202 ultras surrender on I-Day

GUWAHATI, August 16: As many as 202 extremists surrendered in different parts of the state on the occasion of Independence Day yesterday. An official release said of the militants who surrendered, 178 belonged to the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), 23 to the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and one from the Bodoland Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF). The ultras also surrendered 47 pieces of firearms, 599 rounds of ammunition, 23 explosive devices, 10 kg of explosive materials. In Guwahati, 47 ultras - 34 belonging to the ULFA, 12 to the NDFB and one to BLTF - surrendered to the Assam chief minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, at a function in the office of the Kamrup deputy commissioner. Welcoming the militants back to the mainstream, Mahanta called upon them to devote themselves to building a prosperous and peaceful Assam. An official release said 27 militants - 20 from ULFA and seven from NDFB - surrendered in Bongaigaon, one surrendered in Nalbari, six in Tinsukia, eight in Dibrugarh, 17 in Sibsagar, eight in Jorhat, two in Golaghat, 12 in Nagaon, seven in Morigaon, 20 in Goalpara, 25 in Darrang, 16 in Sonitpur and six in Karbi Anglong.