The gathering at the Kakopathar meeting on Tuesday. (Below) Jiten Dutta consoles family members who broke down after the reunion. Pictures by Pronib Das

Kakopathar, July 8: A sea of humanity defied an Ulfa warning and gathered at a Kakopathar auditorium to endorse the path of peace chosen by a section of the outfit’s most potent battalion.

A crowd of nearly 5,000 people, who had poured in from every corner of the district, waited patiently as Mrinal Hazarika and Moon Borah — the 28 battalion leaders who had offered truce last month — rose to reveal their plans for a peaceful Assam.

Hazarika, Borah and Joon Sonowal were expelled from the outfit yesterday for anti-organisational activities and for beginning talks with “colonial India”.

The Ulfa chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, had warned the people of Assam against extending co-operation to the pro-peace group in its initiative.

The crowd that assembled at the meeting organised by the Nirjatan Biruddhi Oikya Mancha today replied to the outfit’s warning by sending out a loud and clear message — that the people were no longer in a mood to abide by its diktats.

If the people defied Ulfa in action, Hazarika did so in words.

He lashed out at the Ulfa leadership for its arrogant attitude, adding that merely issuing telephonic threats to the leaders and cadres who have voiced their desire for peace would no longer work.

The huge turnout during today’s meeting was only an indication of that, he said.

“We have noticed that some elements and forces have been constantly trying to derail the fresh peace initiative but let us make it very clear that our intention had never been to become leaders and sit for talks with the government. We have only tried to create an atmosphere for both our central leadership and the government to sit for direct talks so that we can have peace in our state,” Hazarika said at the meeting chaired by Lakhi Phukon, the president of the mancha.

Borah, alias Jiten Dutta, on the other hand, assured those gathered that they would never resort to factional clashes to drive home their point.

“Doubts had been raised by various quarters that there will be another round of clashes between the so-called pro-talks and anti-talks factions after the unilateral declaration of ceasefire and subsequent rejection of the same by our central leadership. We want to make a public commitment today that there will be no such fighting, at least we will never take any step towards that,” Borah said.

The meeting ended in a tearful family re-union, as Borah, Montu Sonowal, Chandan Dahotia, Riddip Neog and Rudra Gogoi hugged their relatives after decades.

“It has been almost two decades now since I have met these people…Moi aji aru eku kobo nuwarim (I will not be able to say anything more today), it is altogether a different feeling,” Borah said.

“I have come here with a dual objective of interacting with the people, as well as meet my family members. I have not seen them for almost 16 years. I cannot express the feelings. I met one of my sisters, who was a small girl then and is grown up now,” Sonowal said.

Among those present were sisters of slain Ulfa members Prafulla Hazarika and Oben Moran.

“Our brothers have gone, never to come back again. But our prayer to all is that there should not be any more bloodshed. Let us give peace a chance,” Moran’s sister, Abanti, said.