An Ulfa camp

Guwahati, Nov. 4: The efforts of security forces to convince Ulfa’s 28 battalion cadres who are still underground of the futility of armed struggle have started paying dividends.

Highly placed sources today said at least five cadres of the battalion, including a self-styled sergeant major, had fled their camps in Nagaland and taken shelter with the army. They will formally surrender soon.

Rinku Changmai of Borhat Changmai village fled the outfit’s camp in Mon district of Nagaland with an AK-47 rifle, a 9mm pistol and a grenade on Sunday. The army has kept him at an undisclosed location.

Self-styled Sgt Maj. Niren Sharma, and three other cadres of 28 battalion, Khagen Konwar, Bolin Konwar and Rinjit Tanti, fled their camps in Nagaland in the past two months and took shelter with the army, the sources said.

“These militants have also brought several weapons with them,” an official involved in counter-insurgency operations in Upper Assam said.

He said a few more cadres of the battalion would join the mainstream soon.

The sources said many cadres of the 28 battalion were interested in severing ties with Ulfa but were unable to decide whether to join the pro-peace group or to surrender.

“The pro-peace group is heading nowhere with no settlement with the government although it has been more than a year since it declared a unilateral ceasefire,” the official said, adding that this had left the cadres in a dilemma.

Jiten Dutta, a leader of the pro-talks group, confirmed that many cadres of the 28 battalion were showing interest in joining the group but were unable to make up their minds because of the impasse the pro-talks group had landed in.

“Had the government shown a positive response towards our demands, we are sure many more cadres, including some senior ones, would have joined us,” he said.

Dutta, however, denied having knowledge about some cadres of the 28 battalion fleeing camps in Nagaland and taking shelter with the army.

Another leader of the pro-talks group said disillusionment among its cadres was the reason behind a few of them escaping from the designated camps a few months ago. These cadres have surrendered before the security forces, he added.

A top Assam police official, however, said a few faulty moves by the army had compelled the cadres of the Bravo company of the 28 battalion not to join the pro-talks group, comprising cadres of the Alpha and Charlie companies.

“Had the army been cautious and not carried out a series of killings of Ulfa cadres just before the ceasefire declaration of the pro-talks group, the entire battalion would have come overground.” He said the killings had scared B company cadres, including its leader, Bijoy Chinese, who then decided to stay away.