Officials say Drishti Rajkhowa had frequently crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border
New Delhi:
A senior leader of the ULFA (I) Drishti Rajkhowa insurgent group visited Meghalaya, leading government sources said today. Drishti Rajkhowa, who was previously known as Manoj Rabha, is currently in the custody of the military’s intelligence services and is brought to Assam, the sources confirmed.
“He was stuck in a shooting that lasted more than 30 minutes,” reveals a senior officer.
According to him, Rajkhowa, who is the deputy commander-in-chief of the (independent) Asom United Liberation Front surrendered after realizing that there was no chance of escaping the cordon.
“The security forces had cornered him near the village of Bolbogkre in the south of Garo Hills,” the officer added.
Rajkhowa is known to be a close confidant of Paresh Baruah, the so-called “Commander-in-Chief” of ULFA (I).
Intelligence agencies that worked closely with their counterparts in neighboring Bangladesh said it was a major breakthrough in the fight against the insurgency.
According to government officials, Rajkhowa had frequently crossed the Indo-Bangladesh border and had repeatedly succeeded in giving the security forces sleepless nights.
According to intelligence, he was seen around Jaflong in Bangladesh last month when Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Dhaka Imran Siddique was apparently on vacation at a resort in that region.
The intelligence report also indicates that Pakistani defense attached to Dhaka Brigadier Ejaz has held meetings with rebel leaders in the northeast in recent months.
Meanwhile, the dossier on Rajkhowa indicates that he became the closest confidant of the leader of the military wing of ULFA (I), Paresh Barua, after desertions from the rebel ranks left the warlord of Muttock with few options, but to promote it.
After serving as the commander of ULFA Battalion 709 operating in western Assam and Meghalaya, Rajkhowa was appointed deputy commander-in-chief.
ULFA (I) called for an independent state of Assam. The government banned the outfit in 1990.
