Silchar, June 1: Mediators trying to secure the release of Assam minister G.C. Langthasa’s youngest son Nirmal from Ulfa custody have reached a dead end. A member of the Langthasa family said last night that the militant group was unwilling to set Nirmal, a businessman, free without taking full advantage of the situation.
He said Ulfa members based in Karbi Anglong, who had been negotiating with the mediators, became incommunicado after conveying the message that any decision on the topic would henceforth be taken only by the top leadership.
Driven to despair by the deadlock, the minister’s family is understood to be contemplating ways to contact Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Barua in Bangladesh.
A source said Langthasa was willing to pay a hefty ransom, but the militant group apparently had other ideas.
The rebel outfit initially put a price of Rs 3 crore on Nirmal’s freedom.Langthasa is the state’s veterinary minister and the most high-profile political leader from the remote North Cachar Hills.
His youngest son, who recently signed lucrative contracts with the public works department and the railways for projects in the North Cachar Hills, was taken hostage at Baithalangsho in adjacent Karbi Anglong district on April 27.
Nirmal’s sibling Narmendu was shot dead by Hmar militants in Halflong, headquarters of North Cachar Hills district, on May 12 last year.
The eldest of Langthasa’s five sons, Purnendu, is the chief executive member of the North Cachar Autonomous District Council.
Intelligence agencies suspect the Ulfa is holding Nirmal captive to bargain for the release of some of its leaders who were arrested or forced to surrender during Bhutan’s operation against militant groups of the Northeast six months ago.