In an unexpected turn of events, a young individual employed by the government at IIT Guwahati is said to have joined the militant group United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I).
According to reports, Gautam Gogoi, a junior technician at IIT Guwahati, has joined the banned militant group United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I). This is unexpected because it has generally been claimed that young people who have been deceived and without jobs joined ULFA-I.
Reportedly, Gautam Gogoi hails from Amguri, Sivasagar district of Assam. However, Gautam being held a government position and was seen as settled, has raised questions that if only young people without jobs are drawn to joining violent groups.
Following the historic signing of a peace accord with the pro-talk side of the ULFA, this is the first case of a youth joining the ULFA-I. It was anticipated that the much hyped peace agreement would stop a tide of young people joining the banned group commanded by its self-proclaimed commander-in-chief, Paresh Baruah.
Additionally, the police had strengthened their hold on incidents of support for the ULFA-I that were reported by some social media sections, with a few arrests taken in this regard recently. In two widely reported incidents, the police had also taken strong measures to prevent young people from joining the banned group.
Three young people were shot and hurt by police in Tinsukia area on December 24, 2018, on allegations that they were going to join a banned group. Meanwhile, on December 24 last year, police in Assam’s Kamrup Rural district shot and injured a person known only as Pranjal Das, who was thought to be a member of the ULFA-I.
ULFA-I leader Paresh Baruah has been receiving appeals from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to join the peace talks and come back to the mainstream ever since the pro-talk side of the ULFA signed the peace accord.
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