Significantly, official inquiries into nine deadly blasts that shook Assam, have been helped and accelerated after the recent handing over by Bangladesh authorities to India of the much wanted Ranjan Daimary, leader of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), on May 5. Daimary along with 18 others have been named in the official charge sheet that has been drawn up so far.

Apart from those killed, 540 persons were injured and property worth Rs 3 crore destroyed. Investigations had revealed the involvement of the NDFB and the planning by Daimary and his associates, but his presence in Bangladesh had proved a handicap. Cars, motor bikes and explosives had been planted and used expertly to go off in crowded areas, causing maximum damage, casualties and panic. The explosions had been condemned nation-wide, as state police and security agencies launched a massive operation to bring the guilty to book.

Of the four arrested recently, Rahul Brahma was held from Zero town in Arunachal Pradesh, where he was living with his family. Three others, Indra Brahma, B. Onsai and Lukhra, were picked up from Kokrajhar area following intensive interrogation of Daimary.

Brahma was known to have driven a car in which explosives went off into a crowded area killing nine people, while the trio were involved in using a motor bike to set off an explosion that injured two policemen in Guwahati.

There were problems over the question of legal defence for those arrested. Two Guwahati-based Lawyers” bodies refused to handle their cases, pointing out that the victims included three lawyers. Naturally this offended Bodo sentiments, but later reports from Guwahati said that eventually some lawyers had come forward to defend the accused. Spokesmen for the legal profession pointed out that since Bodo defendants in earlier cases had been served along with others earlier, there was no question of any ethnic bias.

Meanwhile there was progress of a sort in the proposed ULFA-government talks process. The ULFA general council, now with a reduced strength, met at Guwahati central jail, and leaders like Chairman Arabindra Rajkhowa, Mithinga Daimary (Publicity Secretarty) and Pradip Gogoi (Vice President) attended. Modalities and venue for the talks with government were discussed in the absence of ULFA commander Paresh Barua, who is know to be with some of his followers somewhere along the Myanmar China border. Mr. Barua is opposed to the talks and insists on discussing sovereignty for Assam, which the centre and state government have ruled out.

The council originally had 15 members, but five are now missing, dead or in hiding. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has maintained that if necessary talks could be held in the absence of Mr. Barua, who it was hoped, would stand by the decisions taken by his fellow leaders.

These developments have followed the initiative taken by leading intellectual Dr Hiren Gohain and representatives of 100 organisations, who held a convention recently. It ended with prominent citizens and opinion makers calling for unconditional talks between the Government and the ULFA, to restore peace and normalcy in Assam after decades of unrest and insurgency.

There are known to be differences within the ULFA leaders over this stand, as some still insist on discussing sovereignty for Assam. The Centre on the other hand refuses sovereignty outright and also calls for a surrender of arms and violence as pre conditions. It remains to be seen how both sides make progress from this position. (IPA)