Assam, Arunachal CMs will be responsible if abducted oil workers get killed: ULFA (I)

GUWAHATI: The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) today said Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu will be responsible for any “untoward incident” that might lead to death of the two captive Quippo oil company employees.

In an emailed statement to the media, the ULFA(I) has stated that the chief ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have recommended an armed operation to secure the release of the two abducted drill site employees.

The rebel outfit, led by Paresh Baruah, alleged that the Assam and Arunachal Pradesh chief ministers are “dilly-dallying tactics” to facilitate time to the armed forces and intelligence agencies to plan and carry out operation.

The statement further said the central intelligence agencies along with the Assam and Arunachal Pradesh police forces were actually planning to kill the two abducted oil company employees -- Pranab Kr Gogoi and Ram Kumar -- by launching the operation.

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“If any untoward incident happens to the two abducted employees of the Quippo Oil and Gas infrastructure Pvt Ltd, the ULFA (I) will not be responsible for it. Instead the Indian armed forces will be the ones to be blamed,” the statement added.

“We are convinced that instead of ensuring the safe release of the two oil company employees, the Indian armed forces are planning to kill the two persons and hold the ULFA (I) responsible for their deaths,” the statement said.

“The operation is a multi-agency operation, which is being led by the Unified Command and involves intelligence agencies such as the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Military Intelligence (MI), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and intelligence departments of the Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Police,” the ULFA (I) stated.