The Hindu : `It was ULFA's notice'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003

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Other States - Tripura

`It was ULFA's notice'

By Barun Das Gupta

GUWAHATI OCT. 14. The Assam Government today confirmed that it was the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) — and not ordinary criminals — that had served a Rs. 2-crore extortion notice on the Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL) at Doom Dooma in Upper Assam last month.

The Governor, Ajai Singh, said in Dibrugarh on Sunday that the ULFA had been "wiped out'' in the State and the extortion notice had been issued only by some miscreants.

There have been other reports too, suggesting that the HLL had "faked'' the notice.

Talking to mediapersons here today, the officiating Chief Minister, Dr. Bhumidhar Barman, said: "We have seen the extortion notice. It is not a fake but a genuine one issued by the ULFA.''

At the same time, he claimed that the law and order situation had vastly improved since the Congress came to power.

The fact that the HLL had lodged a complaint with the Government on the extortion demand proved it. During the AGP regime, none dared to complain against the ULFA, he said.

Dr. Barman, however, parried the question on whether the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, during his recent visit to Assam had encroached on the State's authority by stating that the Army could provide security to HLL's top executives, because law and order was a State subject.

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`It was ULFA's notice'