ULFA leaders attend ‘shraddha’ of Dhola victims

November 13: In a shocking incident, five innocent Bengalis were brutally killed by militants at Dhola’s Kherabari area of Tinsukia district in Assam a few days ago. The collective ‘shraddha’ ceremony of five persons: Subal Das (60), Shyamal Biswas (60),  Abinas Biswas (20), Dhananjay Namasudra and Ananta Biswas (18) was held in the village on Sunday. This inhuman act of violence was criticized and condemned by people throughout the country. Initially police suspected the involvement of ULFA(I) in the massacre. However, a press statement issued by the outfit denied its involvement.

However, this incident led to bitter relations between the Assamese and Bengalis. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee linked the killings to the process of NRC going on in the state. Bengali organisations even called a 12-hour Assam bandh on 3 November, which did not go down well with various Assamese organisations.

However, surprising all, a team of pro-talk ULFA leaders comprising Anup Chetia, Prabal Neog, and Antu Chowdang attended the collective ‘adya shraddha’ ceremony of those massacred at Dhola. They also appealed to all to maintain peace and harmony and to refrain from making any provocative statements which would worsen the relation between the two communities. Apart from ULFA, various organizations like- All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), All Moran Students’ Union (AMSU), Sonowal-Kachari Students’ Union and Assam Tea-tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) also attended the ‘shradhha’ ceremony.

The five persons who lost their lives were declared as martyrs by the All Assam Bengali Yuva-Chatra Federation. They also erected a memorial to commemorate the martyrs at the site where this tragedy occurred. The commemorative column was inaugurated on Sunday morning by lighting ceremonial lamps in the memory of the deceased.