NEW DELHI, Dec 8 ? Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee today rubbished outlawed ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah?s contention that they have planted their cadres in security forces, asserting that nothing much should be read into the claim.
The issue figured during the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, when an agitated former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and MP Farooq Abdullah expressing concern said that the Government of India should take the matter seriously. ?A militant outfit has claimed to have infiltrated into security forces and the Government should be cautious,? he said.
The Defence Minister, however, did not sound too perturbed. ?I am afraid we should not take such claims too seriously. It is very easy for Paresh Baruah sitting in Dhaka to make such statements. Let us not be agitated over such claims,? Sri Mukherjee urged members.
The elusive commander-in-chief had claimed that constable S Deka was an active member of ULFA for a long time declaring the CRPF man, who killed five of his colleagues, as a martyr. ?The Government of India has been trying to use the same tactics against us for a long time and we are also following the same path to hit back at the Indian security forces,? he had told this newspaper. The ULFA C-in-C further claimed that about 150 cadres of the outfit had been serving in different capacities in police and other paramilitary forces.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the first-time admitted that ULFA has managed to regroup after the army operations in Bhutan. Reports indicate that ULFA has since regrouped them to some extent and have resorted to coordinated actions leading to resurgence of violence, particularly in August and October, said Minister of State for Home Affairs, S. Reghupathy.
The military operations against ULFA and NDFB in Bhutan last December had considerably affected their capabilities, he added. According to reports following Royal Bhutan Army operations, a large number of ULFA cadres had sneaked into Bangladesh. There are also reports that ULFA leaders and cadres have been staying in Bangladesh and have set up camps and hideouts in that country, the Minister confirmed.
Reports also indicate that ULFA has links with Pakistan?s ISI, which in turn has links with Bangladesh-based Jehadi organisations, the Minister said in reply to a Rajya Sabha question.
The Minister further confirmed that ULFA, NDFB and other North-east based militant outfits have been acquiring sophisticated weapons of foreign origin through Bangladesh.
?It is, however, not correct to say that fire power available with State police forces was no match to weaponry held by the militants,? the Minister countered. The Minister, however, declined to concede that illegal infiltration from Bangladesh was reason behind rise in militancy in the State. Illegal infiltration is only one of the many factors resulting in insurgency situation in parts of the North-east, he said.
Meanwhile, net around militant leaders operating out of South East Asian countries is tightening, with India working on signing extradition treaties with Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. It is the policy of the Government to sign extradition treaties with as many countries as possible, Minister of State for External Affairs, E.Ahmed said in the Lok Sabha.
The extradition treaties provide the legal framework for seeking extradition of fugitive offenders charged with extraditable offences. Many of the militant leaders in North-east including top leaders of ULFA are known to frequent Thailand on business. The general secretary of NSCN (I-M), Th.Muivah was detained in Bangkok in 2001 by Thai authorities.