ULFA (I) says 3rd ONGC employee Ritul Saikia could have fallen prey to bullets

GUWAHATI: The non-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Axom (or ULFA-I) has sensationally claimed via a mail sent to media organizations (including InsideNE) that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) employee Ritul Saikia might have succumbed to bullet injuries during the rescue operation that was carried out by army personnel and Nagaland police.

The proscribed outfit issuing a notification, claimed that the armed forces' reckless firing could have ended the abducted man's life while washing its hands clean of the incident. It further issued a warning to the ONGC, and threatened to take action.

"On April 20, 2021, after the ULFA (I) and NSCN had jointly taken ONGC employees Mohini Mohan Gogoi, Alakesh Saikia, and Ritul Saikia under their custody, efforts by nearly 500 jawans of the Indian army's 73rd brigade, 35 no Assam Rifles and Nagaland police to rescue the 3 employees resulted in cross-firing between 10 pm to 2:30 am yesterday night. As a result, keeping the ONGC employees' well-being in mind, our cadres left safely them in the custody of the villagers of Tokok Singkhu village in Mon district. Despite knowing this, the security forces to insult us released a hail of bullets in the same place," reads a rough translation of the ULFA-I's notification in this regard undersigned by publicist and (self-styled) Captain Rumel Axom.

"On the other hand, although it was reported in media that two employees Mohini Mohan Gogoi and Alakesh Saikia had been rescued by army and Nagaland police, they have not publicized any information relating to Ritul Saikia. Therefore, we have reason to suspect that Ritul Saikia has either died or is being deliberately hidden by the security personnel," the communique further added.

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The ULFA-I further added that neither it nor the NSCN is responsible for this "unexpected occurring." It further held the 'non-Assamese' ONGC culpable for the chain of events and threatened "dire consequences" against the company in the coming times.

"We inform the ONGC authority that for the whole incident, the ONGC, an outsider multinational company, is responsible. So, the company should get prepared for serious consequences in the future," it said.

The Indian Army along with Assam Rifles troops has rescued Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's (ONGC) two abductees from the outlawed group, United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) in Assam on Friday late night.

Three employees of the ONGC were on April 21 kidnapped by suspected ULFA-I militants from its Lakwa oilfield in Assam's Sivasagar district along the Assam-Nagaland border.

The employees were kidnapped in a company-owned vehicle from the state-run firm's Lakwa field in Sivasagar, where the exploration company has been operating for nearly six decades.

The three kidnapped employees are Mohini Mohan Gogoi (35), Ritul Saikia (33), both junior technicians (Production) and Alakesh Saikia (28), a Junior Engineering Assistant (Production).

The two rescued abductees are Alakesh Saikia and Mohini Mohan Gogoi. One AK 47 has also been recovered.

After the abduction incident, the Assam government asked the district police authorities to intensify the security arrangements at OIL and ONGC infrastructures in eastern Assam.

On April 21, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) G P Singh has been camped out in Upper Assam amid intensifying search operations that saw as many as 14 ULFA (I) sympathizers and linkmen put behind bars.

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