People's Consultative Group

Last updated
People’s Consultative Group
AbbreviationPCG
FormationSeptember 8, 2005;dissolved in February 2011
TypeCitizens’ Group
PurposeInitiating peace talk-process between ULFA and the Centre
Location
Region served
Assam, India
Membership
Selected by ULFA
Official language
Assamese, English
Chief Interlocutor
 Mamoni Raisom Goswami
Parent organization
 ULFA
Staff
11

The People's Consultative Group (PCG) was a citizen's group in Assam, India, comprising 11 members and established by the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) on September 8, 2005. Its objective was to initiate the peace talk process as mediator between the central government and ULFA. The PCG was dissolved by ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa in February 2011. ULFA continued the peace talk process without the PCG on 10 February 2011 in New Delhi. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Members

The following is a list of PCG members released by ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa. Mamoni Raisom Goswami was appointed as the chief interlocutor between ULFA and the government. Some of its members are believed to be ULFA sympathizers or ex-ULFA cadres. [1] [5]

  1. Mamoni Raisom Goswami (Jnanpith Awardee writer)
  2. Reboti Phukan (Former footballer and childhood friend of Paresh Baruah)
  3. Arup Borborah (Lawyer)
  4. Lachit Bordoloi (MASS leader)
  5. Mukul Mahanta (Engineer)
  6. Ajit Bhuyan (Editor, Aji )
  7. Haider Hussain (Editor, Asomiya Pratidin )
  8. Diganta Konwar (Ex Auditor, Advocate)
  9. Brajen Gogoi (Doctor)
  10. Dilip Patgiri (Adviser to the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad)
  11. Hiranya Saikia (Sports organiser)

Reactions

P. V. Sumant, the Director-General of Police in Assam, welcomed the move but made it clear that police operations would continue since no ceasefire agreement existed. Though he considered it a laudable step, he expressed concern that terror organizations are known to make similar overtures to buy time. The state government also agreed to facilitate the peace talk process but denied any unilateral ceasefire with the outfit. [1]

Activities

On September 11, 2005, three days after its formation, the PCG launched a statewide opinion-sharing campaign through letters, SMS, fax and email. It adopted two further resolutions during its first sitting. It appealed to the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi to expedite the peace process. It also expressed concern over Director-General Sumant's remarks that police operations would continue with regard to ULFA. [1] On November 5, 2005, at a rally in Nalbari, the group launched a campaign seeking an immediate end to army counter-insurgency operations. [6]

The talk process

The future of the talk process became uncertain when state security forces killed 12 ULFA cadres on September 14, 2005, in upper Assam, using mortars and other explosives. Paresh Baruah, the commander-in-chief of the armed wing of ULFA, reportedly said, ‘‘We will be compelled to call off the peace initiative because of the state’s attitude. While we took a major step by forming a PCG to work out the modalities of the talks with the government, what the state has done is nothing but sheer betrayal’’. The PCG held an emergency meeting in Guwahati taking note of the security force's operation and also threatened to call off the peace process if such operations were not stopped. [1]

Present status

Declared unconstitutional by ULFA leadership, the PCG was dissolved in the first week of February 2011 by ULFA leaders, led by Arabinda Rajkhowa. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Liberation Front of Asom</span> Rebel organisation operating in state of Assam, India

The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) is an armed militant organisation operating in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an independent sovereign nation state of Assam for the indigenous Assamese people through an armed struggle in the Assam conflict. The Government of India banned the organisation in 1990 citing it as a terrorist organisation, while the United States Department of State lists it under "other groups of concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamoni Raisom Goswami</span> Indian scholar and writer (1942–2011)

Indira Goswami, known by her pen name Mamoni Raisom Goswami and popularly as Mamoni Baideo, was an Indian writer, poet, professor, scholar and editor.

Paresh Baruah, also known by aliasesParesh Asom is an Indian separatist militant who is the army chief of the ULFA, which is seeking Independence for Assam from the Indian Union. He is the vice-chairperson and the commander-in-chief of the United Liberation Front of Assam – Independent. Baruah lives in Yunnan, China where he receives funding and patronage from MSS. He has also insisted that Han Chinese are friends of the Assamese and want to help them become independent, even though his influence has largely diminished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabinda Rajkhowa</span> ULFA rebel leader

Arabinda Rajkhowa, alias Mijanur Rahman Choudhury, is the chairman of the banned group ULFA. He is one of the founder members of the group. He was also the Vice-President of the Indo-Burma Revolutionary Front. He was a leader of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), a radical students' group in Assam, before he founded ULFA.

Bhimkanta Buragohain, also called the Father of ULFA, was the political advisor and ideologue of the revolutionary organisation ULFA in Assam. He was also one of the founder leaders of the organisation.

Mithinga Daimary was the Central Publicity Secretary of the banned outfit ULFA since the previous publicity secretary Siddhartha Phukan's surrender in 1992. He was born in the Barama village in Nalbari district of Assam on 17 May 1967 with the birth name Deepak Kachari.

Raju Baruah (Assamese:, alias Anees Ahmed, is the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, the Chief of military operations, military spokesperson and the head of the near-autonomous 'Enigma Force' of the banned outfit ULFA in Assam. When the outfit's Commander-in-Chief Paresh Baruah was said to be critically ill, Raju Baruah was reportedly assumed to be the new military head.

Sashadhar Choudhury or Sasha Choudhury is the Foreign Secretary of the outlawed group ULFA, Assam. His predecessor was Javed Bora. He hails from Helosa gaon in Nalbari district of Assam. He is married to Runima Choudhury and they have a daughter Shishir.

Chitrabon Hazarika is the Finance Secretary of the banned group ULFA, Assam. He has also been holding the additional charge of general secretary since Anup Chetia’s arrest in 1997. A commerce graduate he hails from Jakhalabandha in Nagaon district of Assam. He is married to Pranati Deka, the arrested Cultural Secretary of the group.

Kaberi Kachari is a writer, poet, political and economical speaker and the wife of Arabinda Rajkhowa, the chairman of the peace talks process outfit called the United Liberation Front of Assam ULFA. She was known for her poetic excellence from her college days.

Bijoy Das, known as Bijoy Chinese, is a commanding officer of 28th battalion of ULFA, the banned terrorist organisation in Assam. He hails from Nalbari district of Assam. He was working as an adjutant to Prabal Neog, the former commanding officer of the battalion, till Neog's arrest. He had also been holding the post of deputy commander of the battalion with Bhaskar Hazarika, another top ULFA leader. According to police he is a moderate who favours a political solution to insurgency in Assam. After Arabinda Rajkhowa and his followers joined peace talk with Union of India, Paresh Baruah ranked up Bijoy Chinese from Lieutenant to Major and appointed as Deputy C-in-C of Eastern Command of the ULFA.

Drishti Rajkhowa alias Drishti Asom, (Real name:Manoj Rabha) was the Commander of the 109 battalion of ULFA until 2011, the banned outlawed group of Assam. He is said to be one of the close confidantes of the group's commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah and an RPG expert. He is also a central committee member of the group. In November 2011, ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah ranked up him as the Deputy commander-in-chief along with Bijay Das alias Bijay Chinese, forming a new central committee after Arabinda Rajkhowa and his followers involved with Lateral talk to GoI.

Dwipamani Kalita is the first ULFA hit-woman of the outfit. She was responsible for all the mortar attacks executed during 2002–2003 in Assam. She joined the outfit in 1998. As she told to police, though she was an expert in mortar shelling, she was used to RPGs. Her accomplices were Dilip Roy and Pranoy Roy who formed a three-member elite group.

The 28th Battalion was the most potent strike group of the ULFA, the banned separatist group of Assam. The 28 Battalion was headed by late hardcore militant leader Tapan Baruah. It is also called the Kashmir Camp. It has its headquarters in Myanmar (Burma).

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Abhizeet Bormon commonly known by his aliasAbhizeet Asom, is the chairperson of the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bajrang</span> First Indian military operation against United Liberation Front of Asom

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kumar, Anand (2005-10-14). "Assam: Preparing for the "Peace Talks"". South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG). Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2009-10-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ↑ Hussain, Syed Zarir (2008-03-27). "Fresh moves to revive deadlocked ULFA peace process". Thaindian News. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  3. ↑ "First round of ULFA peace talks begins Thursday". Feb 9, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Arabinda Rajkhowa has insulted us, his sudden change of stance suspicious: PCG". Feb 9, 2011. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Ulfa Announces Consultative Group". Highbeam Research. 2005-09-08. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  6. ↑ Kumar, Anand (2006-01-17). "Peace talks with ULFA in a limbo". South Asia Ananlysis Group (SAAG). Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  7. ↑ Chakrabarti, Sumon K (Feb 9, 2011). "Assam braces for peace as Centre, ULFA talk". ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011.
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