644 militants give up arms in Assam

Guwahati, January 23

In one of the largest surrenders of militants in Assam, 644 members of eight insurgent groups formally laid down arms on Thursday.

The members of the insurgent groups — United Liberation Front of Assam-Independence (ULFA-I), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), Rava National Liberation Front (RNLF), Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), CPI (Maoist), National Santhal Liberation Army (NSLA), Adivasi Dragon Fighter (ADF) and National Liberation Front of Bengali (NLFB) — joined the mainstream in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a programme here.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, “People are happy that you have returned to the mainstream for the development of Assam. You have inspired all those who believe in democracy.” — PTI