The ULFA (I) has refuted the media report of peace talk mediator Rebati Phukan, who went missing from Guwahati in April this year, of joining the militant outfit.
The outfit in a statement emailed to media on Monday dubbed the report as false, fabricated and totally baseless.
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“We want to make it clear that no one has been appointed to the post of general secretary of our organisation. The president and vice president of our organisation look after this important post. Such a false news has been circulated at the behest of Indian intelligence agency to malign our organisation and mislead the people of Assam,” Romel Axom, member, publicity department of ULFA-I, said in the statement.
The ULFA (I) further asked the mediaperson who reported the story to apologize to the family members of Phukan.
An Assamese daily on Monday reported that Phukan, who is known as close to ULFA (I) chief and his childhood friend Paresh Barua, has joined the rebel outfit.
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The report claimed that Phukan has been appointed as general secretary of the ULFA (I) and as per the outfit’s norms; he has taken an organizational name as Jyotisman Asom alias RP alias Agni.
65-year-old Phukan, who was reportedly involved in truce talks between ULFA (I) and government agencies, went missing on April 22 after he left his rented house at Ambikagiri Nagar area in Guwahati, where he used to stay alone, for morning walk.
It said Rebati has been working directly with the Prime Minister’s Office since 1991 on peace missions between the Centre and Ulfa. He had also worked in association and cooperation with the Intelligence Bureau till 2016 on various missions in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China.