Return to Assam: Lt Gen RP Kalita urges ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah

KOLKATA: General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Lt Gen RP Kalita has urged ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah to return to Assam.

Lt Gen Kalita said that ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah should return to Assam and witness and enjoy the peace and development that the state achieved over the years.

Interestingly, Lt Gen RP Kalita, who is set to retire from active military service on December 31 this year, also hails from Assam.

“I urge Paresh Baruah and those in ULFA-I to return to Assam and enjoy the peace and development that the state achieved,” Lt Gen Kalita said.

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Lt Gen RP Kalita made this statement while speaking to the media at Fort William, the headquarters of the Indian Army’s eastern command, in Kolkata on Thursday (December 28).

He said that the capabilities of the ULFA-I have reduced over the years and now the outfit is only resorting to crimes like grenade lobbing and kidnappings.

Lt Gen RP Kalita also said that decline in incidents of violence and insurgency has ensured lifting of armed forces special powers act (AFSPA) from different parts of Assam.

AFSPA now remains enforced in only four districts of Assam, said Lt Gen Kalita.