out.

“We do not expect a repeat of the 2006 situation,” he said.

“Again, previous responses to such offers by the militants were not very encouraging,” he said.