A private oil refinery in Assam. Telegraph picture

Dibrugarh, June 4: The anti-talks faction of the proscribed Ulfa today served a quit notice to a private service provider oil company, currently engaged in operations in collaboration with petroleum giants Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGCL) and Oil India Limited (OIL), in Upper Assam’s Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.

The outfit’s threat came in the form of a press release signed and issued by self-styled lieutenant Arunudoy Dahotia, controller of the central publicity wing of the outfit. In the statement, it has asked the company, M/s. Shiv-vani Oil and Gas Services Private Limited, to leave Assam within 45 days, starting today.

Dahotia alleged that the company had always adopted an anti-Assam and anti-Assamese role for several years now.

“The company was solely focussed on exploiting the rich natural resources of our motherland and never cared to give anything in return. Therefore, we ask the company to wind up all its activities in Assam within 45 days and leave,” the press release stated.

The outfit also threatened that if the officials did not follow the diktat issued by the outfit, it would have to face armed resistance from them, along with the people of Assam.

“If the company tries to disobey the diktat and collaborate with the Indian occupational forces to carry out military operations against the outfit, the officials and employees of the company will be targeted,” the statement said.

Shiv-vani has four oil rigs in collaboration with ONGCL in various locations of Sivasagar district and five others in collaboration with OIL in various locations in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.

The company has a project office in Duliajan and base office in Tinsukia and around 1,000 officials, employees and workers for its operations in Assam.

Repeated attempts to contact Manish Shetty, the company’s base manager at the Tinsukia office, failed as the official had switched off his cellphone. Attempts to contact Moloy Mullick, the project manager, also did not materialise.

A close aide of the company in Duliajan said Shetty had called him around noon today during which he confirmed the receipt of threat from the outfit.

Deputy inspector-general (eastern range) Anurag Tankha said attempts were being made to contact the company officials.

“Earlier, too, we had information about the outfit serving extortion notes to the company, but serving a quit notice is something new. We are trying to verify the facts,” Tankha said.