History repeats itself as AASU leader joins ULFA-I

Guwahati, October 24, 2018:

Blame it on the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 that history is repeating itself in Assam.

After the bloody Assam Agitation of early 1980s, a whole lot of members of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) had joined the insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) to secure a sovereign Assam. Then, there was a gap of about 15 years when none from the students’ organisation joined the rebel group. The trend resumed with Pankaj Pratim Dutta embracing the gun.

Last month, he was expelled from the AASU after the police had informed the organisation about his joining the outfit. He was AASU’s Dergaon unit vice president.

In the past 15 years or so, nobody from the AASU had joined the rebel group and therefore, it assumes significance.

“After the Assam Agitation, a number of AASU workers had joined the ULFA. However, in the past 15 years, no member of the AASU, barring him, joined the ULFA,” AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath told InsideNe.

That Dutta joined the rebel group was known after he had shared a video of him on the social media.

“No one in Dergaon has any knowledge of me joining the ULFA-Independent. I joined the outfit on my own volition. I apologise to the AASU members in Dergaon for joining the outfit without informing them. I believe in order to protect the existence of Assam, there is no other alternative. As such, I joined ULFA-Independent,” Pankaj said in the video.

He added, “We, the Assamese people, were warriors and we had everything but now we are being forced to bow down before mainland India for all issues”.

Driven by a strong anti-immigrants mood following the historic Assam Agitation, scores of people in Assam had joined the ULFA. Given that a similar sentiment against the Citizenship Bill is now brewing in the state, one cannot rule out the possibility of more youth joining the outfit in the coming days. On its part, the ULFA-I may try and motivate the youth into joining the rebel group.