GUWAHATI: Ulfa's 44-year existence so far as an armed secessionist group spanned intermittent cycles of violence in Assam that cost about 10,000 lives, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Friday after the
Centre
and the state government signed a
peace deal
in New Delhi with the outfit's pro-talks faction.
The casualty count, which includes
civilians
, security forces and militant cadre, is the first official data on the ravages of violence involving Ulfa since 1979.
"Those who lost their lives were all citizens of this country. This issue (Ulfa's armed movement) has been resolved today, and I am thrilled," Shah said.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters later that of the estimated 10,000 people
killed
during this period, about 700 were security personnel. Civilian casualties were in the region of 4,500, while the rest were Ulfa members killed in counter-insurgency operations by central and state forces.
In its heyday, Ulfa abducted more than 2,000 people and killed several of those hostages, including at least one expatriate.
In 1990, Ulfa killed tea company owner Surrendra Paul, the brother of UK-based Lord Swraj Paul. His assassination in Tinsukia district was an infamous landmark, leading to the Centre declaring Ulfa a banned outfit.
The then government at the Centre also clamped President's rule in the state and launched the Army's Operation Bajrang against Ulfa.
On July 1, 1991, Ulfa abducted 14 people, including an engineer from the erstwhile USSR, from various parts of the state. This was the trigger for the launch of the Army's Operation Rhino. The body of the abducted Russian engineer Sergei Gretchenko was never found.
Six years later, social activist Sanjay Ghose was abducted from Majuli and presumed killed. His body, too, wasn't found.
The most shocking moment of Ulfa's armed insurrection was the killing of 13 schoolchildren in an IED blast at the Dhemaji parade ground during the 2004 Independence Day celebration there. After the pro-talks faction expressed willingness to start talks in 2011, the outfit apologised these killings.
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