ULFA (I)’s top gun and deputy-commander-in-chief Drishti Rajkhowa (originally Manoj Rabha) has surrendered to the Meghalaya Police on Wednesday.

Drishti Rajkhowa was cornered in a gunbattle with police and commandoes on Wednesday afternoon. 
 
United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) is a designated militant organisation (separatist group) operating in the Indian state of Assam. 
 
"Rajkhowa surrendered to the police in South Garo Hills district. He is now being interrogated," district police chief P. Pandey said late on Wednesday night but refused to give further details.

Rajkhowa is currently under the custody of the Army intelligence and is being brought to Assam, they said. 
 
He is known to be a close confidant of Paresh Baruah, the so-called 'commander-in-chief' of United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent). 
 
The sources said Rajkhowa was based in Bangladesh till recently and came to Meghalaya few weeks ago. 
 
His surrender is a major setback for the militant group, said a senior security expert. 
 
The ULFA (I) has been demanding an independent state of Assam. The government had banned the outfit in 1990.

(With inputs from agencies)

ULFA (I)’s top gun and deputy-commander-in-chief Drishti Rajkhowa (originally Manoj Rabha) has surrendered to the Meghalaya Police on Wednesday. Drishti Rajkhowa was cornered in a gunbattle with police and commandoes on Wednesday afternoon.

ULFA (I)’s top gun and deputy-commander-in-chief Drishti Rajkhowa (originally Manoj Rabha) has surrendered to the Meghalaya Police on Wednesday. Drishti Rajkhowa was cornered in a gunbattle with police and commandoes on Wednesday afternoon. United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) is a designated militant organisation (separatist group) operating in the Indian state of Assam. "Rajkhowa surrendered to the police in South Garo Hills district. He is now being interrogated," district police chief P. Pandey said late on Wednesday night but refused to give further details. Rajkhowa is currently under the custody of the Army intelligence and is being brought to Assam, they said. He is known to be a close confidant of Paresh Baruah, the so-called 'commander-in-chief' of United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent). The sources said Rajkhowa was based in Bangladesh till recently and came to Meghalaya few weeks ago. His surrender is a major setback for the militant group, said a senior security expert. The ULFA (I) has been demanding an independent state of Assam. The government had banned the outfit in 1990. (With inputs from agencies)

ULFA (I) second-in-command Drishti Rajkhowa ‘surrenders’ in Meghalaya

As the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated to identify illegal immigrants in Assam, Naxals are trying to take full advantage of the situation, a government official told the Zee group. The official said top Naxal leaders are making efforts to establish bases among the terrorist outfit the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and radical Muslim&nbsp;organisations based in Assam.

Naxals are giving support openly to radical Muslim organisations who are critical of the government and also guiding their agitation, the official said. He added that they are also trying to form a new red corridor by establishing contact with the ULFA so that they can get a regular supply of arms for their cadres.

''There are reports about the presence of Maoists in Assam. We are trying to know what is the current scale of Maoist activities in Assam including cadre strength, the area of operations, leadership and traction," said an officer deployed with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The final draft of the NRC list excluded nearly four million people triggering widespread anguish and intense agitation in several parts of the state.

Maoists lay considerable emphasis on the preparation of documents regarding their attacks on security forces. They have a strength of around five thousand armed cadres. The Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, covering parts of the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra presented the most formidable challenge for security forces. However, the increasing age of the senior leaders of the outfit is also a matter of concern for the Maoists, as it affecting their mobility. Further, the death and surrender of many senior leaders had adversely affected the outfit.

"There is a crisis in the mid-level leadership in the Maoist group. Security forces have enhanced operations in the core areas of the outfit had affected their supply chain. This is the reason the top leadership of Naxals are desperate to form a new supply line," the MHA officer said.

Three districts of South Bastar — Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma — are the most formidable strongholds of the Naxals and it is also their main recruiting ground. South Sukma is the operating area of the Battalion Number 1 of PLGA which had an estimated strength of 150 armed cadres.

As the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated to identify illegal immigrants in Assam, Naxals are trying to take full advantage of the situation, a government official told the Zee group.

As the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated to identify illegal immigrants in Assam, Naxals are trying to take full advantage of the situation, a government official told the Zee group. The official said top Naxal leaders are making efforts to establish bases among the terrorist outfit the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and radical Muslim organisations based in Assam. Naxals are giving support openly to radical Muslim organisations who are critical of the government and also guiding their agitation, the official said. He added that they are also trying to form a new red corridor by establishing contact with the ULFA so that they can get a regular supply of arms for their cadres. ''There are reports about the presence of Maoists in Assam. We are trying to know what is the current scale of Maoist activities in Assam including cadre strength, the area of operations, leadership and traction," said an officer deployed with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The final draft of the NRC list excluded nearly four million people triggering widespread anguish and intense agitation in several parts of the state. Maoists lay considerable emphasis on the preparation of documents regarding their attacks on security forces. They have a strength of around five thousand armed cadres. The Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, covering parts of the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra presented the most formidable challenge for security forces. However, the increasing age of the senior leaders of the outfit is also a matter of concern for the Maoists, as it affecting their mobility. Further, the death and surrender of many senior leaders had adversely affected the outfit. "There is a crisis in the mid-level leadership in the Maoist group. Security forces have enhanced operations in the core areas of the outfit had affected their supply chain. This is the reason the top leadership of Naxals are desperate to form a new supply line," the MHA officer said. Three districts of South Bastar — Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma — are the most formidable strongholds of the Naxals and it is also their main recruiting ground. South Sukma is the operating area of the Battalion Number 1 of PLGA which had an estimated strength of 150 armed cadres.

Reports of Naxals establishing new base in Assam: Official

Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said Thursday a six-member team of the proscribed ULFA(I) militants was behind the killing of five Bengali-speaking persons at Tinsukia district earlier this month.

The DGP's statement came on a day when at least two people were killed and several more injured in a grenade attack by suspected ULFA (Independent) militants in Sibsagar district of upper Assam.

On the night of November 1, a group of assailants called out six villagers of Kherbari. They then took them to the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five of them on spot. One of them survived the firing. The needle of suspicion was towards the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) from the very beginning but the organisation denied any role in the killing.

"Preliminary investigations conducted by police and NIA into the killings have already started. We have all the information how the incident took place. We have sufficient technical evidence about a six-member team of the ULFA(I) being behind the Tinsukia firing incident," DGP Saikia told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting.

The Assam police in co-ordination with neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland police is jointly investigating the case for the past three days, he said.

On ULFA(I)'s denial about its involvement, Saikia said, "We have not given any importance to that though ULFA(I) had issued a clarification after the incident."

Saikia said ULFA-I is active in recruiting youths in upper Assam and that was proved with two incidents of abduction of a stone quarry manager and tea garden manager at Jagun and Charaideo, respectively, this week.

A senior Assam Police officer recently said growing public sentiment against the Centre's move to amend the Citizenship Act has given a "fresh lease of life" to the outlawed ULFA, which has recruited eights youths since September.

However, senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Wednesday sought to underplay this, saying there was nothing new in youngsters from the state joining the proscribed outfit.&nbsp;

Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said Thursday a six-member team of the proscribed ULFA(I) militants was behind the killing of five Bengali-speaking persons at Tinsukia district earlier this month.

Assam Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said Thursday a six-member team of the proscribed ULFA(I) militants was behind the killing of five Bengali-speaking persons at Tinsukia district earlier this month. The DGP's statement came on a day when at least two people were killed and several more injured in a grenade attack by suspected ULFA (Independent) militants in Sibsagar district of upper Assam. On the night of November 1, a group of assailants called out six villagers of Kherbari. They then took them to the edge of Dhola-Sadiya bridge in the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five of them on spot. One of them survived the firing. The needle of suspicion was towards the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) from the very beginning but the organisation denied any role in the killing. "Preliminary investigations conducted by police and NIA into the killings have already started. We have all the information how the incident took place. We have sufficient technical evidence about a six-member team of the ULFA(I) being behind the Tinsukia firing incident," DGP Saikia told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting. The Assam police in co-ordination with neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland police is jointly investigating the case for the past three days, he said. On ULFA(I)'s denial about its involvement, Saikia said, "We have not given any importance to that though ULFA(I) had issued a clarification after the incident." Saikia said ULFA-I is active in recruiting youths in upper Assam and that was proved with two incidents of abduction of a stone quarry manager and tea garden manager at Jagun and Charaideo, respectively, this week. A senior Assam Police officer recently said growing public sentiment against the Centre's move to amend the Citizenship Act has given a "fresh lease of life" to the outlawed ULFA, which has recruited eights youths since September. However, senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Wednesday sought to underplay this, saying there was nothing new in youngsters from the state joining the proscribed outfit.

ULFA(I) behind Tinsukia killings, says Assam DGP

China on Tuesday said it followed a policy of "non-interference" in other countries' affairs over India's concern that it was sheltering United Liberation Front of Assam(ULFA) chief Paresh Baruah.

On Monday, India had asked Beijing not to give shelter to ULFA leader Paresh Baruah at a high-level meeting on bilateral security cooperation which was co-chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh and Zhao Kezhi, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security of China.

"I shall stress that the Chinese government has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. This remains unchanged," China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said.&nbsp;

India had reportedly objected to the frequent visit of the ULFA chief to China and smuggling of arms and narcotics to the Northeast, newswire PTI quoted Indian officials. India also requested China to support the pending application in the UN to designate JeM terror group leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

India blames Azhar for masterminding the Khandhar Indian airlines hijack in 1999 and also being the prime mover for the terror attack on Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in 2016.

China said it would look into the "merits of the matter" while deciding the fate of Azhar. China has repeatedly blocked the bid at the United Nations to list Azhar as a global terrorist.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "As per to India's request for the listing of Masood (Azhar) we already stated our position for many times," adding," on the counter-terrorism issue, China has always actively participated in international anti-terrorist operations. We have always made our decisions and judgements on the merits of the matter itself."

"We will continue to step up the security cooperation to uphold the regional peace and stability with parties," it said.

After the meeting with Rajanth Singh, the home ministry in a statement said that the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, and welcomed increased security cooperation between India and China.

An agreement on security cooperation between the Home Ministry and China's Ministry of Public Security was also signed by Rajanth Singh and Zhao Kezhi, an earlier MoU signed between the two sides on security had lapsed two years ago.

Kezhi is on a bilateral visit to India from October 21 to 25 during which he will also travel to Mumbai. The Chinese delegation also visited the headquarters of India's premier paramilitary force the CRPF. 
&nbsp;

China on Tuesday said it followed a policy of "non-interference" in other countries' affairs over India's concern that it was sheltering United Liberation Front of Assam(ULFA) chief Paresh Baruah.

China on Tuesday said it followed a policy of "non-interference" in other countries' affairs over India's concern that it was sheltering United Liberation Front of Assam(ULFA) chief Paresh Baruah. On Monday, India had asked Beijing not to give shelter to ULFA leader Paresh Baruah at a high-level meeting on bilateral security cooperation which was co-chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh and Zhao Kezhi, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security of China. "I shall stress that the Chinese government has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. This remains unchanged," China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said. India had reportedly objected to the frequent visit of the ULFA chief to China and smuggling of arms and narcotics to the Northeast, newswire PTI quoted Indian officials. India also requested China to support the pending application in the UN to designate JeM terror group leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. India blames Azhar for masterminding the Khandhar Indian airlines hijack in 1999 and also being the prime mover for the terror attack on Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in 2016. China said it would look into the "merits of the matter" while deciding the fate of Azhar. China has repeatedly blocked the bid at the United Nations to list Azhar as a global terrorist. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "As per to India's request for the listing of Masood (Azhar) we already stated our position for many times," adding," on the counter-terrorism issue, China has always actively participated in international anti-terrorist operations. We have always made our decisions and judgements on the merits of the matter itself." "We will continue to step up the security cooperation to uphold the regional peace and stability with parties," it said. After the meeting with Rajanth Singh, the home ministry in a statement said that the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest, including bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, and welcomed increased security cooperation between India and China. An agreement on security cooperation between the Home Ministry and China's Ministry of Public Security was also signed by Rajanth Singh and Zhao Kezhi, an earlier MoU signed between the two sides on security had lapsed two years ago. Kezhi is on a bilateral visit to India from October 21 to 25 during which he will also travel to Mumbai. The Chinese delegation also visited the headquarters of India's premier paramilitary force the CRPF.

We follow policy of non-interference: China on India's request not to shelter ULFA chief

The government has appointed former special secretary of RAW, AB Mathur, as government interlocutor for talks with ULFA in Assam.&nbsp;&nbsp;

AB Mathur is an IPS officer from the 1975 batch.

Before his&nbsp;appointment in RAW, he was part of Intelligence Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs.&nbsp;

United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is a separatist outfit which operates in Assam.&nbsp;It was declared as a terrorist organisation in 1990 and was banned by the government of India.&nbsp;

It reportedly runs numerous training camps in Bangladesh.

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Former Special Secretary (RAW) A.B Mathur appointed as government interlocutor for talks with ULFA, Assam.
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AB Mathur as government interlocutor for talks with ULFA in Assam

The government has appointed former special secretary of RAW, AB Mathur, as government interlocutor for talks with ULFA in Assam. AB Mathur is an IPS officer from the 1975 batch. Before his appointment in RAW, he was part of Intelligence Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs. United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is a separatist outfit which operates in Assam. It was declared as a terrorist organisation in 1990 and was banned by the government of India. It reportedly runs numerous training camps in Bangladesh. Former Special Secretary (RAW) A.B Mathur appointed as government interlocutor for talks with ULFA, Assam. — ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2018 ×

Former Special Secretary of RAW, AB Mathur appointed as interlocutor in Assam

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ULFA (I) second-in-command Drishti Rajkhowa ‘surrenders’ in Meghalaya

Reports of Naxals establishing new base in Assam: Official

ULFA(I) behind Tinsukia killings, says Assam DGP

We follow policy of non-interference: China on India's request not to shelter ULFA chief

Former Special Secretary of RAW, AB Mathur appointed as interlocutor in Assam