Guwahati: In what has become a major cause of worry for security forces, a Class 10 girl who was missing for past few days has joined outlawed United Liberation front of Asom (Independent) led by Paresh Baruah.
Karishma Mech, who hails from Lekhapani in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, was missing from her home for the past few days. Security sources said that on verification it was found that the schoolgirl, who left her home on pretext of going to take part in a sports event, has joined the armed rebel group operating from Myanmar.
Though, immediate reason behind her joining the Ulfa-I was not known, family members admitted that she was in touch with few youth who frequently called her. “We were told that she was going to take part in a sports event and her friends are advising her to do well,” said the aggrieved mother of Karishma Mech. She was the student of Jagun high school.
Security sources said that another person from Jagun area Chandra Buragohain is also suspected to have joined Ulfa-I. “We are trying to find out if they have gone together,” said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.
Admitting that even police department was groping in dark over this trend of youth joining Ulfa-I once again, security sources said that police have no strategy to arrest this trend. The Assam police, which claimed that only eight boys have joined the outfit due to growing dissension over citizenship bill was tight-lipped over the development.
It is significant that a leader of All-Assam Students’ Union (AASU) from Golaghat recently joined the outfit. He announced his decision of joining the outfit through a video message on social media.
Senior leader of pro-talk faction of Ulfa Anup Chetia told reporters that a large number of youth from various parts of the state joined the Ulfa-I in recent days. He claimed that a strong pro-Ulfa-I mood is building up in Assam in the wake of the widespread protests against the Centre’s move to get the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, passed in the Parliament to legalise the stay of the non-Muslim immigrants.
Stressing the need of better coordination among the security agencies of the state, sources indicated that hierarchy of the state police force was also divided in camps with many senior police officers dragged in various old cases pending against them.
Refusing to elaborate, security sources said that ongoing agitation against Citizenship Bill has not only added fuel to the situation but also helping the Ulfa-I in exploiting the advantage of social polarisation on citizenship issue.