Guwahati, Dec. 4: Ulfa’s striking power has received a body blow with the arrest of the outfit’s deputy commander-in-chief, Raju Barua, who is believed to be one of the brains behind the major strikes in the three-decade-long bloody war for “freedom”.

“With the deputy commander coming overground, a large number of armed wing cadres, especially from the lower Assam districts, will join the mainstream very soon. And I am sure the striking power of Ulfa has received a setback,” said Russel Maradona, in-charge of the Nalbari-based designated camp of the pro-talks group of the outfit.

Hailing from a small village Chariya, around 7km from Nalbari town, Raju Barua was born Hitesh Kalita in the family of a farmer, Nabin Kalita.

His date of birth, according to records at Pub Kalakuchi High School, is March 22, 1966.

He passed the HSLC exams in 1982 with a first division and letter marks in mathematics. He also secured a first division in the science stream of the Higher Secondary final exams from Nalbari College.

It was around 1986, when he was a student of BSc in the same college, that Hitesh came in touch with the well-known Ulfa leader Uddipta Hazarika, the spokesperson for the outfit. It was Hazarika who inspired Hitesh to join the organisation and Raju Barua the rebel was born.

Barua underwent training in the outfit’s camps in Assam and Myanmar before he began demonstrating exceptional military skills and went on to become deputy commander.

Known to be an idealist as a youngster, Barua had always stood up against any act of injustice against anyone.

“He had leadership qualities and a good command over his cadres,” the pro-talks leader said.

Barua is the most trusted lieutenant of commander-in-chief Paresh Barua. The commander had played a part in Barua’s election to the post of his deputy.

A source said it was because of Barua’s command over the cadres that Nalbari, his home district, hardly witnessed a major incident till recently. “It is still a mystery why the outfit carried out two blasts at Nalbari on November 22, but one thing is certain: it was executed without the knowledge of Barua,” Maradona said.