Staff reporter
GUWAHATI, July 9 – The hardline faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has sent a demand note to Parliamentary Secretary (Environment and Forest) Abu Taher Bepari and the incident has created ripples in the administration. Police investigation into the incident is on and on preliminary investigation, police apprehended that the demand note is not a fake one.The letter was signed by hardcore militant Drishti Asom (Rajkhowa) and it came by post a few days back. It is suspected that the letter was posted in Goalpara district.
Talking to The Assam Tribune about the incident, Bepari said that the letter came to him about 10 days back but he could not check the letters as he was busy visiting the flood affected areas. “In between I got a call and the caller, who identified himself as a member of the ULFA asked me whether I received the letter,” he said.
Bepari said that in the letter, the ULFA demanded an amount of Rs 50 lakh from him now and said that he should pay the outfit Rs 20 lakh every year. He said that he immediately contacted the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Dhubri district and formally registered a case in the Golakganj police station.
The Parliamentary Secretary admitted that his security has been upgraded after the incident and he would apprise the Chief Minister of the incident later this evening.
Meanwhile, when contacted, the SP, Dhubri, PC Saloi said that the matter is under investigation. He said that on preliminary investigation, it looked like the letter was real one. There have been instances of miscreants issuing demand notes in the name of the ULFA to earn some easy money, but on this occasion, the letter looks real, said Saloi.
It may be mentioned here that Drishti Rajkhowa is believed to be in Garo Hills of Meghalaya in the hideouts of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) and he is controlling the operations of the hardline faction of the ULFA is lower Assam districts. He also moves over to Bangladesh from time to time.
