(Clockwise from left) Ulfa leader Mrinal Hazarika and his three associates, Jagat Barua, Mahesh Gupta and Pradip, being produced in a Siliguri court on Thursday. Pictures by Diptendu Dutta

May 18: Security officials smiled in celebration of a ?prize catch? and peace negotiators sulked in anticipation of a strong negative reaction from Ulfa after news came in from Bengal that one of the militant group?s top leaders and ?close Paresh Barua aide? had been arrested in Siliguri.

Mrinal Hazarika, alias Plabon Phukan, is the ?commanding officer? of the outfit?s 28 Battalion and was arrested last evening along with three associates. Also called the ?Kashmir camp? in Ulfa parlance, the unit he heads is known to be behind most incidents of subversion in Upper Assam.

?What is of even more interest to us is that he is close to the Ulfa commander-in-chief,? a police official said in Guwahati.

A three-member team from Assam police?s Special Operations unit today headed for Siliguri to bring Hazarika to Assam for interrogation. The 45-year-old militant leader and his three associates ? Jagat Baruah alias Munu Baruah, 20, from Sivasagar, Mahesh Gupta, 35, from Dibrugarh and Pradip, 35, from Tinsukia ? were arrested by an Intelligence Bureau team based on inputs from Assam police.

The quartet had entered North Bengal from Nepal and was staying in two hotels in the Pradhannagar locality of Siliguri.

Several incriminating documents, an active satellite telephone, two mobile phones with Assam Telecom Circle numbers, an improvised pistol with a few bullets, Rs 20,370 in Indian currency and Rs 13 in Nepali currency were seized from them, inspector-general of police (North Bengal) K.L. Meena said.

The militants were interrogated throughout the day at Pradhannagar police station and later produced in a Siliguri court.

Hazarika is one among only 11 Ulfa members who were given satellite phones to keep in touch with the outfit?s leadership. ?His arrest will give us leads in the investigation into the Dhemaji blasts (2004) and a series of extortion cases. An interrogation will also reveal the outfit?s actual stand on the talks and the ongoing peace process since he is reported to be very close to the Ulfa commander-in-chief,? a Guwahati-based intelligence official said.

The Ulfa-constituted People?s Consultative Group, however, warned against sending ?wrong signals? to the Ulfa at a time when the peace process was progressing well. ?Personally, I feel this is a wrong signal when there is need for direct talks between Ulfa and the Centre. There is also a need to suspend such operations and release jailed members of the outfit to prepare the ground for talks,? PCG member Hiranya Saikia said.

He said the militant group deserved a chance to sit across the table for negotiations after having shown its inclination for talks. ?That is why Ulfa has been holding fire, evident from the violence-free Assembly elections. The administration needs to reciprocate this.?

Hazarika hails from Pathan Patty, in Dibrugarh and joined Ulfa in 1985 while studying commerce at DHSK College.

He was made commander of the 28 Battalion, replacing Benu Moran, after Bhutan?s military operation against militant groups taking shelter in its territory.