TURA, JUNE 9: The United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) will be formally disbanded tomorrow at a ceremony in Tura, which is will be attended by Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma and host of other cabinet minister and senior police officials.
The outfit had signed a formal agreed text on December 18 last.
A total of 46 cadres will bid farewell to arms, including its chairman Novembirth Marak and its commander-in-chief Singbirth Marak alias Norrok Momin.
UALA was formed in February 2013 by Norrok, a former action commander of now disbanded A’chik National Volunteers Council (Breakaway). In October 2013, Novembirth, who was general secretary of Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), had joined the outfit to be elevated to the rank of self-styled chairman of the outfit.
The outfit was formed to protect the rights of the Garos living in Assam. The outfit had presence in Garo dominated areas of Goalpara and Kamrup.
The outfit involved in kidnapping, extortion and killing has several pending criminal cases against its cadres. The stand of the government on the issue is that all criminal cases will be followed up as per FIRs and non-heinous cases will be withdrawn with the approval of the courts.
Norrok was not present during the signing of the agreed text.
However to discuss modalities and rehabilitation package, he was present in one of the meetings, out of four held in the past three months.
“27 cadres were rehabilitated after the complete verification process. The verification of the remaining 19 cadre will be done tomorrow”, said Pravin Bakshi, deputy commissioner of West Garo Hills.
Novembirth and Norrok have been the most-wanted rebels, who had unleashed terror in both Garo Hills and Assam.
Norrok deserted from the ANVC-B after he was accused of leading the attack on Williamnagar Jail in the East Garo Hills District, in which two jail officials – assistant Jailer Neil Warjri and Warder Sarai Singh Thabah – were dragged out and shot dead on February 2, 2013.
Norok was released on bail in January 2013. In 2012, he was arrested in connection with attack on working president of Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Deborah Marak, who is present social welfare minister in the state cabinet.
Intelligence reports indicate that the UALA has a sizeable number of AK rifles, small arms and hand grenades, which the group took away from ANVC-B camps before deserting the parent outfit.
In 2013, the outfit came under sharp criticism for targeting a particular community during Diwali in Assam’s Goalpara district. In the incident, 7 lives were lost. In November 2010 and June 2014, Novembirth was arrested from Siliguri and Guwahati hospital respectively.-From Our Correspondent
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