The Indian Army wanted the continuation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Assam to glorify its acts, said ULFA (I) chairman Abhijit Asom.
ULFA (I) chairman in a statement issued on the occasion of the outfit’s ‘Pratibad Divas’ (Protest Day) on Saturday said that the Army wanted the Act to stay in Assam to carry out their ‘barbaric act’.
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The proscribed outfit has been observing November 28 as Protest Day ever since ULFA was declared a banned outfit 23 years ago on this date.
“The Act introduced by the British in 1944 to suppress the freedom struggle of India was later implemented in Assam as AFSPA in 1958 with the Indian constitutional recognition,” said Abhijit Asom.
He said that the Army has been opposing removal of the Act because it has empowered them to turn Assam into a killing field and has helped them to glorify their ‘barbaric’ acts.
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The AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone without any prior notice.
“It is said that the ULFA (I) has been weakened. If so, why such a black law is necessary in Assam? The answer is—the Indian ruler can deeply understand that the indigenous people of Assam always aspire to freedom,” he added.
He called upon the people of Assam to stay firm on this decision.