Children enjoy the warmth of a pre-Bihu meji in Tezpur on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati/Dibrugarh, Jan. 12: After 15 long years, Upper Assam will bite into a peaceful Bhogali Bihu and savour the fringe benefits of a truce between Ulfa’s most potent combat wing and the government.

In 2006, 12 Hindi-speaking persons were gunned down just before Magh Bihu in Tinsukia district.

Sporadic incidents of violence marred Bihu in 15 other pockets of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia — taking the weekend death count to 48 that year.

If it was not Ulfa, the restrictions imposed by the security personnel on outdoor celebrations spoilt the fun.

With the Alpha and Charlie companies of Ulfa’s 28 battalion now overground and in a ceasefire with the government, til pitha will taste sweeter for the militancy-scarred people than it did in a long time.

Such is the enthusiasm that at Demow in Sivasagar, where Ulfa was born, a social organisation is organising a three-day Magh Bihu programme beginning tomorrow, at the local public playground.

“Where was Bihu all these years? Things seem to have improved in the past few months. We are preparing for a grand Bihu, at least, without the fear of the gun,” Purnakanta Moran, 60, said.

But the ones most eager about the festival are the former Ulfa rebels. Bihu, this time, will not be deep inside the jungles but among their own people.

“Many of us don’t even remember when we last celebrated Bihu,” Mrinal Hazarika, a leader of the pro-peace group, said over phone.

“Probably it was just before Operation Rhino began.”

Jiten Dutta, another leader, said most the cadres are now busy collecting firewood for meji (bonfire) at the Kakopathar designated camp.

“We have requested the villagers near the designated camp to help us cook pitha and other Bihu delicacies and also to join us in the celebrations,” he said.