The third kidnapped ONGC employee – Ritul Saikia is with the ULFA-I.
This was revealed by a surrendered cadre of the ULFA-I.
The surrendered ULFA-I cadre, whose name has not been disclosed by the security forces made this claim after laying arms.
“The cadre also revealed that in all probability, the third kidnapped ONGC personnel, Mr Ritul Saikia is with ULFA-I,” a statement from the defence read.
On April 21, 2021, three ONGC employees were abducted by ULFA(I) cadres from Romanian work-over rig of ONGC at Lakwa under Sivasagar district which created panic amongst the public and staff members of ONGC.
The “rescue of two among the three abductees, Mohini Mohan Gogoi and Alakesh Saikia in good health has brought some relief to the families as well as to ONGC family and general public”.
However, Ritul Das continues to be in captivity of ULFA-I.
Notably, the ULFA-I has been claiming they had left all the three abducted ONGC employees in a village in Nagaland’s Mon district.
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The ULFA-I cadre had surrendered before the security forces in Nagaland’s Mon district.
The ULFA-I cadre surrendered before the forces near the India-Myanmar border in Nagaland’s Mon.
The cadre surrendered before the Assam Rifles troopers at Mon on May 8.
The surrender came following “concentrated efforts of Tuensang Battalion of IGAR (North) under Spear Corps to convince insurgent cadres to join the mainstream”.
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Assam’s newly appointed chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has appealed to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I) to shun violence and join the peace process.
Hours after taking oath as the 15th chief minister of Assam, Sarma while addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Monday urged ULFA (I) chief Paresh Baruah to shun armed struggle and come to the negotiation table in the interest of restoring permanent peace in the state.
He also appealed to other insurgent groups active in the state to enter into a meaningful peace dialogue with both the state and the Centre ending armed conflict.
“Violence, kidnapping, extortion can never solve problems, it only makes things complicated,” Sarma said.