ULFA (I) issues ultimatum to Bengalis in Assam for clearing their stance on separate Barak; BDF Chief Convenor, urges the outfit to consider the historical context

In a concerning development, a secessionist militant outfit, the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), commonly abbreviated as ULFA (I), has issued a threatening ultimatum to Bengali residents living in various regions of Assam, demanding that they publicly clarify their stance regarding the proposed separation of Barak Valley within the next sixty days. The ULFA’s press release, addressed to the media, has sparked old debates regarding claims of indigeneity in the state of Assam.

The press release emphasises that Assam, home to a multitude of ethnic groups living in harmony for centuries, should preserve its unity and solidarity. It starts by mentioning the organisation’s belief that the Kachari Kingdom’s rule in the Barak Valley region had no Bengali influence or control whatsoever while simultaneously stating the “fact” being “as true as sunlight” with the further assertion that historical treaties signed in the context of geopolitics highlight the region’s original inhabitants devoid of Bengalis.

The release criticised individuals like Pradip Dutta Roy, who are advocating for Barak Valley’s secession from Assam, citing their claims as detrimental to indigenous communities’ cohesiveness. The organisation asserted that Barak Valley is not Pradeep Dutta Roy’s ancestral property and the forefathers of Bengalis like Pradeep Dutta Roy did not contribute the least to the Valley while their likes dream of a separate state under the pretext of the “so-called democracy” of “enemy country India”. In contrast, it emphasises that the original inhabitants of the entire Asian region sacrificed their lives to protect the area from foreigners.

The militant outfit is also of the opinion that the “colonial Indian state” has no right to disintegrate Assam, nor can any political leader or so-called intellectual who grew up under the “patronisation of colonisers” do so.

In response to ULFA’s press release, Barak Democratic Front (BDF) Chief Convenor, Pradip Dutta Roy, expressed his surprise, highlighting that ULFA itself had sought refuge in Bangladesh and led the secessionist movement of Assam from there. He questioned the group’s hypocritical opposition to Bengalis while asserting that ULFA’s demand for a separate country would not be fulfilled by the Indian Government for the foreseeable future even in the next hundred years.

Dutta Roy urged ULFA to consider the historical context of Assam in its entirety, particularly mentioning the Pala Dynasty’s (901-1100 AD) rule in the region and the Sen Dynasty prior to that. He pointed out that Barak Valley was never a part of Assam historically, having belonged to undivided Bengal and later to East Bengal. The Chief Convenor also emphasised the significant contributions made by Bengalis to India’s freedom movement in response to the militant outfit’s skepticism. He called on ULFA to engage in dialogue with the Indian Government and asserted that the demand for a separate Barak state would be withdrawn if the concerns of Bengalis were addressed by the state government. He questioned ULFA’s hypocritical silence on other statehood movements initiated by Bodos and Rajbongshis in Assam while also mentioning the organisation’s indifference during the separation of Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh from Assam.

This development has stirred debate and concerns in the region, with many hoping for peaceful dialogue and resolution. The Assam Government has been urged to take stern action against the militant outfit and its potential to cause sabotage in the state after racially profiling and threatening Bengalis.

It may be mentioned that the militant outfit ULFA (I) has been waging a secessionist war against the Indian Union for many decades with the aim of establishing an independent Assam free from “colonial rule”. There have been allegations that the organisation has links with foreign countries which have often at times aided its separatist struggle through funding and supply of arms