644 militants surrender with arms in Guwahati, Assam
As many as 644 cadres of eight militant groups in the northeast have surrendered with arms in Assam. The militants surrendered in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at GMCH auditorium in Guwahati. They laid down arms including AK series rifles, automatic guns, 9mm pistols, over 1600 rounds of ammunition, grenades, and detonators.
The militant groups include United Liberation Front Asom (ULFA), National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), Rabha National Liberation Front (RNLF), Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), CPI (Maoist), National Liberation Front of Bengali (NLFB). This is the largest surrender in decades. The last such laying down of arms happened in the early 90s when Hiteshwar Saikia was the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal assured that the government will provide all facilities under the government schemes to those who have surrendered.
Earlier this month, the banned NDFB signed an agreement with the government for suspension of operations. According to the pact, the NDFB will abjure violence and join in peace talks with the government.
