Central Government forms Tribunal to assess unlawful status of ULFA

New Delhi, December 24 : The Central Government has constituted the Unlawful Activities Prevention Tribunal to adjudicate whether there is sufficient cause to declare the United Liberation Front of Asom – ULFA as an Unlawful Association. The Tribunal will also look into its factions, wings and front organisations. The Tribunal will be headed by Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Gauhati High Court.

Earlier, Union Home Ministry had extended the ban on ULFA for five years. The Ministry cited continued involvement of the outfit in criminal activities, extortion and pursuing an objective of secession from India. The outfit was first banned in 1990 and since then the ban has been extended periodically, most recently in November 2019.

The MHA’s November notification justifying the ban extension stated, “ULFA has declared its objective to secede Assam from India, continued intimidation and extortion of funds for their organisation and maintained links with other insurgent groups for extortion and violence.

The outfit has possessed illegal arms and ammunition, indulged in 16 criminal cases, including several cases of explosions or planting of explosives in Assam during the period from November 27, 2019, to July 1, 2024, and planted several improvised explosive devices or explosives in the run-up to Independence Day, 2024 across Assam.”