Guwahati, June 14: The coordination committee of former Ulfa rebels today set a month’s deadline to the government for withdrawing all cases pending against its members or face a “massive agitation” by militants who have returned to the mainstream.

The organisation, which has nearly 14,000 members, accused the government of not fulfilling its promise of withdrawing the cases pending against the former rebels and also of not paying ex gratia and monthly stipend promised to them at the time of surrender.

“Most of our members have to pay regular visits to the high court as well as the Tada court in Guwahati. Those who have to come from places like Jorhat or Dibrugarh are incurring heavy expenses because of these cases as they have to travel a long distance and stay in hotels to appear in court,” Dhananjoy Rabha, the working president of the committee, said.

He said these former rebels had come overground and decided to join the mainstream after realising the futility of the armed struggle. “But it seems that we are not welcome. The government has done very little to help us lead life as normal citizens.”

The members of the organisation include rebels who were among the first batch of Ulfa militants to surrender in 1992. Under its rehabilitation package, the state government pays Rs 2,000 per month to each surrendered rebel in addition to an ex gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh. While the cases against them are withdrawn, the former rebels are also provided vocational training.

Unlike Ulfa rebels, the government has withdrawn the cases against most of the former Bodo Liberation Tigers, whose leaders are now the Congress’s partners in Dispur.

The former Ulfa rebels’ organisation said of the nearly 14,000 members, “7,642 have got neither the ex gratia nor the monthly stipend”.

“All that we got was a gamocha each during surrender,” the committee’s vice-president, Anirban Roy, said.

He said despite repeated reminders to the government, Dispur was yet to respond to their pleas.

“We have waited so long. But not anymore. Unless the government responds positively to our demand we will launch an agitation. That is the only way left,” he added.

A police officer today said only cases relating to small crimes could be lifted but not those relating to major ones like murder.