Paresh Baruah proves allegations and extends Dictatorship

With the recent changes in the hardliner fraction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) by its C-in-C Paresh Baruah, it is now proved finally that Paresh Baruah is the Dictator which was alleged against him for decades, calling his shots with the power of gun and money, using the emotions of the section of the people of Assam who looks upon him as a ray of hope to bring resolutions to the Indo-Assam conflict.

With effect from 21st of April, 2011 Paresh Baruah has terminated all battalions within the armed wing of the ULFA and applied new rules of unique command to be followed by all its armed cadres. Under this new rule, Paresh Baruah indirectly will dictate orders for the entire outfit by using the pseudo structure of Mobile Military headquarter, which itself is nothing a totalitarian rule of Baruah.

By dismissing the post of Battalion commanders, Paresh Baruah has once again proved that he does not trust anyone in the outfit. Time and again, there have been whispers within the outfit that Paresh Baruah has been involved in the conspiracies that killed the most popular and strong leaders of the ULFA in the past. In 1991, the then deputy C-in-C of ULFA Captain Heerak Jyoti Mahanta was prey to a conspiracy when the first round of talks between ULFA and Government of India was around the corner. Heerak Jyoti Mahanta, the handsome youth, talented student and martial art expert was the key person to lead a huge flow of Assamese youths towards the armed struggle. He was killed on December 31, 1991 by Army & Police and his father Ratnapati Mahanta till date laments that his son was killed as a part of conspiracy of ULFA General Secretary Anup Chetia and his wrong decision to collaborate with Hiteshwar Saikia, the then Chief minister of Assam who had come to power with ULFA’s passive help in 1991.

In fact right after the conspiracy that took life of the immensely popular Heerak Jyoti Mahanta, the first rift in the organization took place with many top leaders of those era including the then Foreign Secretary Kalpajyoti Neog, Publicity Secretary Sunil Nath alias Siddhartha Phukan, Munin Nabish, Jugal Kishor Mahanta alias Pahar (who rejoined ULFA by his escape with jail break even after he was captured by Army in armed operation), Manoj Hazarika etc leaving the outfit due to ideological differences with the dictatorship of Paresh Baruah. At that time Tapan Dutta(of Dibrugarh) protested against Dictatorship of Paresh Baruah loud and clear before public and left the organization. Tapan Dutta was also a genius student who was killed after his surrender, by Munna Mishra, the Secret weapon of GoI who created the history of Secret Killings. Also Tappan Dutta was the same person who was accused of Parag Kumar Das killing. By killing Tapan Dutta and Diganta Baruah, ULFA itself malfunctioned the justice of Parag Kumar Das murder case as both were the prime accused.

Following all other controversies, it added final sacrifices of Lt Lal Deka alias Laleshwar Rabha (Commander of the 109th Battalion), Lt Bipul Choudhury and 2nd Lt Bacha Singh(Commander of the 27th Battalion) and Lt Tapan Baruah, the most popular Commander of the strongest 28th Battalion of ULFA. It is alleged by Pro-Talk faction of ULFA that Paresh Baruah never wanted any leader in ULFA to rise up to a level higher than him or to enjoy more trust or fame in the public. Baruah only wanted himself to be considered as a hero and for this he engaged in endless acts of dictatorship.

With the act of dismissing all battalions and Commanders to bring them all under his own rule, Paresh Baruah has proved that all allegations or question marks that rose on his actual level of commitment to the cause of Assam were indeed true. The pro-talk leaders of the ULFA, who have already initiated the process of lateral talks with the Government of India to bring some conclusive peace and rights to the cause of Assam, have not made any comment on Paresh Baruah’s new stand and action. But it is for sure that this stand will affect the process of talks between the Government and ULFA to a great extent.

By deciding to continue with bloodshed under his own command and dictatorship, Paresh Baruah has forgotten the lives of those 12,000 Assamese youths who died fighting from the Battalions of ULFA, all of which are now only a history. The Battalion Commanders of the ULFA in different times, who gave their blood and sweat following the constitution of the outfit, finds only a selfish dictator now to follow and not the long dream for Sovereignty to follow.

Paresh Baruah is now only under the illusion that he will continue to be respected as a hero, when the truth lies in the fact that he is only a selfish man with a blind eye to anything else apart from money and guns. Alas! There is no Parag Kumar Das anymore to see this day when his warning, that money and power can turn an armed struggle to a blind abuse, is coming true in the form of Paresh Baruah.